Did you know that the ocean is like a superhero fighting climate change? It's true! The ocean helps protect our planet from getting too hot and has a special power to soak up bad stuff in the air called carbon dioxide.

Near the ocean, there are special areas called coastal wetlands, such as salt marches, mangroves and oyster beds. These places are like underwater homes for many sea creatures. They are strong and help stop big waves from hurting our beaches. They also suck up the excess of carbon dioxide and store it in their leaves, stems and roots. 

What Is Carbon Dioxide?

Carbon dioxide is 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 is a big fire.

• Volcanoes: When volcanoes erupt, they can send big puffs of carbon dioxide into the sky.

What Does It Do?

• Good things: Little amounts of carbon dioxide keep Earth warm enough for us to live, otherwise our planet would be a giant snowball! Plants also use carbon dioxide to make their food – it's like their special ingredient for growing big and strong.

• Bad things: The problem is, when there's too much carbon dioxide in the air, our planet gets too hot, which we call climate change. Carbon Dioxide and Our Ocean Friends When there's too much carbon dioxide in the air, up some of it gets absorbed by our ocean. But when the ocean takes in too much carbon dioxide, it starts to change the water, making it more acidic. Imagine this: if you add some lemon to your juice, it gives it a nice taste, but if by mistake you put too much lemon it tastes super sour – that's kind of what happens to the ocean. The "sour" water can make life really hard for sea creatures like corals and tiny shellfish, making them weak or even dissolve them!

Our amazing ocean is always working hard to keep our planet beautiful and full of life! It gives us food, energy, and water, and even protects us from the pollution we create. But if we want our ocean to stay strong and healthy, we can't just take from it for our comfortable lives. We need to be careful how we treat it and work together to protect it.

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.