What is oceanography and its examples?
Oceanography covers a wide range of topics, including marine life and ecosystems, ocean circulation, plate tectonics and the geology of the seafloor, and the chemical and physical properties of the ocean. Just as there are many specialties within the medical field, there are many disciplines within oceanography.
What are the 4 types of oceanography?
Oceanography is an interdisciplinary science where math, physics, chemistry, biology and geology intersect. Traditionally, we discuss oceanography in terms of four separate but related branches: physical oceanography, chemical oceanography, biological oceanography and geological oceanography.
What Oceanology means?
Definition of oceanology : oceanography specifically : the science of marine resources and technology.
Why is it called oceanography?
Related subjects: Geology and geophysics. Oceanography (from Ocean + Greek γράφειν = write), also called oceanology or marine science is the branch of physical geography that studies the Earth's oceans and seas. Oceanographers study a wide range of topics such as plate tectonics to ocean currents to marine organisms.
Why is oceanography important?
It regulates Earth's climate, plays a critical role in the hydrological cycle, sustains a large portion of Earth's biodiversity, supplies food and mineral resources, constitutes an important medium of national defense, provides an inexpensive means of transportation, is the final destination of many waste products, is ...
Who invented oceanography?
Matthew Fontaine Maury, U.S. naval officer, pioneer hydrographer, and one of the founders of oceanography. Maury entered the navy in 1825 as a midshipman, circumnavigated the globe (1826–30), and in 1836...
What is the scope of oceanography?
oceanography, scientific discipline concerned with all aspects of the world's oceans and seas, including their physical and chemical properties, their origin and geologic framework, and the life forms that inhabit the marine environment.
Who studies oceanography?
An oceanographer is a person who studies many matters concerned with oceans, including marine geology, physics, chemistry and biology.
What is the meaning of oceanographers?
: a science that deals with the oceans and includes the delimitation of their extent and depth, the physics and chemistry of their waters, marine biology, and the exploitation of their resources.
What are 3 things oceanographers study?
Oceanographers study every different aspect of the ocean, such as the chemistry of the of ocean water, the geology associated with the ocean, the physical movements of the ocean water, or even the life that calls the ocean its home.
What was the first ocean?
The Pacific Ocean is the oldest ocean in the world with the oldest part of it's floor dating to around 180 million years. However, the Pacific Ocean is technically much older as it developed from the center of Panthalassa, an ancient ocean that first began forming around 750 million years ago.
What is the history of oceanography?
Modern oceanography began as a field of science only a little less than 130 years ago, in the late 19th century, after Americans, British and Europeans launched a few expeditions to explore ocean currents, ocean life, and the seafloor off their coastlines.
What are 3 types of submersibles?
Three main types of submersibles have been used on recent NOAA Ocean Exploration-supported missions: human-occupied vehicles (HOVs), remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs).
How many types of oceanographers are there?
fourIt's typically divided into four sub-disciplines: physical oceanography (the study of waves, currents, tides and ocean energy); geological oceanography (the study of the sediments, rocks and structure of the seafloor and coastal margins); chemical oceanography (the study of the composition and properties of seawater ...
What is the difference between oceanography and oceanology?
Oceanology is an area of Earth Science that deals with oceans. Oceanology, also called as Oceanography, is a vast subject covering a range of topics in the sub field areas of Physical, Chemical, Biological and Geological oceanography.
What is the nature of oceanography?
Oceanography is the study of all aspects of the ocean. Oceanography covers a wide range of topics, from marine life and ecosystems, to currents and waves, to the movement of sediments, to seafloor geology. The study of oceanography is interdisciplinary. The ocean's properties and processes function together.
Question: What is oceanography?
Answer: Oceanography is the study of the ocean's physical, chemical, and biological characteristics, as well as the ocean's ancient history, curren...
Question: What is the relationship between density and temperature of ocean water?
Answer: As the temperature drops, the density of the ocean water increases. As a result, the denser the water is, the colder it is. The density of...
Question: Is oceanography difficult?
Answer: No, you only need to grasp a few concepts; once you've got a handle on them, learning oceanography will be a smooth carpet. With Prepp's ai...
Answer: (d) See the Explanation
The strong winds that blow throughout the year transport much of the warm and saline water from the western shore of the land in the lower middle l...
Answer: (d) See the Explanation
The ocean floor, which is the 'land' beneath the oceans' waves, has complex and varied features similar to those seen on land. Tectonic, volcanic,...
What is the study of the ocean?
Chemical oceanography is the study of the chemistry of the ocean. Whereas chemical oceanography is primarily occupied with the study and understanding of seawater properties and its changes, ocean chemistry focuses primarily on the geochemical cycles. The following is a central topic investigated by chemical oceanography.
How many branches of oceanography are there?
The study of oceanography is divided into these five branches:
What is the name of the UK's oceanographic research centre?
In Britain, the National Oceanography Centre (an institute of the Natural Environment Research Council) is the successor to the UK's Institute of Oceanographic Sciences. In Australia, CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research (CMAR), is a leading centre.
What was the first scientific expedition to explore the ocean?
