The sea provides many services to humanity: it feeds us with fish, it carries our ships, it has shaped our cultural heritage and it regulates our climate. But humans also affect the ocean through global warming, acidification from increasing CO2 and pollution from plastics and wastewater. Other examples of the imprint of humans include offshore wind farms, increased ship traffic, and the prospect of deep sea mining. NIOZ researchers study these human impacts on marine ecosystems, both positive and negative, with the aim of finding sustainable ways forward.