Chapter 1- Introduction to
Castro
Part 1
Chapter 1 Science of Marine
Biology
Goals for Course
• Learn nature of
marine environment
• Learn diversity of
marine organisms
• Learn ecosystems
• Guide to issues in
human-marine
interactions
• Provide info that can
inform policy
decisions
What is Marine Biology
• Broad field, anything living in the ocean
(cellular, physiological, ecological,
behavioral)
• Oceanography (biological, chemical,
geological, physical)
Why are the oceans important?
• Oxygen
• Gulf “Dead Zone”
• Rain
• Climate
• Food
• Origins of most
species
• Hurricanes
• Origin of life?
Food and Oxygen
World Ocean
The major ocean basins are extensions of one interconnected world ocean
Ocean Depth
71% of the earth is covered with
ocean. Average depth 3.8 km
(2.3miles), the deepest region is
11 km (6.8miles).
How to study the Ocean?
How to study the Ocean?