Oceanography
Oceanography is a broad field of science in which many sciences are focused on the common goal of understanding the oceans. Geology, geography, geophysics, physics, chemistry, geochemistry, mathematics, meteorology, botany and zoology have all played roles in expanding the knowledge base of the world’s oceans. To make it less complicated, oceanography is broken down into 4 sub-disciplines: geological oceanography, physical oceanography, chemical oceanography and biological oceanography.
- Geological oceanography includes the study of the earth at the sea’s edge and below its surface and the history of the processes that formed the ocean basins.
- Physical oceanography investigates how and why the oceans move.
- Chemical oceanography studies the composition and history of the water, its processes, and its interactions.
- Biological oceanography concerns the marine organisms and the relationships between these organisms and the environment of the oceans.
The Oceanographers aboard SIPEX are physical oceanographers and don’t have specific “big questions” for this voyage. This isn’t because they aren’t organised! But rather, no one has studied this area of the Southern Ocean at this time of year before. They are taking this opportunity to join the physicists and ecologists to investigate and record what is physically happening below the seasonal sea ice we are travelling through. This will make the job for future oceanographers researching this area much easier.
"Team Oceanography" have set up their own blog that is full of great information about what they are doing, what they have found out so far and it is full of excellent ideas for you to try at home or at school.
