Terrestrial links to ocean health

Abstract

This guest editorial examines the critical but often overlooked relationship between terrestrial activities and ocean health. Swanson argues that while marine environments face numerous ecological challenges, most originate from land-based practices, including agricultural runoff, industrial pollution, and carbon emissions. Using the Baltic Sea as a case study, she demonstrates how industrial agriculture has transformed marine ecosystems, creating dead zones and threatening hundreds of species. The author critiques approaches that maintain land-sea dichotomies and calls for more integrated research across disciplinary boundaries. Drawing on anthropological methods, Swanson advocates for holistic approaches that recognize the interconnectedness of terrestrial and marine systems, incorporate Indigenous knowledge practices, and address the systemic transformations needed in political economy and ecology to effectively care for ocean environments.