Marine
Biology
The Science and
History of Marine Biology
Jaques Yves Cousteau, 1910-1997
Essential Question:
§ How have human advances led to an
understanding of the oceans?
Objectives:
 Explain how the contributions of major
explorations and marine interactions led to a
better understanding of the oceans.
 Describe technologies that allow scientists
to study the marine environment.
Think…
 How are you connected to the sea?
 How have you interacted with the marine
environment?
 Why is it important to study Marine Science?
Introduction
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Life may have originated in the sea!
Sea organisms- medical research
Marine life- source of human wealth
Food, medicine, recreation, raw materials,
tourism
 Marine life shapes the
nature of our planet- oxygen!
 Marine life can create new
land, protect and shape
shorelines
Ilya Metchnikof (1900) discovered animal immune system in
marine anemones.
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Nearly ALL disciplines are represented in Marine
Science (Biology)
Archeaology
§ Medicine
Biology
§ Welding
Botany
§ Diving
Chemistry
§ Research
Geology
§ Education
Ichthyology
§ Recreation
Oceanography
Physiology
The list goes on and on…
Physics
Seismology
History of Marine Biology
 Coastal cultures = practical ocean
knowledge
 Ancient “clambakes” date back to stone age
 42,000 year old fishing hooks discovered in
East Timor in 2011- tuna remains found
 Snail shell necklaces date back - 75,000
years old
History of Marine Biology
Skills in seamanship and navigation expanded ocean knowledge…
Phoenicians (1200 BCE)
 first accomplished navigators
 sailing civilization of Mediterranean Sea
 sailed the Indian ocean- possibly around
Africa?
 used celestial navigation (North Star)
History of Marine Biology
Aristotle (384-322 BCE)
 first to record observations on marine life
= first marine biologist
 described many forms of marine lifecrustaceans, echinoderms, mollusks, fish
 gills are breathing apparatus of fish
 cetaceans are mammals
History of Marine Biology
Vikings (1000 CE)
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Led by Leif Ericson
Master ship builders- “longship”
Discovered Greenland and Iceland
discovered “Vinland” –
(Newfoundland today)- evidence
 Nova Scotia? Cape Cod? – capable?
C. Columbus (1492 CE)
 mapped routes to “New World”
 landed in Caribbean
Amerigo Vespucci (1497)
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Rio de Janeiro
America!
Ponce de Leon (1513)
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Spanish explorer- under Columbus
Established first settlement on Puerto Rico
“La Florida!” -First European to explore coasts
of Florida- St. Augustine or Melbourne
Magellan (1519)
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first expedition to circumnavigate the globe
world not flat (accurate maps appear for first time)
Philippines?
Henry Hudson (1609)
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English. Ice free route to Asia? - SW discovers
NY Bay instead- Goes up Hudson River
Next voyage, discovers Hudson Bay in 1610
On last journey – crew rebels- sets him and family adrift!
Cornelius Van Drebbel (1620)
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Dutch inventor
Builds first submarine
15 ft depth- powered by oarsmen
John Lethbridge (1715)
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1st diving suit
Leather covered barrel
60 ft depth
James Cook (1768)
 English sea captain- voyages for British navy
 first “scientific observations” of all oceansunknown plants and animals
 first to see Hawaii, New Zealand, Antarctic
 first to prevent “scurvey” on ships- Vit. C
 first to use a “chronometer” (time device used to tell position)
Franklin/Folger Chart(1769)
 First to accurately map the Gulf Stream from Florida N.Atlantic
 GS carries greater volume than all rivers in world combined.
History of Marine Biology
C. Darwin (1831)
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Voyages on HMS Beagle
“natural selection”
also described how atolls are formed
studied barnacles extensively
Wilkes
History of Marine Biology
The Challenger Expedition (1872-1876)
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British naval ship- 3.5 year voyage –scientific exped.
Laid the foundation for marine science, oceanography!
Discovered over 4000 new species
discovered mid Atlantic ridge
30,000 pages of oceanographic info.
Plot of currents, ocean temps., meticulous data, 19 years to
publish results- most info on oceans ever recorded
The Challenger Expedition (1872-1876)
cont..
 The deepest place on Earth is the Challenger Deep
(35,798 ft.) in the Mariana Trench
(Mt. Everest – the highest point on Earth is 29,035 ft. tall)
Marine Labs
 All this science led to the formation of some pretty cool
stuff!!!
Woods Hole, MA 1888.
Woods Hole, MA Today
*First major American marine lab
*One of the world’s most prestigious marine stations
http://www.whoi.edu/about/
Simon Lake (1898)
 “Father of the Modern Submarine,” launches Argonaut- 2
person submarine with 10 hour submerge time. Made 200
submarine patents (ex. Periscope and ballast tanks)
Sonar
(so_____ na_________ r______)
 need brought on by WW1 to detect German submarines
 “seeing with sound waves”
 sends out sound pulses called “pings” then receives
returning sound echo with “transducer”
 1454m/s underwater
 measure depth, contours of sea floor, locate vessels,
determine composition of sea floor, locate fish, nautical
charts, shipwrecks etc.
Scuba
Scuba (s___ c______ u_____ b______ a______)
 Refined after WW2
 Invented by Jacques Cousteau - 1946
(navy officer, explorer, film maker)
 1956- Cousteau produces 1st underwater documentary
movie with underwater camera- “Silent World”
Submersibles
 1930- Bathysphere- William Beebe/Otis Barton- cast
iron sphere, lowered on cable - (3,028 ft)
*saw bioluminescent organisms for first time
*previous dives only reached 350ft
 1960- Bathyscaphe Trieste dives
to “challenger deep” in Mariana
Trench (35,800ft)
Submersibles
 allow scientists to explore abyssal depths
 Alvin (Woods Hole) one of the most famous marine
science vessels since 1964 (HOV)
 max depth over 14,000 feet, remains submerged for 10
hours, 4,600 total dives.
 core sediments, sample water, collect specimens etc.
Latest submersibles
 ROV- Remote Operated Vehicle- unmanned and tethered
to surface
(Jason- 6 mile fiber optic cable)
 AUV- Autonomous Underwater Vehicle- unmanned and
no tether ABE :( Sentry, Remus
Autonomous benthic explorer
2010
Satellites
 Track and record ocean surface temperature, currents,
atmospheric conditions, animal behaviors,
chlorophyll concentrations…
 1st oceanographic satellite: SeaSat A (1978)
 2008 Okeanos Explorer- most advanced
ocean exploring ship dedicated to research and education
Ocean/Marine Labs Today
Aquarius Underwater Laboratory, Florida Keys
Worlds only underwater lab
R/V FLIP (floating instrument platform)
Scripps institute
DEEPSEA CHALLENGE expedition
 2012- James Cameron/National Geographic
 Solo mission to “challenger deep”
Quick Quiz Questions:
1. Who were the Phonecians?
2. Why is Aristotle referred to as the “father of marine
biology?”
3. List two key facts about the Vikings.
4. What were James Cook’s contributions to marine
science/ocean exploration?
5. Discuss the importance of the Challenger expedition to
marine science.
6. Discuss two advantages of Sonar in exploring the
oceans.
7. Discuss two technologies and specifically describe what
they allow scientists to do to explore the oceans.
8. Distinguish the following and provide an example +
advantage of each: HOV, ROV, AUV