The findings published in the open access scientific journal Plus One, describes species found in oceanic regions ranging from icy Antarctic waters, to the tropics, to temporary waters throughout the world, and the Arctic.

 

It’s the first time ever that all the information is available in one single source for the public worldwide. So anyone around the world who wants to know about Caribbean marine diversity, for example, just goes to one place, clicks, we’ll have a full article, and then we’ll also have, through the supporting material, we’ll have a list of species of the most representative or most study groups in the area.

 

The study found that some of the largest and best-known sea creatures make up only a tiny portion of the ocean’s bio-diversity. Animals like whales, seals, sea birds, turtles, and walruses account for only 2% of the known marine species in the 25 regions, while crustaceans including crabs, lobsters and shrimp account for nearly 20%.

 

Microscoped algae and single-celled organisms are the most wild spread.  Researchers observe these tiny organisms throughout the study areas.

 

The waters of Australia and Japan share the title of most bio-diverse, each with almost 33,000 known species, nearly three times the average. Researchers also found that some of the top five most-diverse areas are also the most threatened. This include the waters of Mediterranean, China and the Gulf of Mexico.

 

Having an open access database that is a framework of the known marine diversity is one of the most useful tools you can have, not just for scientists but especially for policy makers because they are the ones who will make the decisions about what will be done with the oceans, what measures will be taken to protect it.

 

But even with this new inventory of the sea, much work remains to be done. Cnsus scientists estimate that for every known oceanic species at least four more have yet to be discovered. And while future research will continue to expand our knowledge of the ocean, these latest findings represent a giant leap forward and our understanding of the wild and wonderful creatures that call it home.