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How Everything Is Connected in the Ocean

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The Ocean: Earth’s Largest Living System

The ocean covers more than 70% of Earth’s surface, yet scientists estimate we have explored less than 20% of it in detail. Researchers believe there may be over 2 million marine species, but only about 240,000 have been officially described. That means most ocean life is still unknown. Today we explore how that system stays balanced — and what happens when it doesn’t.

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You will be able to answer:‍

• What is the difference between a food chain and a food web?
• What does it mean for a species to be an indicator species?
• How can excess nutrients at the bottom of the food web affect predators like sea lions?
• Why do ecosystems usually collapse from multiple stressors instead of just one?