THE SCIENCE OF MARINE BIOLOGY

 Marine Biology: the scientific study of the

organisms of the sea
 Life on earth probably originated in the sea
 Marine life helps determine the very nature of
our planet
 Marine biology is
closely related to
oceanography,
but the two are
not synonymous
 Oceanography:
the scientific
study of the
oceans
 Aristotle
◦ considered by many to be
the first marine biologist
◦ lived in the 4th century B.C.
Greece
◦ recognized many basics of
marine biology, including
that fish breathe using gills
 James Cook
◦ one of the first explorers to make scientific
observations along the way and to include a full-
time naturalist among his crew
◦ created first dependable charts
◦ brought back plant and animal specimens
 James Cook (cont.)
◦ one observation he made was when the crew ate
citrus fruits they did not develop scurvy
◦ today we know that scurvy is caused by a lack of
vitamin C in the diet
◦ he proved that through careful observation,
scientific discoveries can be made by non scientists
 Charles Darwin
◦ most likely the most famous shipboard naturalist
◦ sailed around the world on the HMS Beagle for 5
years
◦ best known for his theory of evolution
 The “Wilkes Expedition”
◦ 1838-1842 (United States Exploring Expedition)
◦ Led by Lt. Charles Wilkes of the U.S. Navy
◦ discovered at least 2,000 previously unknown
species
◦ Laid the foundation for government funding of
scientific research
 Edward Forbes
◦ discovered many previously unknown organisms
and recognized that sea floor life at different
depths
 The Challenger Expedition
◦ 1872-1876
◦ Led scientifically by Charles Wyville Thompson
 often considered the “founder of oceanography”
◦ took 19 years and 50 volumes to publish all the
results
◦ brought back more information about the ocean
than had been previously recorded in all human
history
◦ set new standards for studying the ocean
 Henri Milne Edwards and Victor Andowin
◦ French zoologists and naturalists
◦ first to study shore life and bring equipment to the
shore
 The first U.S. marine laboratory was founded
in 1930 in Woods Hole, MA
◦ It is now called the Woods Hole Oceanographic
Institution
 SONAR: SOund
NAvigation Ranging
◦ developed in response to
the growing importance of
submarine warfare
◦ based on the principles of
echolocation used by
marine organisms
◦ refers to the use of sound
to discover the location
and distribution of
underwater objects or
features.
 It can also be used to generate underwater
images and measure the speed of objects
 Sound travels more efficiently through water than
it does through air, radar does not work well in
water
 Passive sonar detects sound waves given off
by objects
◦ involves listening to underwater sounds from
marine mammals, such as whales, or from
submarines or other underwater vessels
 Passive sonar can
primarily determines the
direction of objects
 Submersibles and
submarines utilize
passive sonar as it does
not reveal their location
in the water
 With active SONAR, sound is emitted into the
ocean in short bursts or “pings” and then the
reflections are detected
 The distance to an object is calculated from
the echo transmission and return interval and
the speed of sound in water (~ 1 mile per
second or 1.6 km/s)
 Self Contained
Underwater Breathing
Apparatus
 British inventor William
James made the first
scuba unit in 1825.
 However, Frenchman
Jacques-Yves Cousteau
and Emile Gagnan did
not develop the
aqualung used today
until 1942.
 A scuba diver wears metal tanks that hold
compressed air.
 They supply air to the diver at the same
pressure as the surrounding water pressure.
◦ A diver uses air more quickly at deeper depths
 The diver exhales used air into the water
 The limit of a scuba device is commonly
considered to be 50m (160 ft)
 1. Open Circuit

 2. Closed
Circuit

 3. Semi-closed
Circuit
 “Open-circuit” scuba: The scuba equipment
most often used by amateur divers (all
nonhelmeted divers).
 This consists of a compressed air tank that is
carried by the diver.
 Its mouthpiece is a regulator supplying air at
normal atmospheric pressure into a face
mask. The diver exhales into the mask and
the characteristic stream of bubbles is
produced.
 “Closed-circuit”
scuba: This
apparatus involves
either pure oxygen
or an oxygen-
helium mixture.
Neither of these
techniques is safe
without extensive
training or
preparation.
 “Semiclosed” scuba: These circuits recycle
the exhaled oxygen used while diving.
 How To Scuba
 Submersible: small,
underwater research
vessels

 Two common types are

AUVs and ROVs
◦ The most famous of which
are the Alvin and the Jason
 ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle): A robotic
device controlled from a distance that is used
to explore inhospitable environments such as
the deep sea.

 AUV (Autonomous Underwater Vehicle): A

robotic device programmed to its job
independently of direct human control that is
also used to explore inhospitable
environments such as the deep sea.
 Remote sensing
technology:
technology used
to study the earth
and its oceans
from afar
 track ocean
currents, animal
migration
patterns, natural
disasters
 Research tool designed to be worn by wild
animals.
 It combines video and audio recording with
collection of environmental data such as
depth, temperature, and acceleration.
 The Crittercam was created in 1986 by marine
biologist and filmmaker Greg Marshall

 A shark approached Greg during a diving trip off

Belize, then disappeared into the murk with three
quick strokes of its tail. Greg noticed a remora
clinging to the shark.

 As Greg watched the shark disappear, it occurred

to him that if he could put a camera in the place
of the remora, he could see the shark's behavior
unfold without disturbing the shark.
 Bull Sharks on Crittercam
 These compact systems allow scientists to
study animal behavior without interference by
a human observer
 There are a constant improvements on this
technology, including a new tracking camera
called the Shark Cam

Shark Cam - Return of Jaws - Shark

Week 2013
 Scientific Method: The
set of procedures by
which scientists learn
about the world
◦ Scientific knowledge is
fundamentally derived
from the observation of
nature
◦ a way to check and
verify any one person’s
observations
 Theory: refers to a hypothesis that has
passed so many tests that it is generally
accepted as true
◦ it is still subject to rejection if enough evidence
accumulates against it
◦ the scientific method still has its limitations
 Inductive reasoning draws conclusions
through the logical process of induction
 Repeat specific observations can lead to
important generalizations
◦ For example, “the sun always rises in the east”
 Deductive reasoning
uses general
premises to make
specific predictions
 For example, if
organisms are made
of cells (premise 1),
and humans are
organisms (premise
2), then humans are
composed of cells
(deductive
prediction)