Approximately 95 percent of all U.S. foreign trade is waterborne and passes through U.S. ports. Fishing and ocean science are not the only maritime professions. Other ocean-related careers can include the military, engineering, medicine, underwater archaeology, marine policy and law, education, film making, zoology, advocacy work, lifegaurding, tourism and more. The ocean is responsible for the world's climate and weather patterns.
Meteorologists also study the ocean.
Coastal states earn 85 percent of all U.S. tourism dollars, and beaches are the leading tourist destination. Physical, chemical and geological oceanographers study the ocean floor, its properties and currents. These scientists unlock the many questions critical to safe marine use for both commercial and recreational mariners. They also help us understand how we can use the ocean as food, transportation and defense resources. Marine biologists, sometimes called biological oceanographers, study marine plants, animals and organisms within man-made and natural environments.