One of the branches of science that focuses on studying physical, chemical and biological processes throughout the aquatic part of the world is oceanography. It is a type of multidisciplinary science that not only studies the oceans but also the rivers, seas, lakes and any aquatic space on our planet.
In this article we are going to explain what oceanography is focused on and how important it is for the advancement of science.
What is oceanography
As we have mentioned before, it is a science that focuses on explaining all the physical and biological chemical processes that occur in all parts of the Earth with water. This science has to be multidisciplinary since it has to have specialists in various fields. One of the main aspects to take into account is the dynamics in the study of the physical processes that occur.
In these physical processes we include waves, ocean currents, wind action, pressure, irradiance, etc. All these variables and more alone that try to explain the functioning of the oceans, seas, rivers, lakes, etc. Therefore, as not only physical but also chemical and biological processes are included, specialists from many branches are needed.
In order to better understand oceanography it is divided into several types. On the one hand, we have the physical oceanography. On the other hand, we have the chemical oceanography and finally the biological oceanography. A fourth type is also added to these 3 subdivisions: geological oceanography.
Physical oceanography is the one that most interests sailors, since it is from which the necessary data are extracted to be able to navigate to different destinations. Now we are going to analyze each type of oceanography and its characteristics.
Physical oceanography
It is part of this science that is responsible for studying the physical processes that occur in aquatic environments. These processes include molecular mixing and diffusion, the water regime and its properties, ocean currents, tides, and waves. Within this variety of oceanography there are also several subtypes:
- Descriptive oceanography: It is about that part of this science that describes the distribution and characteristics of the masses of water in the oceans. It can be said that it is the counterpart of continental hydrology.
- Dynamic oceanography: is the part that studies the movement of water in the oceans and the causes of this movement.
- Meteorological oceanography: studies the interactions between the atmosphere and the ocean. It is the one that is in charge of giving explanations as to why these physical processes occur in relation to the atmosphere.
Biological oceanography
It is the part of this science that studies marine organisms and their relationship with the environment. It should not be confused with marine biology. Marine biology focuses exclusively on the study of marine animals. In this case, he focuses more on the relationship he has with the environment that surrounds him and how it influences his rhythm and development of life.
Since life in the oceans is very rich, this branch has to be divided into other subtypes:
- Pelagic oceanography: is in charge of studying the biological processes that occur in the pelagic part of the sea. These areas are the waters that are open in the oceans, away from the coast and outside the Continental platform.
- Neritic oceanography: It is the one that focuses on studying the biological processes that they have in the sea that is close to the coast and they are on the continental shelf.
- Benthic oceanography: focuses on explaining the biological processes that occur on the surface of the seabed. This entire area is called the benthic zone, hence its name.
- Demersal oceanography: studies the biological processes that take place on the seabed. This child is more used and is more useful for fisheries.
Geological oceanography
As expected, it is also necessary to know the geological processes that take place in these aquatic environments. This part of oceanography focuses on studying the following:
- Coastal processes: are those processes that focus on the geomorphology and dynamics of coastal bodies such as deltas, estuaries, beaches, estuaries and coastal lagoons. The objective is to study, influences the geomorphology of these lands to the dynamics of the ocean and the species that inhabit it.
- Marine sedimentology: In the aquatic environment there are also transport and sedimentation processes. These sediments that have been transported by marine erosion are also studied.
Chemical oceanography
It is the part that is responsible for studying the chemical composition of sea water. Due to the fact that humans and their activities cause various changes in the composition of seawater, it is necessary to study it to analyze it together with the effect that it can cause to biodiversity. It mostly studies marine pollution. That is, all the alterations that occur in the chemical composition of the water produced by the effect of discharges from human activities.
The sea-ocean system and the atmosphere is as if they could be called two fluids due to their geophysical extension. In order to understand this context, physical, chemical and biological processes must be studied using a geophysical fluid dynamics methodology. In other words, ocean currents, coastal currents, tides, atmospheric structures (both cyclonic and anticyclonic) must be taken into account, small processes that take place on a small scale, etc. In order to give a result of the balance of all forces exerted on the ocean.
Thanks to the development of technology, there is a huge advance in computing and with powerful computers it has been possible to develop various methodologies to model quite efficient systems in the prediction of oceanic phenomena of all kinds. These models help to complement and deepen fluid dynamics. This is how more and more very valid and useful information can be obtained for navigators.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about what oceanography studies.