Marine Sciences

Perhaps the best-known branch of Marine Sciences and which, for this reason, can be considered its heart. Marine biology itself includes the study of the different living components of marine ecosystems. It studies marine plants, such as Posidonia oceanica, algae and marine organisms, from plankton to whales to birds. It deepens the knowledge of the life cycles of different species, their adaptations to life underwater, their interaction and relationship with the surrounding environment.

Marine biology also explores the genetics of living beings and understands their reproduction and biodiversity. This study includes observations at the molecular (biochemical), cellular, individual, population and community levels.

Understanding, protecting, monitoring and managing the ocean and its resources are among the main objectives of this discipline.

Marine ecology studies all living things in the ocean and their interaction with other living things (biotic elements) and non-living elements of the environment (abiotic elements). It is therefore the study and understanding of the fundamental principles on which the functioning of the marine ecosystem is based. It is precisely the interactions between organisms, such as competition, predation, symbiosis, parasitism, and the interactions between organisms and the environment that determine the distribution and abundance of different species and the ways in which organisms adapt to the environment in which they live.

Zoology specializes in the study of different marine organisms, as well as their relationship with each other, the environment, and humans.
Ichthyology is the specific branch that deals with fish, both bony, like most known fish, and cartilaginous, like sharks and rays. This discipline explores in detail the physiological functions of living beings and also analyzes the origin, lineage, and evolution throughout the history of marine animals as we know them today.
Zoology often aims to monitor and conserve different species to maintain biodiversity and the well-being of ecosystems. But it doesn’t stop there: it investigates and explores to learn about and study more and more species. Today, it is estimated that more than 95% of marine invertebrates are still unknown (World Ocean Assessment II, UN).

Marine botany studies the species of flowering vascular marine plants, while phycology studies more specifically algae and cyanobacteria. Both professions conduct field and laboratory research to study the genetic properties of algae, their role in the ecosystem and the impact that environmental changes have on their development.
The role of phycology is also very important in other fields such as pharmacology: several drugs and cosmetics are in fact based on algae.
Knowledge of algae can be further applied in the food and superfood industry, in the bioplastics industry, biofuels and other sectors.

Oceanography is the study of the physical, chemical, geological, ecological and biological processes that govern the ocean. Oceanography involves the collection of data using buoys, satellites and other instruments. This is followed by the analysis phase in the laboratory, where researchers create models to understand current trends and future scenarios of the ocean in response to external factors, such as climate change, overfishing and pollution.

Biological oceanography studies the biological processes of the ocean, such as food chains and the transfer of energy and matter between producer, consumer and decomposer organisms. Biological oceanography investigates the distribution, abundance, development of species and how organisms relate to each other, adapt to their environment and interact with processes in the oceans.
To carry out their work, experts may use field observations, computer models or laboratory and field experiments.
One of the main focuses is the study of plankton: their diversity, distribution and productivity and how this plays a role in the global carbon cycle.

Chemical oceanography qualitatively and quantitatively describes the chemistry, chemical reactions, and related processes that determine the distribution and availability of chemical species such as elements, isotopes, atoms, and molecules in ocean water. It also studies the exchanges that occur between the ocean and the atmosphere, such as the increase in carbon dioxide (CO2) and its relationship to ocean acidification and weather. Chemical oceanography also studies the chemical processes of marine life, such as chemosynthesis, respiration, and calcification. These processes occur along the ocean surface, in the water column, at depth, and beneath the seabed.

Physical oceanography studies the interaction between the surface layer of the ocean and the atmosphere, as well as the transfer of energy in different water masses, wave motion and tides. This field also includes the study of environmental factors, such as temperature-salinity-pressure and the behavior of sound and light in the ocean. Physical processes involving marine organisms are also studied, such as the communication of whales through the sound channel and the adaptations of organisms under high pressure. Physical oceanography is also an important point of contact with climatology, in the study of extreme weather events, such as tsunamis, tidal waves and hurricanes.

The law and the law of the sea find their highest expression in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS – United Nation Convention on the Law of the Sea). They are based on the international treaty that defines the rights and responsibilities of States in the use of the seas and the ocean. The articles contained in the treaty regulate the jurisdiction of States in coastal waters, navigation rights, marine mineral claims and also the protection of the most vulnerable species. Those who are experts in this field can deal, among other things, with the resolution of maritime disputes and support negotiations between States or parties involved in nautical accidents, which occur in the context of both recreational and commercial maritime activities.

Professional and amateur divers can play a fundamental role in research. By diving into the blue, they can help scientists by monitoring marine biodiversity and ecosystems to have a complete global information system. Part of their key role also involves scientific dissemination through underwater photography and video, promoting the protection, conservation and rehabilitation of marine life and habitats, also working alongside Marine Protected Areas.
Underwater archaeology falls within this branch, and deals with the recovery and study of ancient submerged objects, witnesses of civilizations and peoples, to conserve and protect the submerged cultural heritage.

Scientific dissemination is a key element of marine sciences that aims to make scientific information related to the ocean, its biodiversity and the services it provides to human beings more understandable and accessible.
Disseminating Marine Sciences allows us to bring society closer to the sea, bridging the gap that normally characterizes this relationship.
In dissemination there is a continuous search for more effective means of dissemination: art, documentaries, social networks, literature, educational content and many other methods to reach all age groups.

A branch of engineering that deals with the design of naval vessels and their maintenance, working in various sectors of shipbuilding: mercantile, military, recreational, off-shore.

Marine geology studies the history, structures and geological processes that form the mountains, canyons and valleys on the ocean floor as well as the slopes and shallower platforms that surround continents, and coastal areas such as beaches and estuaries. Through sampling, they observe millions of years of history of seafloor spreading, plate tectonics and ocean circulation. They also examine volcanic processes, mantle circulation, hydrothermal circulation, magma genesis and crust formation.

Maritime spatial planning is a coordinated and interdisciplinary approach to analyze and manage the spatial-temporal distribution of human activities in the ocean. This approach ensures that human activities in marine and coastal areas are carried out in an efficient, safe and sustainable way to minimize conflicts between stakeholders, seeking to reduce environmental impacts as much as possible, and finding synergies between economic sectors. Marine spatial management serves to balance the demands of economic development with the need to protect the marine-coastal environment, so as to provide social and economic benefits in a planned manner.