The seminal event in the founding of the modern science of oceanography was the 1872–1876 Challenger expedition. As the first true oceanographic cruise, this expedition laid the groundwork for an entire academic and research discipline.
Why was the oceanographic buoy array established?
Early techniques included analog computers (such as the Ishiguro Storm Surge Computer) generally now replaced by numerical methods (eg SLOSH .) An oceanographic buoy array was established in the Pacific to allow prediction of El Niño events.
What is the scientific study of the ocean called?
For the scientific journal, see Ocean Science (journal). Thermohaline circulation. Oceanography (from the Ancient Greek ὠκεανός " ocean " and γράφω " write "), also known as oceanology, is the scientific study of the ocean.
When was Scripps Institution of Oceanography founded?
In 1903 the Scripps Institution of Oceanography was founded, followed by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in 1930, Virginia Institute of Marine Science in 1938, and later the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University, and the School of Oceanography at University of Washington.
Why is oceanography important?
Oceanography also is vital to understanding the effect of pollutants on ocean waters and to the preservation of the quality of the oceans’ waters in the face of increasing human demands made on them. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Subscribe Now.
What is oceanographic research?
Oceanographic research entails the sampling of seawater and marine life for close study, the remote sensing of oceanic processes with aircraft and Earth-orbiting satellites, and the exploration of the seafloor by means of deep-sea drilling and seismic profiling of the terrestrial crust below the ocean bottom.
What is hydrology science?
hydrologic sciences: Study of the oceans and seas. Oceanography is concerned with all aspects of Earth’s oceans and seas. Physical oceanography is the study of the properties of seawater, including the formation of sea ice, the movement of seawater (e.g., waves, currents, and tides), and the interactions between the so-called World Ocean and….
What is marine ecology?
Marine ecology, also called biological oceanography, involves the study of the plants and animals of the sea, including life cycles and food production. Oceanography is the sum of these several branches.
What are the four branches of oceanography?
Traditionally, oceanography has been divided into four separate but related branches: physical oceanography, chemical oceanography, marine geology, and marine ecology.
Who was the first Portuguese to study oceanography?
The groundwork for much of this exploration, as well as for early ocean science, can be attributed to Henry the Navigator, the 15th-century Portuguese prince whose school of oceanography at Sagres, Portugal, provided training for hundreds of seamen and advanced substantially the fields of…. Arctic Ocean: Oceanography.
What are the factors that affect the Arctic Ocean?
Several factors in the Arctic Ocean make its physical, chemical, and biological processes significantly different from those in the adjoining North Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Most notable is the covering ice pack, which reduces the exchange of energy between ocean and atmosphere by about….
What is the study of the ocean?
Physical Oceanography. Physical oceanography is the study of physical attributes of the ocean including waves, currents, tides, coastal erosions, and the interaction of the ocean and atmosphere. The key topics studied by physical oceanographers include ocean heat content and ocean currents.
How many branches of oceanography are there?
The study of oceanography has five branches: biological, chemical, geological, physical, and paleoceanography. Each branch deals with a specific aspect of the ocean, although some branches are closely related.
What is the study of the ocean floor and the processes that lead to the formation of ocean features?
Geological Oceanography. Geological oceanography is the study of the ocean floor and the processes that lead to the formation of ocean features such as valleys, canyons, and mountains.
What is paleoceanography?
Paleoceanography deals with the history of the ocean in the geologic past with regards to factors such as chemistry, geology, biology, circulation, and sedimentation patterns. The study involves the use of environmental models to assess the roles of various oceanic processes in global climate.
What is the study of the chemical composition of the ocean?
Chemical oceanography or marine chemistry is the study of the chemical composition of the ocean and how such chemicals interact with the atmosphere and seafloor. The study involves analysis of the components of seawater and the impact of chemical processes on marine organisms.
What is the name of the person who studies the ocean?
Oceanography, which is sometimes referred to as oceanology, is the study of all aspects of the ocean, and a person who studies the ocean is called an oceanographer .
What is the term for the decrease in the pH of the ocean?
A central topic in chemical oceanography is ocean acidification, which generally describes a decrease in the ocean’s pH levels resulting from the emission of anthropogenic carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
What is descriptive physical oceanography?
Descriptive Physical Oceanography provides an introduction to the field with an emphasis on large-scale oceanography based mainly on observations. Topics covered include the physical properties of seawater, heat and salt budgets, instrumentation, data analysis methods, introductory dynamics, oceanography and climate variability of each of the oceans and of the global ocean, and brief introductions to the physical setting, waves, and coastal oceanography.
What is the study of the ocean?
Oceanography is the study of the oceans. This covers the shape, depth, and distribution of oceans, their composition, life forms, ecology, and water currents, and their legal status. A. P. Trujillo and H. V. Thurman ( 2007 ) provide a good general introduction.
What ocean disappeared six million years ago?
This is a book about an ocean that vanished six million years ago - the ocean of Tethys. Named after a Greek sea nymph, there is a sense of mystery about such a vast, ancient ocean, of which all that remains now are a few little pools, like the Caspian Sea. There were other great oceans in thehistory of the Earth - Iapetus, Panthalassa - but Tethys was the last of them, vanishing a mere moment (in geological terms) before Man came on the scene. Once Tethys stretched across the world. How do we know? And how could such a vast ocean vanish? ...
