Marine Intro and Sci Method

Marine
Sciences
Jaques Yves Cousteau, 1910-1997

What is Marine Science
Study of living organisms and their relationship to the
chemical, physical and geological nature of the ocean
Marine Biology Oceanography

• Study of plants, • Study of tides, waves,
animals, and other currents, as well as
organisms that live in geologic history and
the ocean characteristics of the
ocean
Why Care?!?
Marine life provides us with food, medicine, and raw
materials, in addition to offering recreation and
supporting tourism
Why Care!?!
Marine life helps determine the nature of our planet
by producing much of the oxygen we breathe
Indirectly helps regulate Earth’s climate

Why Care?!?!
Not all interactions are positive…
Marine life may harm humans:
 Disease
 Attacks
 Killing or injuring other marine organisms we rely upon
 Erode piers, walls, other structures
The reverse is also true….

Portuguese Man-O-War
Commercial Diver Repairing Damaged Structure
http://www.weather.com/news/science/
environment/20-cities-most-lose-rising-sea-
levels-20130822?pageno=21
Marine Biologists?
It’s really basic science applied to the sea, not the sea
applied to science.
Nearly ALL disciplines are represented in Marine

Science (Biology)
Archaeology Medicine
Biology Welding
Botany Diving
Chemistry Research
Geology Education
Ichthyology Recreation
Oceanography
Physiology The list goes on and on…
Physics
Seismology
Basic Science?
Scientific Method – series of steps that are used to
investigate a natural occurrence…
1. Define Problem/Question
2. Research
3. Hypothesis
4. Experiment
5. Observations/Data Analysis
6. Conclude and Share
Steps of the
Scientific Method
1. Problem/Question:
 Develop a question or
problem that can be solved
through experimentation.
Steps of the
Scientific Method
2. Observation/Research: Make observations and
research your topic of interest.
Collect background info about the problem
Where can you find good information?

Books, scientific journals, internet (reliable sites!)
Induction vs Deduction
Induction – uses separate observations to arrive to
general principal
All of the fish I have studied so far have gill slits, all fish
have gill slits
Deduction – uses general principal to arrive to specific

conclusion
All fish have gill slits, trout is a fish, it has gill slits
Do you remember the next
“step?”
Steps of the
Scientific Method
3. Formulate a Hypothesis:
Predict a possible answer to the
problem or question.
*Must be able to TEST it!**
What is wrong with this hypothesis?
If a black cat crosses my path, then I will have bad
luck.
Not testable because…

What is bad luck?
What is good luck?
Not scientifically measureable!
How could you test this HYPOTHESIS?
Example: If soil temperatures rise, then plant growth
will increase.
Steps of the
Scientific Method
4. Experiment= an organized
process used to test a
hypothesis
 Tests only ONE condition (AKA
variable)
 A controlled experiment tests the
effect(s) of this variable
Groups in a controlled experiment…
Control Group Experimental Group
 Used as a standard - Is changed
 Constant – variable that Independent –
remains the same changed by
experimenter
- Dependent –
changed by
independent
Steps of the
Scientific Method
5. Data Collection:
Data= observations/measurements
collected during experiment
Steps of the
Scientific Method
6. Conclusion: judgment based
on findings; sums up
experiment
Was the hypothesis correct?
What could you change to better the
experiment?
What do we do with the results of experiments…
make Scientific Laws and Scientific Theories!
What is a Scientific Law?

What is a Scientific Theory?
How are they the same?

Different?
How are scientific Laws and Scientific
Theories SIMILAR?
Both are based on tested hypotheses;
Both are supported by a large body of empirical
data;
Both help unify a particular field;
Both are widely accepted by the vast majority (if
not all) scientists within a discipline.
Both scientific laws and scientific theories could
be shown to be wrong at some time if there are
data to suggest so.
How are scientific Laws and Scientific
Theories DIFFERENT?
A law describes WHAT nature does under certain
conditions, and will predict what will happen as long
as those conditions are met.
Often mathematically defined
Common in chemistry and physics
A theory explains HOW nature works.
often non-mathematical
Common in biology
Marine Science History
History of Marine Biology:
§ Pacific Islanders—ocean subsistence
§Greeks—Aristotle (described marine life)
§Dark ages stopped scientific inquiry

More

history…
A.D. 995 L. Eriksson discovered “Vinland”
(N. America).
A.D. 1492 C. Columbus rediscovered New World.

More history…
A.D. 1519 F. Magellan circumnavigated
globe (accurate maps!)
A.D. 1786 J. Cook first scientific

observations (naturalist)
More history…
A.D. 1831 C. Darwin, known for
“natural selection,” but also described
how atolls are formed and did a lot of work
with barnacles
A.D. 1838 C. Wilkes

Charted 1500 miles of coastline
Collected 10,000 specimens (2000 new).
First effort sponsored by U. S. gov’t! Wilkes
A.D. 1840 Edward Forbes sea floor dredging (new organisms)
Led the way for Challenger Expedition…laid the foundation

for modern marine science.
Marine History...
Challenger
3.5 year trip collecting samples
19 years to publish all information gathered on voyage,

more information than had ever been recorded about
the ocean.
All this science led to the formation of some
pretty cool stuff!!!
Woods Hole 1888. Woods Hole, Today
Marine Labs boomed!

RV/Thomsas G. Thompson
Alvin
Aquarius Underwater Laboratory, Florida Keys
R/V FLIP ( floating instrument platform)

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Marine

Jaques Yves Cousteau, 1910-1997

Marine Biology Oceanography

Indirectly helps regulate Earth’s climate

The reverse is also true….

Nearly ALL disciplines are represented in Marine

Where can you find good information?

Deduction – uses general principal to arrive to specific

Not testable because…

What is a Scientific Law?

How are they the same?

§Greeks—Aristotle (described marine life)

§Dark ages stopped scientific inquiry

A.D. 1492 C. Columbus rediscovered New World.

A.D. 1786 J. Cook first scientific

A.D. 1838 C. Wilkes

Led the way for Challenger Expedition…laid the foundation

19 years to publish all information gathered on voyage,

Woods Hole 1888. Woods Hole, Today

Marine Labs boomed!

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