In the extended field of ocean engineering, this list must also include acoustics and signal processing, control systems, artificial intelligence, and oceanography. Sometimes the required disciplinary knowledge can be adapted from other fields. Often it cannot, and then we undertake the required fundamental engineering research. Traditionally, this is perhaps best exemplified in hydrodynamics. Much of our current knowledge of free-surface hydrodynamics, was developed by naval architects, for the simple reason that they needed the results but workers in other fields were not motivated to produce them.
Marine transportation encompasses broad questions of international trade.
The ocean engineer must be able to assess in an integrated fashion a wide range of technical, economic, and political considerations. Oil and gas beneath the ocean floor are increasingly important sources of energy. An ocean engineer is concerned with all phases of discovering, producing, and delivering offshore petroleum resources, a complex and demanding task. Also of central importance is the development of new methods to protect marine wildlife and coastal regions against the undesirable side effects of offshore oil production. Once regarded as an inexhaustible source of food, the oceans are now approaching critical levels of depletion for some species.