139736eo.pdf (20MB) - Japan Oceanographic Data Center

5. Coral-reef resources - Coral reefs and associated environments often are highlyproductive in terms of plants, invertebrates and fish. This has economic impact in terms ofcommercial fisheries (e.g., fish, shrimp and mollusks) and tourist attractions. Moreover, reefs andassociated mangrove areas can serve as major barriers against the waves and surge created bymajor storms. Unfortunately, the impacts on the reef environment by present-day human activities(see the paper by Ormond) have led to the local demise of many reefs and threaten to curtail thesurvival of many more. Mapping reefs and studying the habitats and species could provide thebasis on which the reefs and possible degradation can be documented.6. Red tides - Toxic dinoflagellates and (to a lesser extent) blue-green algae produceneurotoxins that can find their way to man through infected fish and shellfish. At this point, toofew data are available to know the actual impact of red tides on the human population of the IndianOcean region, but as the consumption of fish increases, various diseases due to red tides probablywil increase. Local authorities and public health authorities should be aware of the causes andsymptoms of these various diseases.7. Taxonomic research of marine flora and fauna - Some Indian Ocean scientists lackaccess to the taxonomic skills needed to recognize and classify tropical marine biota, but such skillsclearly are required if marine biology is to be developed in these counmes.Ocean Science and Non-Living Resources1. Survey of continental shelves - Because many of the potential non-living resources arefound in water depths less than 200 metres (e.g., sand and gravel, heavy minerals, phosphate),this environment should be surveyed systematically by all coastal nations.2. Coastal processes - Waves, tides and storms will play a major role in the physicalstability of nearshore areas. Moreover, if these processes are understood, then the movement anddeposition of pollutants can be predicted.3. Effects of damming rivers - At present, rivers draining into the Indian Ocean carry largeloads. These loads, however, wil diminish as the rivers are dammed in response to increasedeconomic development. Such decreases in sediment loads may result in marked increases in localshoreline erosion.4. Deep-water sediments - Variation of sediments beneath the sea floor reflects theevolving nature of the Indian Ocean basin and its climate. By understanding these changes in time,possible future changes also can be predicted.5. Crustal structure, tectonics and geological evolution - In contrast to the previous item,which can require cores and laboratory analyses, the structure and evolution of the ocean basin canonly be defined by means of expensive geophysical equipment. Realistically, such studies are bestcarried out in concert with other neighboring countries.5