They also study water masses in the ocean and how energy from the sun or wind reacts with the sea, and apply principles of physics to gain knowledge about ocean circulation. Chemical oceanographers study natural and man-made chemical compounds in the ocean's waters and seafloor, interactions of atmospheric compounds with the ocean's surface, and dissolved and suspended materials in the water column. Biological oceanographers study the diversity of sea life, distributions and patterns of biological populations, influence of physical parameters such as light on organism growth, nutrient availability and food webs, and other complex relationships of plant and animal species living in the oceans. Oceanography students also supplement their learning with other basic sciences like ecology, chemistry, and geography. In addition, computer languages, mathematics, and statistics are essential to modern oceanographic research.
Many oceanographers collect data then create computer models, or simulations, of ocean phenomena.
For example, physical oceanographers use computer models to investigate the relationship between sea-surface temperature and climate changes. Biological oceanographers can create simulations of ocean communities to understand the spread of pollution and its effects on sea life. Oceanographers often go to sea in oceanographic research vessels, but they spend the majority of their time analyzing and interpreting collected data. Oceanographers cast nets to snare certain organisms, deploy buoys and instruments that measure ocean currents, or collect water samples and measure the water temperature down to 1,000 meters or more. To obtain seafloor samples, researchers often employ submersible devices capable of withstanding the ocean's increasing pressure at depth.