What Are Oceanography? An Interdisciplinary Science?

Oceanography also called oceanology or marine science, is the branch of Earth science that studies the ocean. It covers a wide range of topics, including marine organisms and ecosystem dynamics; ocean currents, waves, and geophysical fluid dynamics; plate tectonics and the geology of the sea floor; and fluxes of various chemical substances and physical properties within the ocean and across its boundaries. These diverse topics reflect multiple disciplines that oceanographers blend to further knowledge of the world ocean and understanding of processes within it: biology, chemistry, geology, meteorology, and physics as well as geography.

The dream of having majored in marine biology is one thing, but to get to have a marine biology degree is a fifth grader’s dream come true. The environment is heading in a rough direction. For example, ocean acidification is already a problem. The decrease in pH of our ocean acidity is causing coral reefs to die out—which houses thousands of organisms’ homes and food sources. Due to the contaminants, we release into the natural environment, we are slowly losing ecosystems every day. Therefore, I want to be the researcher to help save the oceanic life from these horrible conditions. Also, the career of marine biology can take a person anywhere, from the coasts of the Bahamas all the way to the depths of the Arctic Ocean. This provides the advantage

Astonishingly, Did you know that we have better maps of the moon than we do of the ocean? (#7) It’s true! Scientists are working to make drones to explore the deep sea. Ocean Exploration is a developing science that incorporates the use of marine biology and drone technology. Ocean Exploration technology will be an overall benefit to society because 1. exploring the ocean is easier than before and 2. ocean exploration can help with monitoring the deep sea.

A deep-sea scuba diver is approaching the bottom of the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, Australia when all of a sudden she sees an Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin swimming on her right. The diver turns around to see a dwarf minke whale on her left. These are just two of the various amazing marine creatures that a marine biologist could encounter whilst simply doing her job. Marine biologists are biologists who study saltwater animals and plant species. Not only are they collecting and analyzing data about marine life, they are raising attention about problems to try to protect the environment (Greenland and Sheldon). However, working in fieldwork can be very physically demanding and marine biologists have to cope with deep-water pressure and walking long distances. Also fieldwork assignments can be very long and last up to weeks at a time (Greenland and Sheldon). Being a marine biologist can be a very unique and amazing experience traveling to rare regions to study marine life, although it can be very dangerous and time consuming.

I knew that they worked with animals and that they studied the oceanic environment. They work on in the ocean and on land, depending on the task they work in groups or alone. Also, with marine biology I feel like one of my strengths is that I love being around the ocean and I love working with people.

Marine scientists may be employed by government agencies, private companies and industry organizations, and the jobs they do may differ according to where they work.

There are many locations i could work at as long as it's on the coast. Marine biologist can work in offices and laboratories, but may also work on boats, at sea, or in isolated coastal areas in all weather conditions. The work hours are the same as any other business, but that can change when you are doing field work. You can end up working all night if your experiment or job at that time requires that. The location of this job is world-wide you can find this job anywhere on a coast.

After many family vacations to the beach, where I experienced the ocean first-hand and most recently, a summer camp through MOTE Aquarium, I now have a new goal, which is to become a marine biologist. The majesty of the ocean, the ocean life, and the ecosystem are something that I have always been intrigued by and now plan to make it a career. I realize that becoming a marine biologist is not going to be an easy task to accomplish, but I am prepared for the hard work and dedication it will take to reach my long-term goals. I am excited about not only the classroom portion of marine biology, but equally excited to get in the field and experience hands-on learning and research.

Some schools offer a marine biology degree and most of these are located in coastal states, but the undergraduate degree need not be in marine biology. It can be in biology, zoology, fisheries, or one of the other animal sciences. Physical oceanographers, who study the physical as opposed to the biological aspects of the sea, may work toward an oceanography degree, with coursework weighted heavily in physics, mathematics, and computer modeling. Biological oceanographers study both the biological and physical aspects of the sea and their interactions. Your best bet would be to refer to the guides mentioned above and contact the schools that interest you and learn more about the programs and degrees they offer. A bachelor's or master's degree is usually required for most starting marine biological research jobs, but you should also be aware that the usual level of education required to carry out independent research in biology is a Ph.D., so if you are serious about a full-time career and want to organize your own research projects, you should get your doctorate.

The ocean it covers over 70 percent of the earth’s surface and more than 500 million people go to its surface during the summer yet we have not seen 95 percent of the surface in detail. This is where oceaogahers come into play. An oceanographer is someone who studies the ocean whether it is to find a pocket of oil deep in the ocean or to find new species of fish deep down in the sea or the migratory patterns of fish for fishermen to be able to catch that type of fish all year.

If you are interested in adventuring the depths of the ocean, being a marine biologist is the job for you. As a marine biologist you will need to have several years of schooling in order to have a successful career. Being a marine biologist can be an enjoyable and dangerous job, but the journey is worth the ride.

The few facts that are known about the ocean and its processes are not a part of common knowledge. This is due to the lack of information that is advertised to the public, lack of

1. One of the paramount topics we have covered in this course is oceanography (no surprises there). Rather than thinking of oceanography as “just” the study of the ocean, I have always viewed oceanography as the study of marine biology, marine chemistry, marine geology and marine physics. Before diving into any sort of detail, one can see (from the above) that oceanography incorporates four fundamental sciences into one topic; therefore, when asked to list three ways in which marine geology and marine chemistry interrelate, the possibilities are endless. Because we are to list just three examples, I am going to focus my answer on the Earth’s composition/layers. The first way these two fields interrelate is though convection currents (mantle). Density and temperature are two topics central to chemistry. Because density and temperature, along with depth, play a critical role in plate movement (geology), the plate tectonic theory is one example. The second way is through radioactive decay. Specifically, we use radioactive dating (e.g., isotope dating and half-lives) to determine the exact age of a specific geological structures. The third way these two fields interrelate is in determining the composition of the Earth’s inner core. I saved this example for last because it shows how marine physics can also be interrelated in marine chemistry and marine geology. We [scientific community] have a sound understanding of the Earth’s composition because of mass, density and temperature

The ocean plays a critical role in removing carbon from the atmosphere and providing oxygen. It regulates Earth's climate. The ocean is an increasingly important source of biomedical organisms with enormous potential for fighting disease. These are just a few examples of the importance of the ocean to life on land.

Possible careers for those intrigues in marine biology include a teaching position, being a research scientist, hydrologist,