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 Behavior Physiology Microbiology Molecular Biology Evolution Taxonomy Marine Disease Marine Conservation Fisheries Management
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!
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 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
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 ( )Charles Darwin ( )Charles Wilkes ( )
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 19 th century – The HMS Challenger sailed the seas between – 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
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
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