An introduction to the Social Ocean

This quarter I took a class called The Social Ocean. I will tell you what that meant in the context of the class, but first I want you to think about what it means to you. What is the “social ocean?” For me, the “social ocean” encompasses the concept that we are all connected to the oceans. The oxygen in approximately every other breath you take is from photosynthetic algae in the seas. We are all reliant upon the oceans and connected to them, no matter where we live. The oceans are inherently linked with human society and culture. The “social ocean” encompasses all of the ways that we as humans interact with the seas as well as all of the ecosystem and organismal interactions within the oceans. What did you think of when you first read “the social ocean?”