But oceanography is not just about study and research. It is also about using that information to help leaders make smart choices about policies that affect ocean health. Lessons learned through oceanography affect the ways humans use the sea for transportation, food, energy, water, and much more.

Why is oceanography important to us?

It regulates Earth's climate, plays a critical role in the hydrological cycle, sustains a large portion of Earth's biodiversity, supplies food and mineral resources, constitutes an important medium of national defense, provides an inexpensive means of transportation, is the final destination of many waste products, is ...

Why is geological oceanography important?

Geological oceanography is the study of Earth beneath the oceans. A geological oceanographer studies the topography, structure, and geological processes of the ocean floor to discover how the Earth and oceans were formed and how ongoing processes may change them in the future.