Introducing Vitamin Sea – a fresh series that explores how our connection to the ocean shapes marine conservation

Our health is inextricably linked to the health of the ocean. Half of the oxygen The gas we breathe comes from petite plankton living in the sea, and our activities on land, no matter how far from the coast we live, affect our waters in many ways – from plastic waste and sewage pollution to the fish we eat.

That’s why we launched Vitamin Sea, an stimulating collaboration between The Conversation’s environment and health departments.

Anna Turns, Senior Environment Editor

Seven years agomy daughter and I have been campaigning for businesses in our home town on the south Devon coast to stop using single-use plastic.

For two years, we organized beach clean-ups and school assemblies, convinced 60 restaurants, hotels and shops to switch to reusable products, participated in live TV interviews and led a two-day, 22-mile expedition paddle board trip collect litter along every stream in the Salcombe Estuary.

I’m sure we wouldn’t bother with such extreme measures if we didn’t already have a forceful sense of connection to this lovely tidal estuary and a forceful need to protect it from litter and pollution. But having grown up in landlocked Bedfordshire, I wonder where that comes from.

The Science of blue health – the idea that being near, on, or in water is good for our physical and mental health – is relatively well-established. Water includes everything from ornamental fountains in city centers to rivers, lakes, dungeons, and streams, all of which eventually flow to the ocean.

The Vitamin Sea series highlights fresh research that shows how our interactions with the sea can impact how we protect marine habitats – and that our relationship with the sea is reciprocal, no matter where we live.

Katie Edwards, Editor-in-Chief, Health

I grew up in Mexborough, South Yorkshire, a northern post-industrial town with high levels of poverty and deprivation. Visits to the seaside at Skegness, Scarborough and Blackpool were annual festive events – the sea and its creatures seemed a world away from everyday life.

So what does blue health mean for those living inland? How can people living in urban environments, many of whom have pressing social issues in their own communities, contribute to marine health? How can we, living miles from the coast, develop a relationship with the sea and experience its benefits?

Our experts explain how our choices and actions can be good or bad for the marine environment – ​​from the sunscreen we slather on in the middle of summer, to the wetsuits we wear when swimming, the products we pour down the drain and the food we eat.

Scientists explain the social science behind the healing power of surf therapy and how they measure the health benefits in blue. Scientists shed lithe on why taking part in a beach cleanup is actually restorative for mental health.

Let’s dive into this topic.

Whether it’s swimming, sailing, or even building sandcastles, the ocean has a positive impact on our physical and mental well-being. Curious about how forceful coastal connections facilitate protect the marine environment, scientists are diving to explore the power of blue health.

This article is part of the Vitamin Sea series, in which we explore how our interaction with the ocean can improve its quality.