Oceanography is an interdisciplinary science in which researchers from diverse fields focus on the broad goal of understanding the ocean. Oceanography includes the study of the ocean's physical, biological, chemical, and geological characteristics. Physical oceanographers study the ocean's circulation, currents, waves, and tides.
Biological oceanographers investigate marine organisms and their relationship to the environment.
Chemical oceanographers analyze the chemical composition of sea water and the cycling of nutrients through the ocean system. Marine geologists explore the geologic features of the coastal zone and the ocean floor, and the processes that have formed those features. Engineers are also involved in oceanography, as they must design and plan equipment for use at sea. So too are policy makers , who enact environmental laws and regulations concerning the use and conservation of the ocean and its resources. The birth of oceanography as a formal science began in the nineteenth century with the expedition of the H.M.S. Challenger .