Hello, Bubble Buddies! Sophia the Seahorse here, wiggling in from my beautiful Mediterranean home! Today, I want to tell you about how our incredible ocean is like a superhero, helping to keep our whole planet healthy and happy. It's doing a super important job to fight something called climate change!

The ocean is amazing

The ocean is like a giant sponge and a powerful air conditioner all in one! It soaks up heat and helps move cool breezes around the planet, keeping Earth’s temperature just right. That helps protect all the land where we live!

The first thing you need to know is carbon dioxide (CO2), an odourless gas, which means it floats unseen in the air. It comes from lots of places:

• When we breathe: This includes not only us, but all animals.
• When things burn: Imagine a campfire or a car's engine running. When wood, petrol, or other fuels burn, they release lots of carbon dioxide into the air. And, of course, when there are big fires.
• Volcanoes: When volcanoes erupt, they can send big puffs of carbon dioxide into the sky.

A little carbon dioxide is like a warm blanket, it keeps Earth cosy! But too much makes it way too hot, like wearing ten blankets in summer! Plants also use carbon dioxide to make their food; it's like their special ingredient for growing big and strong. The problem is, when there's too much carbon dioxide in the air, our planet gets too hot, which we call climate change.

Here’s how our ocean fights climate change:

Super Carbon Sponge!
The ocean is like a giant vacuum cleaner slurping carbon dioxide! In fact, it soaks up about one-quarter of all the extra CO2 people put into the air. Tiny ocean plants called phytoplankton help trap that gas. When they die, they sink way down to the bottom of the sea, taking the carbon with them like a secret treasure! Even whales help: when their journey ends, they sink and take carbon with them, like giant ocean superheroes!

Earth’s Giant Air Conditioner!
The ocean also soaks up almost all the extra heat from those warming gases, 90% of it! It’s like Earth’s giant air conditioner! Then, ocean currents move that heat around the world like a secret superpower. Without the ocean, the land would get way too hot to handle. But the ocean can’t do it all, it's getting warmer and fizzier (that means more acidic, like fizzy lemonade!), and that's no good.

Coastal Super Shields!
On the edges of the ocean, there are special areas called coastal wetlands, such as salt marshes, mangroves, oyster beds, and coral reefs! These squishy, splashy, colourful places protect coastlines from big waves and wild storms. They also hide carbon and give sea animals safe places to live. It’s like having a force field for our beaches!

Oxygen Factory!
Here’s a breath of fresh news: the ocean makes half the oxygen you breathe! That’s right, every other breath comes from tiny sea plants working hard underwater, like little green factories puffing out fresh air.

Home Sweet Sea!
From baby plankton to giant whales, the ocean is bursting with life! Every plant and animal plays a part in keeping the sea (and our planet) happy and healthy.

Clean Power from the Waves!
Did you know we can make clean energy from the ocean? Big windmills in the water (offshore wind farms) and wave-powered machines can make electricity without making the air dirty. It’s another way the ocean helps fight climate change!

The Ocean Is Doing Its Best; Let’s Help Too!

The ocean is working hard every day to cool the Earth and clean the air. But it’s getting warmer and more acidic, and that hurts everything from fish to coral to whales. It needs our help.

Next time you are near the sea, give it a little wave and say thanks: it’s saving the planet, one splash at a time!

Here are a few things for you to do. Share it with us if you want:

• Draw Your Own Ocean Creature: Use your imagination to draw a new, fantastic ocean creature. You could draw a fish with wings or a crab that can climb trees! 
• Ocean Clean-up Mission: Help clean up your local beach or park. Pick up any litter you find and keep our planet clean.
• Ocean Story-Time: Write or draw a story about a sea turtle, a shark, or any other ocean creature. Share your story with a friend or family member.

• Make an Ocean Superhero Cape! Draw symbols on a paper cape that show the ocean’s powers: oxygen bubbles, crashing waves, sea plants, coral shields! Wear your cape and tell someone how the ocean saves the planet.

Every wave hides a new secret. Ready to dive into the next one?
Sophia the Seahorse