World Ocean Day, on 8th June, encourages action throughout the year to protect the planet. We are delighted to share a short guest piece with you on World Ocean Day 2023. Written by Chris Bulford from Ocean Infinity, he touches on World Ocean Day and some of the pioneering work that Ocean Infinity are doing with seagrass, from their office at Bloxham Mill to protect the planet. You can find out more about World Ocean Day, here.
The 8th of June is World Ocean Day and despite being pretty much the furthest point from the Sea in the UK there are people at Bloxham Mill working on projects spread across the world’s Oceans.
Ocean Infinity have a small satellite team working at the Mill and our mission is to use innovative technology to transform operations at sea to enable people and planet to thrive. To this end we partnered with Project Seagrass and conducted an autonomous survey in the Solent to identify prospective sites for Seagrass establishment.
But why is seagrass so important?
Seagrass occupies 0.1% of the seafloor yet is responsible for 11% of the organic carbon buried in the ocean. Seagrass meadows, mangroves and coastal wetlands capture carbon at a rate greater than that of tropical forests.
Seagrass meadows provide food and habitat for 1000’s of species such as shellfish, seahorses, manatees, and sea turtles. Over 30 times more animals live within seagrass compared to adjacent sandy habitats.
92% of the UK’s seagrass meadows have been lost and the aim is to re-establish 30km2 by 2030.
Find out more at www.projectseagrass.org and www.oceaninfinity.com.
– Piece written by Chris Bulford, Ocean Infinity (Bloxham Mill Client)
