Principles of Oceanography

Oceanography is the branch of science which deals with the physical and biological properties of the ocean and the various phenomena related to it. It covers a wide range of topics, including ecosystem dynamics; ocean currents, waves, and geophysical fluid dynamics; plate tectonics and the geology of the sea floor; and fluxes of various chemical substances and physical properties within the ocean and across its boundaries. Oceanography studies the naturally happening, large-scale drifts on the Earth, the mobility of fluids in the ocean known as geophysical fluid dynamics; plate tectonics or the movements of the large sections that form the ocean floor and the processes of land formation or geology of the sea bed. The ocean experiences numerous variabilities of various chemical substances present in its water-body. The physical properties within the ocean and beyond its boundaries also affect the ocean. These changes are the subject matter of oceanography. Oceanography is an amalgamation of diverse topics and oceanographers reflect multiple disciplines like biology, chemistry, geology and physics that interrelate to expand knowledge of the world oceans and the processes within. The areas which Oceanography brings under its focus is the deep sea and the shallow coastal regions. The oceans of the world are not isolated from the rest of the physical features of the world. They are influenced by and influence the atmosphere, the continents and the frozen water part of the Earth system called the cryosphere. Together they form a harmonious whole, absorbing the sun’s rays for energy. It also receives energy from tides caused by the pull of the moon, the sun and planets. The Earth’s interior also radiates heat. Oceanography is inclusive of the disciplines that analyze the workings of marine life, ecosystems and ocean circulation. Oceanography is a very important discipline for understanding the oceans, which are essential for all life on Earth and cover the majority of the Earth’s surface.