Lec 1

Question 1

Marine Biology

Answer 1

The scientific study of the organisms that live in the sea

Question 2

Importance of MB

Answer 2

Life originated in the oceans

• -All organisms need to keep water in tissues
• -Require wet environment for important physiological functions like reproduction

Oceans cover 71% of the Earth’s surface

Much of the bottom of the world’s oceans is unexplored and unmapped
–More detailed info of moon than deep sea

Question 3

Marine organisms

Answer 3

Important in climate regulation (produce HALF of the oxygen we breathe)
-Produced by marine plants and bacteria

Biomedical applications

• Cure/prevent human diseases
• New drugs
• Understanding human brain

Provide humans with food, raw materials, recreation, etc., valued at $20 trillion/year
-Most important sources of energy

Can kill people and destroy property

• Storms, hurricanes, tsunamis
• Invasive marine species
• Marine predators

Question 4

Science of MB

Answer 4

MB is NOT a distinct science; application of other branches of biology to marine organisms

Closely related to Oceanography: science that studies the oceans including biology, chemistry, physics and geology

Question 5

Observing the ocean

Answer 5

Most of the ocean is remote and very expensive and difficult to explore

The ocean is also vast and interconnected

A vast array of sensors is needed to fully understand these complex systems

Question 6

Research Tech

Answer 6

MB benefited from numerous tech breakthroughs made as consequences of commercial exploration of the sea, military tech, and purely scientific endeavors in the ocean and space

New research tech allowed scientists to look at ocean in new and unprecedented ways are SONAR, SCUBA DIVING, REMOTE SENSING, SUBMERSIBLE VEHICLES, and ARTIFICIAL SATELLITES

Now scientists can map bottom of ocean using high frequency sonar, or locate the presence of fish schools without even getting wet

Scuba diving revolutionized study of marine ecology and behavioral studies of marine organisms. Now we can observe marine animals and plants in situ and better understand their behavior and biology

Remote sensing allows for earthquakes, etc.

Submersibles opened the deep-sea to human explorations, whether we use submarines or remote data on the physical and chemical properties of the water

Development of artificial satellites became essential for monitoring ocean currents, ocean water masses, and tracking long-term behavior of marine animals