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Big Al’s Big Oceans
A brief glance at oceanography by Alexander Rozek
What is oceanography
From the Greek words ‘ωκεανός’, meaning
ocean and γράφω, meaning to write,
oceanography (also known as oceanology) is the
study off all aspects of saline bodies of water on
earth including waves, marine biology and
ocean currents.
• Oceanography can be loosely grouped into
four categories:
Chemical
oceanography/
marine
chemistry
Biological
oceanography/
Marine biology
Oceanography
Geological
oceanography/
marine geology
Physical
oceanography/
marine physics
Biological Oceanography
• Marine biology is the scientific study of organisms
in the ocean or other marine or brackish bodies
of water.
• Marine biology is of great importance because
marine flora and fauna play large role in the
oxygen cycle. Ocean water can undergo
photolysis and introduce O2 into the atmosphere.
• As we know marine resources are very valuable.
They provide food, energy and leisure for us.
Marine Reptiles
• Some reptiles have become specially adapted
to cope with the salinity of sea water.
Examples include marine iguanas, sea snakes,
sea turtles and saltwater crocodiles.
The Marine Iguana
Marine Iguana cont.
• Amblyrhynchus cristatus (blunt snouted and
crested)
• When Charles Darwin first saw the Marine Iguana
he commented:
“The black Lava rocks on the beach are frequented
by large (2-3 ft), disgusting clumsy Lizards. They
are as
black as the porous rocks over which
they crawl & seek
their prey from the Sea. I
call them 'imps of darkness'. They assuredly well
become the land they inhabit””
Marine Iguana cont.
• The Marine Iguana is distinct from other
iguanas because it has a special gland in its
snout which filters salt from its blood. The salt
then solidifies and is sneezed out by the
Iguana. This gland allows the marine iguana to
take advantage of the rock algae and seaweed
that grows in the ocean. The fact that the
Iguana has a flat snout and sharp teeth, allows
it to scrape the algae off the rocks
Marine iguanas of the Galapagos
islands - BBC wildlife
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tO_9zm9tsCs
Sea Turtles
• The majority of sea turtles belong to the family Cheloniidae,
however, the leatherback turtle is the only extant member of
the family Dermochelyidae.
• Leatherback turtles make some of the longest migrations in
the natural world. It was recored that one individual swam
from Indonesia to the USA. This journey was over20 ,000 km
(12,000 mi) long and lasted some 647 days.
• Leatherbacks follow their jellyfish prey throughout the day,
resulting in turtles "preferring" deeper water in the daytime,
and shallower water at night (when the jellyfish rise up the
water column).
The Leatherback Turtle
Leatherback Turtle
• The main threat to leatherback turtle populations
around the globe is egg collections. This practice still
occurs today, particularly in.
• In Southeast Asia, egg harvesting in countries such as
Thailand and Malaysia has led to a near-total
collapse of local nesting populations. In Malaysia,
where the turtle is practically locally extinct, the eggs
are considered a delicacy. In the Caribbean, some
cultures consider the eggs to be aphrodisiacs.
• By reducing populations of leatherback turtles, the
population of jellyfish has increased exponentially.
Leatherback Turtle laying eggs
•
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-UJ7eJE5JM&feature=related
Geological Oceanography
• Marine geology generally refers to “the study of the
sea floor; of the sediments, rocks, and structures
beneath the sea floor; and of the processes that are
responsible for their formation.”
• As we know the ocean can be up to 11,000m deep
(the Marianas Trench). Because of this great depth,
much of the ocean and sea floors have never been
viewed by the human eye.
• Most of the knowledge and understanding of the
ocean floor, that we have today has come from
surface ships using remote-sensing geophysical
techniques, and more recently by the use of satellite
observations.
Alfred Wegener
• A marine geologist that we have all heard of if
Alfred Wegener, the man responsible for the
creation of the theory of plate tectonics.
• Much of the evidence used in Wegener’s
theory of plate tectonics forms the basic of
today study of marine geology i.e. sea floor
spreading and ocean trenches.
Technology and Techniques
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evrlnLAvOhI&feature=relmfu
Thanks for watching!
Next Week… “I’m Not Banksy” by Mr Eynon