“How inappropriate,” wrote Arthur C. Clarke, “to call this planet Earth when clearly it’s Ocean. ” It’s hard to argue with that. Viewed from space, our planet looks predominantly blue because the oceans cover 71 per cent of the surface. We wouldn’t be here if it were otherwise.
The world’s seas act as enormous storage heaters smoothing out weather extremes and giving the Earth an equable climate for fostering life. Until future space missions reveal otherwise, our world appears to be the most hospitable place in the Solar System for life as we know it.
Climate is constantly on the change,…
