Once humans discovered that seawater tasted different, felt different,
allowed objects to float higher, they began to study the
The early Greeks, Phoenicians, Egyptians and other seafaring peoples noted
the currents, the marine life, and other major components of the ocean
system during their sea voyages. The first maps were charts of these
journeys. Pythagoras first suggested the Earth was spherical and
Eratosthenes was the first to estimate the size of the Earth,
which led to the basics of navigation by the stars.
The Polynesians have a long history of celestial navigation coupled
with the use of currents and marine life to voyage between the islands of the
The European Age of Discovery, from the Vikings through the Spanish,
Portuguese, and English ventures, refined the maps, charts and other
observational records used for navigating the planet's oceans. The
voyages of Columbus and Magellan, despite their sociological impacts,
did much to advance the field of navigation.
the sake of science began with the trips of
James Cook to the Pacific and the Rosses to the polar regions. The surveys
of Matthew Maury discovered the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and Fridtjof Nansen began
surveying the deep sea. The U.S. Exploring Expedition began in 1838 produced
extensive maps, but it was not until the British Challenger Expedition
between 1872 and 1876 that a systematic survey of the earth's oceans was
undertaken. This study marked the beginning of a new era in marine
The Challenger study sampled for marine life below 550m and discovered 4717
new species. They also measured salinity, temperature, and density
measurements in the water samples they collected.
The results of the expedition filled 50 printed volumes
Ocean exploration and study increased after Challenger and the turn of the
century. Oceanographic institutions evolved during this period as well,
Monaco's Musee Oceanographique (1906) and the
U.S. Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
being some of the first and still the most prestigious.
The U.S. Government has taken on a major position in current
ocean-based research. The Department of the Navy conducts extensive
oceanographic research. The
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration has several divisions involved in research of
various aspects of the oceans. These divisions include the
National Ocean Service,
the National Weather Service,
National Marine Fisheries Service,
and Sea Grant.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
operates a series of oceanographic and other survey satellites that
have brought the study of the global ocean system into the realm of
possibility. Click on the highlighted names to connect with their
This completes How do we learn about the Ocean?
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