What is Oceanography?What is Oceanography?
A scientific study of the oceans
Covers a wide range of disciplines such as: biology, chemistry, geology, physics, mathematics and engineering.
The science of:
understanding oceans
how they work
how they began
how they affect us
the creatures that live in them
how they may be impacted by changes caused by human influences
Why study Oceanography?Why study Oceanography?The ocean represents different things to different
people.
Examples…– Careers (fisherman)– Food Source (Fishing and aquaculture) – Oil and Gas Exploration (hydrocarbons)– Transportation– Recreation – Tidal Power (Alternative energy source)– Water supply– Minerals (coals, magnesium, iron etc)– Habitation (cruise ships, house boats etc)– Dangers (Tsunamis, storm surges, property)
VocabularyVocabularyOcean - a large body of salt
water constituting a principal part of the Earth
Sea - a large body of salty water that is often connected to an ocean. It may be partly or completely surrounded by land.
Gulf - an arm of a sea or ocean partly enclosed by land; larger than a bay
Gulf - an arm of a sea or ocean partly enclosed by land; larger than a bay
Gulf of Mexico
River - a large, flowing body of water that usually empties into a sea or ocean.
Lake - a large body of water surrounded by land on all sides. Really large lakes are often called seas.