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

TaxonomyMarine Disease

Marine Conservation

Fisheries Managemen

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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!

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/images/content/95573main_plankton_satellite.jpg

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!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/plecojan/455198822/

Why Study Marine Biology?Because 30 million Shark Week viewers can’t be

wrong...

www.thomaspeschak.comhttp://toppayingideas.com/blog/2010/08/01/shark-week-starts-on-discovery-channel/

www.discovery.com

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