What is the purpose of the Oceanography Society?
The Oceanography Society was founded in 1988 to disseminate knowledge of oceanography and its application through research and education, to promote communication among oceanographers, and to provide a constituency for consensus-building across all the disciplines of the field.
What is Scripps Institution of Oceanography?
Research at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography encompasses physical, chemical, biological, geological, and geophysical studies of the oceans and earth.
What is the book Atlas of Oceans about?
Although many books have explored the environmental problems being faced on land, Atlas of Oceans is the first book for a general audience that examines how creatures of the marine environment are if anything more vulnerable than their land-based counterparts.
How much of the Earth's surface is covered by oceans?
The oceans cover 70% of the Earth's surface, and are critical components of Earth's climate system. This new edition of Encyclopedia of Ocean Sciences summarizes the breadth of knowledge about them, providing revised, up to date entries as well coverage of new topics in the field. ...
How much of the Earth's surface is ocean?
Vocabulary. Friday, January 21, 2011. The ocean covers 70 percent of the Earth 's surface. It contains about 1.35 billion cubic kilometers (324 million cubic miles) of water, which is about 97 percent of all the water on Earth. The ocean makes all life on Earth possible, and makes the planet appear blue when viewed from space.
What are ocean currents?
Currents are streams of water running through a larger body of water. Oceans, rivers, and streams have currents. The ocean’s salinity and temperature and the coast’s geographic features determine an ocean current ’s behavior. The Earth’s rotation and wind also influence ocean currents.
Why do fish move slowly in the bathypelagic zone?
Because the pressure is so great and it is so difficult to find nutrients , fish in the bathypelagic zone move slowly and have strong gills to extract oxygen from the water. The water at the bottom of the ocean, the abyssopelagic zone (4), is very salty and cold (2 degrees Celsius, or 35 degrees Fahrenheit).
What is the deepest part of the ocean floor?
The continental rise descends to the deep ocean floor, which is called the abyssal plain. Abyssal plains are broad, flat areas that lie at depths of about 4,000 meters to 6,000 meters (13,123 feet to 19,680 feet). Abyssal plains cover 30 percent of the ocean floor and are the flattest feature on Earth.
Why do people travel on the ocean?
For thousands of years, people have depended on the ocean as a source of food and as a route for trade and exploration. Today, people continue to travel on the ocean and rely on the resources it contains.
Where does oil come from?
About one-quarter of all oil and natural gas supplies now comes from offshore oil deposit s around the world. Offshore drilling requires complex engineering.
Which moon has oceans?
Mars probably had oceans billions of years ago, but ice and dry seabeds are all that remain today. Europa, one of Jupiter's moons, is probably covered by an ocean of water more than 96 kilometers (60 miles) deep, but it is trapped beneath a layer of ice, which the warmer water below frequently cracks.
Overview
Oceanography (from Ancient Greek ὠκεανός (ōkeanós) 'ocean', and γραφή (graphḗ) 'writing'), also known as oceanology and ocean science, is the scientific study of the oceans. It is an important Earth science, which covers a wide range of topics, including ecosystem dynamics; ocean currents, waves, and geophysical fluid dynamics; plate tectonics and the geology of the sea floor; and
History
Humans first acquired knowledge of the waves and currents of the seas and oceans in pre-historic times. Observations on tides were recorded by Aristotle and Strabo in 384-322 BC. Early exploration of the oceans was primarily for cartography and mainly limited to its surfaces and of the animals that fishermen brought up in nets, though depth soundings by lead line were taken.
Branches
The study of oceanography is divided into these five branches:
Biological oceanography investigates the ecology and biology of marine organisms in the context of the physical, chemical and geological characteristics of their ocean environment.
Chemical oceanography is the study of the chemistry of the ocean. Whereas ch…
Oceanographic institutions
The first international organization of oceanography was created in 1902 as the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea. In 1903 the Scripps Institution of Oceanography was founded, followed by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in 1930, Virginia Institute of Marine Science in 1938, and later the Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University, and the School of Oceanography at University of Washington. In Britain, the National Oceanography Centre (an …
Related disciplines
• Biogeochemistry – Study of chemical cycles of the earth that are either driven by or influence biological activity
• Biogeography – Study of the distribution of species and ecosystems in geographic space and through geological time
• Climatology – Scientific study of climate, defined as weather conditions averaged over a period of time
See also
• Anoxic event – Historic oxygen depletion events in Earth's oceans
• Anoxic waters – Areas of sea water, fresh water, or groundwater that are depleted of dissolved oxygen
• Argo (oceanography) – International oceanographic observation program
External links
• NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory – Physical Oceanography Distributed Active Archive Center (PO.DAAC). A data centre responsible for archiving and distributing data about the physical state of the ocean.
• Scripps Institution of Oceanography. One of the world's oldest, largest, and most important centres for ocean and Earth science research, education, and public service.