Its five major sections address data acquisition and recording, data processing and presentation, statistical methods and error handling, analysis of spatial data fields, and time series analysis methods. Given the size of the ocean and the rapid advancements in technology, there is seemingly no end to what can and will be uncovered in the science of oceanography.Data Analysis Methods in Physical Oceanography, Third Edition is a practical reference to established and modern data analysis techniques in earth and ocean sciences. Nearly 97 percent of that water is the saltwater swirling in the world’s ocean. The other is chemical oceanography, the study of the chemical composition of seawater and how it is affected by weather, human activities, and other factors.Ībout 70 percent of Earth’s surface is covered by water. One is physical oceanography, the study of the relationships between the seafloor, the coastline, and the atmosphere. In addition to biological and geological oceanography, there are two other main branches of sea science. This research can provide critical information, such as seismic activity, that could lead to more accurate earthquake and tsunami prediction. Geological oceanographers are starting to use special GPS technology to map the seafloor and other underwater features. A branch of oceanography called geological oceanography focuses on the formation of the seafloor and how it changes over time. Of course, oceanography covers more than the living organisms in the sea. Her field work included five weeks in the Gulf of Mexico filtering seawater to capture phytoplankton and protozoa-the tiniest, but most important, parts of the sea’s food chain.
Corradino is studying how the changing ocean is affecting populations of microscopic phytoplankton and the fish that feed off of them. National Geographic Explorer Gabrielle Corradino, a North Carolina State University 2017 Global Change Fellow, is also interested in marine ecosystems, though in a much warmer environment. For example, teams of oceanographers are investigating how melting sea ice is changing the feeding and migration patterns of whales that populate the ocean’s coldest regions.
Oceanographers from around the world are exploring a range of subjects as wide as the ocean itself. Together, NAMA and ocean scientists hope to use their research to show why tighter pollution controls are needed. Lessons learned through oceanography affect the ways humans use the sea for transportation, food, energy, water, and much more.įor example, fishermen with the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance (NAMA) are working with oceanographers to better understand how pollutants are reducing fish populations and posing health risks to consumers of the fish. It is also about using that information to help leaders make smart choices about policies that affect ocean health. But oceanography is not just about study and research. It is the study of the ocean’s plants and animals and their interactions with the marine environment.
Indeed, one of the most critical branches of oceanography today is known as biological oceanography. In a time when the ocean is threatened by climate change and pollution, coastlines are eroding, and entire species of marine life are at risk of extinction, the role of oceanographers may be more important now than it has ever been. Oceanography is the study of the physical, chemical, and biological features of the ocean, including the ocean’s ancient history, its current condition, and its future.
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