A study confirms that events affecting sea life have led to the collapse of wildlife populations on land.

Since the invention of the first spears and plows, humans have been the cause of most animal extinctions. But it wasn't until the Industrial Revolution that humans developed the technology to cause environmental havoc on a massive scale.

Like Us on Facebook

Much of the damage has been limited to dry land. On the other hand, ocean species have been unexpectedly well protected. A team of scientists warns the wave of extinctions caused by humans may soon sweep across the seas, however.

"We are setting ourselves up in the oceans to replay the process of wildlife Armageddon that we engineered on land," said Douglas Mc­Cauley of the University of California Santa Barbara's Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, lead author of a report on the findings.

The scientists concluded these damages can be avoided. Compared to continents, oceans are mostly intact and wild enough to quickly recuperate their ecological health with the aid of effective programs limiting their exploitation, McCauley said.

Co-author Steve Palumbi of Stanford University in California added emerging threats to oceans are factory farms in the sea, cattle ranch style feed lots for tuna and seafloor mining claims.

The detailed analysis was published in the journal, Science.

Tagsocean life, marine life, humans, global warming, wildlife population, animal extinction