"Ocean Mysteries: 50 Years of Progress in Basic Oceanographic Research"

Author: National Research Council, Ocean Studies Board, U.S.A.
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-01
Features: The ocean covers 71% of the Earth's surface and is a vital component of the human living environment. It plays a crucial role in regulating climate change, providing renewable resources, and maintaining ecological balance. Major scientific issues humanity faces today, such as the origin of the Earth, the origin of life, global change, sustainable development, and the effects of resources and environment, are all closely related to the ocean. Life originated in the ocean, where a diverse and abundant variety of marine organisms thrive. In recent years, it has been discovered that some deep-sea organisms can survive under the high-temperature and high-pressure conditions of the seafloor by relying on chemosynthesis, rather than the commonly held belief that all primary productivity depends on photosynthesis. This will greatly enrich and deepen humanity's understanding of the origin and evolution of life and the laws governing life.
Oceanography is the science that studies the nature and patterns of change in various natural phenomena and processes occurring in the ocean. Early ocean research was primarily focused on exploration and geographical discovery. After World War II, as coastal countries around the world recognized the strategic importance of the ocean in social, economic, resource, and environmental aspects, as well as its significant role in understanding global environmental change and Earth system science, ocean science rapidly developed and gradually became one of the most active branches of natural science today. At the same time, ocean science is a highly interdisciplinary and integrated field, with deep connections to fundamental disciplines such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, astronomy, and biology, as well as close ties and intersections with social sciences.
This book not only showcases the achievements of American ocean science over the past 50 years and the outstanding contributions of marine scientists from different perspectives but also presents the winding development of the increasingly refined management system for American oceanographic research.