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Oceanographer
Studies the ocean — its physics, chemistry, biology, and geology.
Did you know?
The Mariana Trench is so deep that if you put Mount Everest at the bottom, there'd still be over a mile of water above it
How subjects help
- Biology: Study plankton, the tiny drifting life that feeds whales and makes much of our oxygen.
- Chemistry: Measure how much carbon dioxide seawater soaks up and how that makes the ocean more acidic.
- Physics: Track how currents and waves carry heat around the planet and shape the weather.
- Geography: Map mountains and trenches on the seafloor using sound signals sent down from a ship.
A famous name
Jacques Cousteau: Co-invented the Aqua-Lung scuba device and made films that showed millions the undersea world.
Try it yourself: Float fresh water on the sea
- Stir 3 tablespoons of salt into a cup of water until it dissolves, and pour it into a clear glass until half full. This is your "sea".
- Half-fill a second cup with plain water and add a few drops of food colouring. This is your "river".
- Very slowly pour the coloured water into the salty glass, letting it run down the side or over the back of the spoon.
- Look from the side and draw what you see. Try it the other way round (coloured salt water into plain water) and compare.
Oceanographers measure saltiness and temperature at different depths, because layers of heavier and lighter water drive ocean currents and affect where sea life can live.
Adapted from NOAA National Ocean Service: Please Pass the Salt.
Also try: Sort kitchen smells into families.
Known for it in
USA, Australia, Norway, UK, France