Global Fishing Watch, a non-profit organization established in collaboration with Google, has released two sets of data to help individuals understand how human activities impact marine environments. These activities include industrial fishing, cargo shipping, oil drilling structures, fish farms, and more.
Researchers utilize Google Earth’s engine to analyze radar satellite data and create images based on continental areas, revealing sea structures and vessels that do not emit signals. The results provide insights into human activities in different sea areas on a daily basis.
From this data, Global Fishing Watch has observed a 10% increase in oil drilling platforms since 2017, with a slightly decreasing growth rate. However, there has been a significant increase in offshore wind turbines by three times, totaling around 10,000 oil platforms, 14,000 wind turbines, and 4,000 fish farm structures.
Another crucial dataset involves vessel activities without radar signals, comprising more than half of all vessel movements, and a fourfold increase in fishing activities compared to previous data. These vessel activities contribute to approximately 3% of global carbon emissions.
The publication of this data by Global Fishing Watch can assist governments in marine area management, including coastal conservation, and evaluating the impacts of climate change.
TLDR: Global Fishing Watch, in partnership with Google, has released data sets revealing human activities in the marine environment, highlighting trends such as increased oil drilling platforms and offshore wind turbines, as well as the implications of vessel activities on carbon emissions.
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