Oceanography is a branch of the science of geography - oceanography is a marine science. It covers marine organisms and oceanic ecosystems, the shifts in those ecosystems, plate tectonics, oceanic chemical fluctuation, dynamics of oceanic processes and the geology of the ocean floor, among other things. This sub-science of geology requires practitioners to be well versed in other sciences such as chemistry, biology, physics, cosmology, and of course, geology.Oceanography has four tributary, sub-branches that are specifically tailored to certain fields:
Biological Oceanography: The study of oceanic organisms, plants, animals, and ecosystems.
Chemical Oceanography: The study of the chemical interaction of the ocean, land, and atmosphere, as well as the chemistry of the ocean itself.
Geological Oceanography: The study of plate tectonics, the ocean floor, under-ocean volcanoes, deep sea vents...etc, etc. Can work close with volcanology. Marine Physics: Physical attributes of the ocean such as tides, currents, salinity, temperature, and the behavioral interaction of the ocean and sound, light, and other elements of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Oceanography is not a new science. Man has always been interested, as evident by writings of Aristotle, about the oceans and their inter-connectivity with man. In its early years, oceanography was confined to man studying only the ocean's surface or, if at all, only its very shallow depths. But oceanography has branched out, as seen from the above, to encompass a wide variety of studies to help man better understand the oceans and their importance to the overall ecosystem of the world.
The importance of oceanography should not be belittled. The study of the ocean aids in man's understanding of the fluctuations of temperature and weather, among other things, across the entire planet. The Gulf Stream, for example, is a major and influential player in the climates and weather systems that are found in and affect both the eastern United States and western Europe. Moreover, it is necessary to understand the ocean floor and the microorganisms found living in and around hydrothermal vents in order to, not only understand the tectonics on the ocean floor that affect the surface, but how the organisms live in such conditions, how life forms in such conditions and how, possibly, life formed on fledgling Earth.
There are many more reasons Oceanography is a valid and valued science such as the way NASA studies the ocean to learn about the atmosphere and its similarity, or disparity, to oceans found on other worlds in our solar system. But all of those reasons are far too many to fit on this blog page. This are simply facts to generate interest...so get out there and find out why the ocean is so important.
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