Why is oceanography important to society

The ocean has been referred to as a "chemical soup" because it contains many chemical compounds, elements, gases, minerals, and organic and particulate matter. While water is the most plentiful ingredient, salts are among the most important.

Amazingly, despite the major changes that have taken place on Earth throughout history -- continental collisions, land formations, glaciation -- the basic composition of seawater has remained relatively constant for millions of years.

Chemical oceanographers, also called marine chemists, marine geochemists, or even marine biogeochemists, may study one or a combination of the following: formation of seawater and seafloor sediments, relationships between chemical compounds both organic and inorganic , how chemical inputs to the ocean including pollution affect it, and how the chemistry of the ocean affects or is affected by biological, geological, and physical factors. As with the other disciplines of oceanography, chemical oceanographers rely on and interact with researchers from the other disciplines.

One important aspect of chemical oceanography is the study of pollutants. This work may lead chemical oceanographers to the deep ocean, coastal bays and estuaries, or inland rivers, streams and lakes. Sources of pollutants range from the obvious sewage, oil or fuels, ocean dumping to sources that are harder to detect or trace agricultural or lawn runoff containing chemical fertilizers, leaking septic systems, road runoff or storm drain overflows.

Chemical oceanographers study the impact of such pollutants by examining how they interact with seawater, marine life and sediments. Chemicals and pollutants introduced to a marine environment may behave very differently depending on environmental conditions such as salinity, wind, rainfall, temperature and transport methods. Transport methods include land-based for example, surface runoff or groundwater , water-based rivers and streams , and atmosphere-based rain and dust.

Modern society's rapid technological advances, including the development of complex chemical compounds and processes used to produce and manufacture energy, food, clothing, medicine and other products, have created a need for chemical oceanographers. In the quest for bigger, stronger and faster, the costs of "improvements" often get overlooked. For example, the disposal of waste that results from products and by-products can be a problem in itself.

Who would have thought that household cleaning products, fertilizers, pesticides, boat paints and leaded fuel -- all products that saved time, worked better and often cost less -- could have contributed to the degradation of many marine and coastal areas? Fortunately, researchers in many oceanographic disciplines and related areas, including marine chemists, have worked together to improve our understanding of such impacts, which has, in turn, led to improved controls, regulations, testing methods and, ultimately, safer products.

The work of chemical oceanographers will continue to provide answers to important questions. For example, the use of the oceans for waste disposal and as a source for drugs and minerals will require cooperative research between ocean chemists, biologists and geologists. It is the work of marine chemists that aids ocean engineers in the development of instruments, vessels and ocean vehicles that, in turn, improve the ability of researchers of all oceanographic disciplines to go to sea, collect data and discover previously unknown formations, marine life and phenomena.

As the population discovers new ways to use the oceans -- be it for food, transportation, energy or waste disposal -- chemical oceanographers will play an important role in improving our knowledge about the impact of these activities on the ocean and its ability to sustain them. Skip to main content. Explore these resources to teach students about marine organisms, their relationship with one another, and with their environment. Oceanography is the study of all aspects of the ocean.

Oceanography covers a wide range of topics, from marine life and ecosystems to currents and waves, the movement of sediments, and seafloor geology. The planet has one global ocean, though oceanographers and the countries of the world have traditionally divided it into four distinct regions: the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, and Arctic oceans.

Beginning in the 20th century, some oceanographers labeled the seas around Antarctica the Southern Ocean, and in National Geographic officially recognized this fifth ocean. Join our community of educators and receive the latest information on National Geographic's resources for you and your students.

Skip to content. Photograph by Paul Nicklen. Twitter Facebook Pinterest Google Classroom. Encyclopedic Entry Vocabulary. Media Credits The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit. Media If a media asset is downloadable, a download button appears in the corner of the media viewer.

Text Text on this page is printable and can be used according to our Terms of Service. Interactives Any interactives on this page can only be played while you are visiting our website. Many of us in the ocean science enterprise do not do work that has immediate payoff outside our area of basic research. Nonetheless, we all believe, and for good reason, that our work contributes to a greater good. It is useful for each of us to be able to see what that path to greater good might be, and to be able to explain it clearly the next time someone in the neighboring airplane seat asks why she should care about the oceans.

Brink, K. This is an open access article made available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4. Who can become an oceanographer? First of all you must study hard at school and get the best possible grades in mathematics and the sciences. If your school is able to offer physics, chemistry and biology as separate subjects then try and do them all. You will need to be able to communicate clearly with people, so you need to do well in English too.