Introducing ocean identity as an emerging construct

Do you have ocean objects in your home that you adore? Do you vacation on or by the ocean regularly? Do you feel desire to be close to ocean spaces? If so, these may be expressions of your ocean identity. Jaksha1 defines ocean identity as how people view themselves specifically in relation to an ocean environment. In exploring the construct with K-12 students they explain that ocean identity “takes into account non-traditional variables in education such as how students talk about relationships with non-human species, how values and life goals relate to the environment, and emotions expressed related to environmental fears and threats.” (pg. 94). While a valuable introduction to the concept of ocean identity, this early definition focuses primarily on the how aspects of ocean identity, within a specific group, and presents little evidence as to why people come to have the ocean identities that they maintain.

Our work seeks to develop a deeper understanding of not just how individuals express their ocean identities, but what drives their ocean identities and why? Therefore, we assert the value of a broader definition of ocean identity defined as “the connection between an individual’s self-concept and ocean spaces.” Given the growing emphasis on the need to understand the complexities of ocean-human relationships, the construct of ocean identity provides a valuable lens that can be used to unpack the multiple conceptual dimensions that may explain why individuals perceive their connection with the ocean in a particular way. Through this paper, we further explore and conceptualize this emergent construct in order to deepen understanding of human connections with ocean spaces.

The inventory of conceptual attributes developed addresses a number of research gaps1 and signals a diversity of attributes that may be considered in measuring an individual’s ocean identity. This framework goes beyond what has already been explored, as it includes a robust list of aspects of environmental identity and ocean literacy concepts that may explain one’s ocean identity across cognitive, affective, and behavioral contexts. A valid and reliable statistical instrument for measuring ocean identity is currently being tested using the conceptual dimensions presented here. Table 1 shown below identifies the cognitive, affective, and behavioral aspects that were identified through our literature review. It serves as a conceptual framework for our revised definition of ocean identity.

Table 1 Proposed attributes of the ocean identity construct.
Full size table

Establishing the need for ocean identity research

Despite its vastness and seeming never-ending capacity to withstand the pressures placed on it by human society, the global ocean is not limitless2. Worldwide, marine and coastal ecosystems are experiencing unprecedented levels of anthropogenic pressure; as efforts to address the challenges facing the global ocean continue, recent years have witnessed a resounding call for greater consideration of the connection between the ocean and society3,4. January 2021 marked the beginning of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development5 (hereafter the UN Ocean Decade), which sets out an aspiration to transform the “relationship between people and the ocean,” calling for improved interdisciplinarity and integration of social and natural sciences, including diverse knowledge and values, to address ocean challenges. This goal is an indication of shifting values at the global scale toward ocean and coastal, or “blue,” issues6.

There is growing acknowledgment that marine environments provide many discernible and indiscernible resources to humankind, and a need to understand the complexity of the interconnections between society and the sea in order to deliver sustainable management and conservation1,3,4,7. Efforts to improve ocean connections around the world are aligning with this growing interest in blue issues, with ocean literacy positioned as a key mechanism for delivery of the UN Ocean Decade goals. Related to this, while it is well established in the literature that identity or orientations drive human behavior8, the notion of ocean identity, and its role in understanding the complex relationships between people and the ocean, has received limited attention to date.

Bridging the gap between ocean literacy and environmental identity

Recent years have seen resounding calls for the incorporation of the human component into our assessments of socio-ecological condition and relationships9,10—including within ocean literacy, and other parallel concepts and frameworks. Originating in the early 2000s, ocean literacy has historically been defined as having “an understanding of your influence on the ocean and its influence on you”11. Until recently, there has been a persistent lack of attention to the multitude of socio-cultural and humanistic aspects of ocean literacy, with the majority of studies framing the concept around knowledge and awareness obtained through formal school education and assessment12,13,14. Further, these efforts rarely take into account informal and free choice learning educational interventions1,14, or explore how experience and personal connection might influence levels of ocean literacy and related behaviors15. Recently, the landscape around the concept and its application has evolved suggesting that contemporary models of ocean literacy lack a thorough understanding of the social factors which may influence connection to the ocean15,16,17,18.

Despite growing recognition of the importance of social and human dimensions, many existing ocean literacy assessments do not yet account for the complex and dynamic facets included within models of marine citizenship19,20 or environmental citizenship21, for example. Coupled with a need to expand the previously accepted dimensions of ocean literacy—awareness, knowledge, attitudes, communication, behavior and activism (as outlined by ref. 17, there is also a need to better integrate additional influencers, including emotional connection, adaptive capacity, experiences and social values, in expressions of ocean literacy16. However, due to the nascent nature of this interdisciplinary topical area, to date, there has been limited effort to effectively assess the various dimensions of ocean literacy (or other related concepts) across various geographical scales (see, for example, refs. 22,23).

Like ocean literacy, the construct of environmental identity is not novel, and has been studied for decades24,25, with studies showing that interactions with nature and the environment facilitate and stimulate environmental identity development26. The importance of understanding the whole spectrum of human dimensions has received growing emphasis in recent years, including an increased focus on the role of emotions in the context of societal relationships with nature and the environment27. Milton28 frames emotions, for example, as being integral to a person’s ability to relate to, and connect with, an environment and a caring relationship with a nonhuman entity to be created. However, while knowledge, attitudes and other dimensions of societal relationships with the ocean are of growing interest, emotions relating to ocean environments have received relatively limited attention29 Further, while the existing literature on environmental identity provides a useful framework, there has been limited application of it within an ocean context.

Taking ocean identity forward

In order to advance the construct of ocean identity, there is a first a need to consider what attributes comprise it. Drawing from existing scholarship on environmental identity and ocean literacy, this paper presents an early description of the concept of ocean identity and highlights key affective, cognitive, and behavioral attributes that can be expected to contribute to an individual’s sense of ocean identity.

This framework is currently being used in the validation of a statistically valid and reliable instrument for adequately measuring and furthering the conceptualization of ocean identity. The factors included here demonstrate the multiplicity of concepts that, in theory, may affect how one’s ocean identity presents at a given point in time. Future research will uncover a statistically validated model, though researchers should continue to explore the complexity of human connections with ocean spaces, as illustrated in the conceptual ocean identity framework presented. Additionally, as efforts continue to better understand human–ocean relationships in order to deliver the goals of the UN Ocean Decade, the construct of ocean identity has a valuable role to play as a construct in its own right, but also in enhancing societal ocean literacy.