INTRODUCTION nowledge of the oceans is more than a matter of curiosity President John F Kennedy told Congress in 1961 Our very survival may hinge upon it Half a century later these words still ring true Scientists now under stand that the oceans play two major roles on Earth Most of the life on the planet lives in the oceans The oceans also regulate climate by moving and storing heat Between these two roles the oceans have been integral in making Earth what it is today Ocean exploration by the United States offi cially began in 1807 when President Thomas Jefferson created a government agency called the United States Coast Survey to study the country s coastlines These early scientists concentrated on mapping the edge of the sea and the character of the seafloor They took the temperature of the world's oceans determined the direction of water currents and cataloged life forms Over the next hundred years the development of new tech nologies governed our exploration of the oceans Getting to the remote parts of the oceans is diffi cult so scientists had to invent ways to reach these places Dredges large scoops used to scrape the deep sea for life and early forms of sonar were among the inventions that helped early scientists study ocean life and
INTRODUCTION Bathers relax at the pebble and sand beach beside turquoise waters at Porto Katsiki on the island of Lefkada Greece Sean Gallup Getty Images
INVESTIGATING EARTH's OCEANS Today some two centuries later the func tions of the original United States Coast Survey fall to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NOAA which conducts research on the oceans and the atmosphere Modern researchers con tinue to build upon the knowledge of the early ocean explorers by studying sea life and the seafloor as well as the physical character istics and chemical composition of seawater This research helps us get to know the oceans better which in turn helps us to better moni tor their health Scientific exploration in the past two cen turies has answered many questions about the sea One of the most impressive aspects of the oceans is their vastness We now know that 71 percent of the planet is covered with ocean and that accounts only for surface area To really get a sense of the size of the ocean it helps to consider the volume of the planet s biosphere The biosphere is all parts of Earth that can support life includ ing the land the oceans and part of the atmosphere Imagine that the volume of Earth's biosphere is contained in a 32 ounce 1 liter soda cup Of the biosphere in this cup almost 30 ounces 88 liter are ocean Given the immense size of the oceans it is
INTRODUCTION not surprising that they hold a lot of life Of the 33 animal phyla or categories of animals on Earth 30 consist of ocean dwellers If you re interested in learning more about the oceans and why they need to be protected this book is a great place to start As you read keep in mind that this is just a small sampling of what scientists have learned about the oceans so far And even though people have studied the oceans for centuries there will always be more to
