specialties in geology that there is probably an expert in almost anything you can think of
related to the Earth (Figure1.13).
Figure 1.13: Geology is the study of the solid Earth and its processes. ( 10 )Oceanology
Oceanologyis the study of everything in the ocean environment. More than 70% of the
Earth’s surface is covered with water. Most of that water is found in the oceans. Recent
technology has allowed us to go to the deepest parts of the ocean, yet much of the ocean
remains truly unexplored. Some people call the ocean the last frontier. But it is a frontier
already deeply influence by human activity. As the human population gets ever bigger,
we are affecting the ocean in many ways. Populations of fish and other marine species
have plummeted because of overfishing; contaminants are polluting the waters, and global
warming caused by greenhouse gases is melting the thick ice caps. As ocean waters warm,
the water expands and, along with the melting ice caps, causes sea levels to rise.
Climatologistshelpusunderstandtheclimateandhowitwillchangeinthefutureinresponse
to global warming. Oceanographers study the vast seas and help us to understand all that
happens in the water world. As with geology, there are many branches of oceanography.
Physical oceanography is the study of the processes in the ocean itself, like waves and
ocean currents (Figure 1.14). Marine geology uses geology to study ocean earthquakes,
mountains, and trenches. Chemical oceanography studies the natural elements in ocean
water and pollutants.