Earth Sciences 1: Waterworld

Earth is a unique planet, possibly one of a few in the galaxy that has water. Nearly 71% of it's surface is ocean. From space Earth is brilliantly blue, white in places with clouds and ice, sometimes swirling with storms. At it's surface the ocean is in constant motion with powerful currents that stretch for thousands of miles and towering waves. Beneath the oceans surface lie hidden mountain ranges, vast trenches tens of thousands of feet deep, immense hot springs, and huge volcanoes spewing molten rock in massive eruptions. -T. Garrison-

The ocean sustains life on this planet. It affects and moderates temperature and dramatically influences global climate. The ocean recycles, and cleans the air that we breathe. It even absorbs the excess greenhouse gases released by the burning of fossil fuels. The ocean is a source of many economic resources including food and petroleum. It provides a means of transportation and is a recreational resource. Best of all, the ocean can serve as a source of hope and inspiration.

Despite it's vastness, the ocean is a fragile resource. Through the centuries humans have recklessly abused the ocean. We have treated the ocean as a dumping ground, filling it with every kind of waste imaginable, from sewage to toxic waste. Only recently, have we begun to recognize and understand the consequences of our actions. Efforts to halt the abuse, however, have been hampered by politics, economics, and simple ignorance.

Oceanography embraces all that is currently known about the ocean environment. So that we can enjoy and harness the resources of the ocean without endangering it or ourselves, Oceanographers work to understand the ocean, it's various environments and how they function. Using ships, submersibles, and satellites, scientists collect the information that is required to understand fundamental ocean processes. They study physical processes such as the motions of currents and waves, chemical processes such as the exchange of oxygen with the atmosphere, geological processes such as the formation of beaches, and biological processes such as algal photosynthesis. Oceanographers have made tremendous progress in understanding these and other processes. Still, many of the ocean's secrets remain hidden. The responsibility of uncovering these secrets will fall on future generations of oceanographers.

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