What is Marine Biology?

Marine biology can be defined as a branch of study dealing with living organisms that breathe in oceans or saltwater aquatic environments. It includes the study of all kinds of organisms living in marine water bodies, ranging from microscopic organisms to mammoth ones. In other words, Marine biology is the study of the physical and chemical characteristics, as well as behavior, of sea life.

Studying marine biology can be quite interesting as it involves a number of disciplines like biological oceanography, geology, physical oceanography, ecology, zoology, meteorology, and many more. When you are studying marine biology, like all other disciplines, you have to follow a scientific method. The essential elements that are involved in the study of marine biology are: characterization or observation; hypothesis or a theoretical explanation; prediction or logical deduction from hypothesis; and experimentation.

We are more than often keen to understand the world which we are a part of. In this perspective sea life has always been a fascinating subject for many throughout the ages. Almost 3/4^th of the earth is covered by water, but when it comes to understanding sea-life our knowledge is barely limited to a scratch on the surface. Some of the scientists have even come up with estimations that only 5% of the oceans have been covered, so a more comprehensive understanding of marine life is required to understand how our oceans support life on earth.

The latest advancements in technology have enabled the scientists and the researches to study marine life with the aid of various tools and techniques. Some of the most prominent tools that have been used throughout the past decades are:

Trawling – This technique has been widely used in the past to explore the shallow water levels to deep seas and collect various marine specimens for further research. However, becauwe this technique causes a considerable amount of damage to the marine environment and provides you with only filtered results this method is no longer preferred.

Remotely operated vehicles – Also known as ROVs, these vehicles are used underwater to perform study on marine life. To describe these vehicles further, they can be simply termed as submarine robots with cables and are used to transmit data between the researcher and the vehicle.

Satellites – These are used to measure the lengths and breadths of the ocean including the color and temperature. They are also used for mapping certain areas like coral reefs as well as shaping migratory patterns by tracking marine life.

Computers – These machines are used for collecting, processing and analyzing and displaying data that illustrates what is happening within the marine environment. Computers are vital tools that help us in determining and studying depth, temperature, salinity, navigation and meteorological data; they also allow us to model and predict future environmental conditions.

There is a subtle difference between these two branches of marine life studies. Both study the marine species but the latter does it in the context of oceanography. For instance, a marine biologist will perform research on the reproductive behavior of marine life whereas the biological oceanographer will study the collision of cold upwelling.

The study of marine biology is extrememly significant to the understanding of the system that supports life on Earth. If you have an interest in the ocean and the variety of plants and animals that live there then you may want to consider taking up marine biology as a career to pursue your interest of marine life on a grander scale.

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