Ensuring the future of the oceans

Advances in technology have been both the cause of increased environmental changes and the basis for analysing those changes. With the onset of the Industrial Revolution, innovations in technology and industry occurred at a rapid pace, enabling immense economic growth, while simultaneously laying the seeds for environmental change. The regular recording of weather data began many years prior to the development of metrics for recording regular measurements in the open ocean. It was much easier to install and upgrade land-based weather stations for monitoring purposes. While understanding of the integrated nature of the environment as a whole and the systematic analysis of the ocean environment may be a more modern phenomenon, it would be a mistake to ignore the early explorers and researchers of past centuries. The global ocean circulation system transports heat worldwide and affects climate in many areas.