History of Marine Biology
Early History: 3200 B.C.E-90 C.E
First signs of cultures knowing, learning, using the sea:
-shell remnants in piles/middens
-Ancient harpoons, simple fishhooks of bone or shell
-shell jewelry
Egyptians-Earliest recorded sea voyages
-Earliest known seafaring crafts
Phoenicians- first accomplished sea travelers and traders in the West
-Mediterranean, Red, Black Seas and eastern Atlantic and Indian Ocean
Polynesians-the first regular, long-distance, open-ocean seafarers
The GreeksAristotle- 1st marine biologist, described many forms of sea life
Pytheas- predicted tides by studying the moon, figured out how far north or south one was by using the
North Star
Eratosthenes- calculated Earth’s circumference, invented first latitude/longitude system
Ptolemy- 1st sphere map on flat paper, improved latitude and longitude system (map)
Middle Ages History 700 C.E-1521
The Vikings-Raided, explored, and traded, Leif Eriksson lands in Newfoundland
The Arabs- figured out wind patterns and currents .
The Chinese-1st people to understand magnetism and use compasses
-developed central rudders and watertight boats
Age of Exploration-Christopher Columbus rediscovers America’s in 1492
-Ferdinand Magellan becomes first person to sail around the world 1519
Birth of Marine Sciences: 1700’s & 1800’s
Englishman, James Cook
- Explored all the oceans and 1st to make and record scientific observations.
-1st to use a Chronometer: an accurate timepiece allowing one to accurately determine longitude and
therefore charts and mapping become more accurate.
Englishman, Edward Forbes
-Dredged ocean floor and discovered new sea creatures
-recongnized the sea floor varies at different depths
HMS Beagle 1831
-5 years, primary purpose: to map coastlines
-Also a Naturalist on board, Charles Darwin, Englishman
-Darwin studied Plankton (microscopic drifting plants and animals) , described the
formation of coral reef atolls
-made thousands of sketches of the natural world, including marine life.
Wilkes Expedition, USA Exploring
-5 ships that explored the southern and central Pacific oceans
-Confirmed Antarctica is a continent
-collected over 10,000 biological specimens, 2,000 which were previously unknown!
HMS Challenger 1872 to 1876, British Exploring
-Gathered biological, chemical, geological, and physical data
-Discovered over 4700 new species, brought back 1,000’s of biological specimens.
-50+ volumes of information, taking 19 years to publish
-Returned with more information about the ocean than had been recorded in ALL of human history
Modern Marine Biology & Research Tools, 1800’s to present
Steam Engines/Iron Ships
-Improved trade and oceanography because sea travel no longer required wind
Marine Laboratories
-Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole (Massachusetts) is established in 1888
-The Scripps Institution of Oceanography is established (La Jolla, CA) in 1924
USS Atlantis 1931
-Confirmed the existence of the mid-Atlantic ridge and mapped it
HMS Challenger II 1951
-Used SONAR to map ocean floors in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans
-Discovered the Marianas Trench (Challenger Deep – 35,558 feet deep)
Submersible Bathysphere-Means “deep sphere”
-Dove 2170 feet off Bermuda in 1932
Hard Hat Diving-Developed by Augustus Siebe, good for underwater labor, limited for underwater research
SCUBA Diving- SCUBA: Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus
-Developed during WWII by Emile Gagnan and Jacques Cousteau
-1st time one could practically study in the marine environment
Hardsuit Diving
- Protect the diver from temperature and pressure and allow deeper diving (the limitations of SCUBA).
-More portable than submersible (though you cannot go as deep).
RV FLIP Ship: Modern Scientific Ship –
-FLIP: Floating Instrument Platform (operated by Scripps Institute).
-once in position, hull flooded and sinks, FLIP goes into a vertical position, making it mostle unaffected
by rise and fall of waves
Submersibles
-Alvin, operated by Woods Hole and owned by U.S. Navy, is considered the world’s most productive.
ROV’s-Remotely Operated Vehicles.
-Useful for both SCUBA and submersible assistance
-controlled from the surface
Crittercams- Small packages of instruments including a camera that can be attached to a wild animal to study its
behavior.
AUV’s
-Autonomous Undewater Vehicles.
1960’s/ 1990’s LORAN-C / GPS-Long Range Navigation: used to radio signal transmissions along the coast for electronic navigation.
-Limited deployment and range of accuracy decreased with distance
-Global Positioning System uses satellites, accuracy within 3-6 feet for navigation.
Satellites / Remote Sensing- Satellites provide global, continuous monitoring of the oceans
-Remote Sensing allow for global study of the oceans, global circulation and climate change