Oceanographer

Australian Institute of Marine Science [AIMS]	Australian Meteorological & Oceanographic Society [AMOS]
Australian Marine Sciences Association	Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO: International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange
Geoscience Australia	Happiness Without

Did You Know?

- Over 70% of the Earths surface is covered by oceans

- Oceanography is the study of the world's oceans, including aspects of its biology, chemistry, physics, geology, and meterology

- Around 2 000 to 3 000 years ago naturalists and philosophers, including Aristotle, began studying the vastness of the ocean. However, the modern field of oceanography did not emerge until the late 19th century when Europe, America, and Britain joined together to fund expeditions that explored ocean currents, the sea lfoor, and the life that thrives in the ocean.

- The first organised exploration of the ocean and the seafloor was in 1872, known as the Challenger Expedition.

- Although we have been studying the ocean for many years, our knowledge is confined to the top couple of kilometres of the ocean. It has often been prediced that for every one species of marine life we have discovered/identified, there are another three more that we are yet to discover.

- The Mariana Trench is the deepest known point in the Earth's oceans- it is 10 994 metres below sea level!

- The largest ocean on Earth is the Pacific Ocean- it covers around 30% of the Earth's surface
(Source: Study)

Oceans CSIRO

CSIRO has launched Oceans: Science and Solutions for Australia (Oceans), a book bringing together the latest science to explain the crucial role oceans play in the lives of all Australians.

CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere Director Dr Tony Worby said Australia faced several opportunities and challenges, with three of the world's four major oceans in its marine estate.

"Australia's oceans cover almost 14 million square kilometres, nearly twice the area of our land, and hold the key to our climate, weather, economy, international security, and social well-being," Dr Worby said.

"It is important that we strike a balance between our national economic and resource requirements, while ensuring long term sustainability of our marine estate and this is key research focus for CSIRO and the Australian marine science community.

"Our oceans do the heavy lifting with respect to carbon dioxide and heat absorption and their capacity to continue to do these things is one of many areas we are focused on through our climate research.

"The effects of ocean warming can be seen already as tropical fish are found further south from warming coastal waters, cold water species decline in some regions, and coral bleaching becomes more frequent.

"There has never been a more important time to focus on marine research."

Oceans editor and CSIRO Chief Research Scientist Dr Bruce Mapstone said national and international collaboration was essential, with Australia having stewardship of the third largest marine estate in the world and the largest in the Southern Hemisphere.

"The book focuses on Australia's marine estate which includes the Indian, Pacific and Southern Oceans, however many of the topics covered have global relevance because of the interconnectedness of the world's oceans," Dr Mapstone said.

"Collaboration is the only way we can tackle the breadth of marine research Australia and the world need to fully understand our oceans.

"Indigenous coastal peoples have had cultural and livelihood connections with Australia's oceans for thousands of years and their knowledge is extremely valuable.

"Importantly, this book takes complex and detailed research and translates it into clear English that can be understood by policy makers and just as importantly students, some of whom are Australia's future marine scientists."

Oceans: Science and Solutions for Australia has been authored by scientists from CSIRO and other Australian research agencies and is available for free download: http://www.csiro.au/oceans-book

YouTube: The connections between ocean and atmosphere [CSIRO]
https://youtu.be/ic_IOZ3HvOA