According to The American Heritage Science Dictionary: "The scientific study of oceans, the life that inhabits them, and their physical characteristics, including the depth and extent of ocean waters, their movement and chemical makeup, and the topography and composition of the ocean floors." The field of Oceanography can be broken up into four sub categories: (all of which the Geology department offers classes in)  Chemical and Physical (GEL 150A) Physical and chemical properties of seawater, fluid dynamics, air-sea interaction, currents, waves, tides, mixing, and major oceanic geochemical cycles  Geologic (GEL 150B) Introduction to the origin and geologic evolution of ocean basins. Composition and structure of oceanic crust; marine volcanism; and deposition of marine sediments. Interpretation of geologic history of the ocean floor in terms of sea-floor spreading theory  Biological (GEL 150C) Ecology of major marine habitats, including intertidal, shelf benthic, deep-sea and plankton communities. Existing knowledge and contemporary issues in research. Segment devoted to human use  Coastal Oceanography (ESP 152) Images courtesy (top to bottom): Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center. STS092-722-84;NASA satellite imagery; National Geophysical Data Center (NOAA Satellite and Information Service); United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization; NASA ER-2 false color infrared photograph of Tomales Bay, California The Geology Department offers a minor in Oceanography, check out the requirements or email Tessa Hill (tmhill@geology.ucdavis.edu), the minor adviser and club faculty adviser Some links to Oceanography related websites not affiliated with the University of California (you will be routed away from the club website): Our very own Bodega Marine Lab: http://bml.ucdavis.edu/ Scripps Institution: http://www.sio.ucsd.edu/ Woods Hole: http://www.whoi.edu/ NASA: http://nasascience.nasa.gov/earth-science/oceanography NOAA: http://www.noaa.gov/ Scuba: http://www.naui.org/ Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute: http://www.mbari.org/ |
What is Oceanography |
