Oceans to Oceans
Why do we study the ocean and its marine life?
Why do we study the ocean and its marine life? ​
Research
What is marine biology? Marine biology is the study of marine species that live in the ocean and other salt-water environments
One of the main reasons we continue to study the Ocean and its animals is simply to understand the world we live in. The oceans cover 71% (and is now rising) of the world, we have only explored up to about 5% of them according to scientists.
Some of the marine environment that helps support the life on this planet that we need to understand consists of:
Health of the Oceans/Planet
Climate change
Pollution (toxicology, dumping, runoff, impact of recreation, blooms) Coral reefs
Invasive species
Human Health
Air quality
Dissolution of carbon dioxide
Sustainability and biodiversity
Overfishing Endangered species
Impacts on the food chain
Research and Product Development
Pharmaceuticals
Biomedical applications
Alternate energy sources
Tools for Marine Research
Trawling - has been used in the past to collect marine specimens for study, except that trawling can be very damaging to delicate marine environments and it is difficult to collect samples discriminately. When used in the midwater environment, trawls can be very effective at collecting samples of elusive species with a wide migratory range.
Plankton nets - have a very fine weave to catch microscopic organisms in seawater for study.
Remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) - have been used underwater since the 1950s. ROVs are basically unmanned submarine robots with umbilical cables used to transmit data between the vehicle and researcher for remote operation in areas where diving is constrained by health or other hazards. ROVs are often fitted with video and still cameras as well as with mechanical tools for specimen retrieval and measurements.
Underwater habitats - the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) operates Aquarius, a habitat 20 m beneath the surface where researchers can live & work underwater for extended periods.
Fiber optics - Fiber optic observational equipment uses LED light (red light illumination) and low light cameras that do not disturb deep-sea life to capture the behaviors and characteristics of these creatures in their natural habitat.
Satellites - used to measure vast geographic ocean data like temperature and color of the ocean. Temperature data can provide information on a variety of ocean characteristics such as currents, cold upwelling, climate, and warm water currents (Gulf Stream). They are also used for mapping marine areas such as coral reefs & tracking marine life tagged with sensors to determine migratory patterns.
