Transcript our oceans are worth more than $20 trillion a year!

Marine Biology
Professor Marianne E. McNamara
Before we get our feet wet…
Who are you?
• Your major
• Your year/Part time or full time
• Your plans
• Your objectives
• Your interests
What is Marine Biology?
• Marine Biology is the scientific study of
organisms that live in the sea
• Covers life forms from microscopic to the
largest organisms ever to have lived on Earth
What is Marine Biology?
Marine Biology is a subset of Oceanography
• Biological Oceanography (Marine Biology)
• Chemical Oceanography
• Geological Oceanography
• Physical Oceanography
Marine Biology ≠ Dolphins!
Marine Ecology
Fisheries
Management
Molecular Biology
Marine Disease
Physiology
Microbiology
Evolution
Taxonomy
Behavior
Marine Conservation
Why Study Marine Biology?
We live on Long ISLAND…
We are literally surrounded by marine organisms!
Why Study Marine Biology?
• The ocean
covers 71% of
the Earth’s
surface
• Seawater
accounts for
97% of all the
water on our
planet!
Why Study Marine Biology?
More than half of the oxygen we breath is produced
by photosynthetic organisms in the ocean!
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/images/content/95573main_plankton_satellite.jpg
Why Study Marine Biology?
• Marine life represents a
vast source of human
wealth and revenue
– Commercial and
Recreational Fishing
– Recreation and tourism
– Raw materials
– Medicines
http://www.flickr.com/photos/plecojan/455198822/
Globally, our oceans are worth more than $20
trillion a year!
Why Study Marine Biology?
Because 30 million Shark Week viewers can’t be
wrong...
www.discovery.com
www.thomaspeschak.com
http://toppayingideas.com/blog/2010/08/01/shark-week-starts-on-discovery-channel/
Why Study Marine Biology?
Why Study Marine Biology?
• Our shorelines
are shaped and
protected by
marine life
• New Orleans
was once
protected by
thousands of
sq. miles of salt
marsh
Why Study Marine Biology?
• Life on Earth is
believed to
have began in
the sea
• Many medical
advances were
made possible
by the study of
marine
organisms
Why study marine biology?
The History of Marine Biology
• Humans have been living by the sea since the
dawn of humanity (source of food, travel)
• Ancient Pacific Islanders had extensive
knowledge of marine life and were
accomplished navigators
• Ancient Greeks had considerable
knowledge of nearshore organisms
– Aristotle is considered by many to
be the first marine biologist
The History of Marine Biology
• Knowledge of the marine environment and its
inhabitants expanded as mariners gained skills
in seamanship and navigation
• Before long, explorers became curious about
organisms that lived in the sea that they sailed
James Cook (1728-79)
Charles Darwin (1809-82)
Charles Wilkes (1798-1877)
The Gulf Stream: Then and Now
1769 chart of the Gulf Stream
by Benjamin Franklin
2000: Advanced Spaceborne
Thermal Emission and
Reflection Radiometer image
of the Gulf Stream
The History of Marine Biology
• The most famous (and extensive) study of our
ocean was conducted by the British in the 19th
century
– The HMS Challenger sailed the seas between
1872-1876
– Motivated by economic and military interests
– Explored nearly every all parts of the world’s
ocean
• Seawater samples, biological samples, depths,
sediment composition
The Challenger expedition
• Remains the longest continuous oceanographic
survey to date
Voyage track from 1872-1876
The History of Marine Biology
• The Challenger expedition successfully
disproved the Azoic hypothesis: the belief
that no life existed below 550 meters
The History of Marine Biology
• Collection of life in the depths launched the
science of marine biology!
• Today, thousands of marine biologists study
marine life around the globe
Marine Biology Today
• Technological advances, such as SONAR and
SCUBA, allow scientists to explore marine
organisms in their natural environment
• Oceanographic ships and shore-based
laboratories provide platforms for scientists to
study marine organisms
under finely-controlled
conditions in ‘real time’
Modern Day Sampling Devices
The Future of Marine Biology
• It is said that we know more about the surface
of the moon than we do our own oceans
• Much of the ocean remains unexplored
• Hundreds of new species are discovered
annually
• With every new piece
of information, we have
more to learn and more
to build upon
The Future of Marine Biology
www.nationalgeographic.com
www.noaa.com