Tools of an Oceanographer

At the beginning of this semester I thought all an oceanographer used was a microscope and some sampling tubes. Now I know that there are six types of oceanographers and they all use different tools.

The first is the biological oceanographer. This oceanographer studies the living things that reside in the ocean. To study the smaller things, they use microscopes. The microscope allows them to see the tiny microorganisms that live in the water that can't be seen with the naked eye.

The second type is the chemical oceanographer. These oceanographers study the chemical balances and reactions of the sea. To do this they use Nansen bottles which are sampling bottles that can be dropped into the ocean to collect samples of the water near the bottom of the ocean.

Another type of oceanographer is a physical oceanographer. This type is responsible for studying the waves, tides, and currents as well as the effects of hurricanes, typhoons, and tsunamis. To do this they use a ship called FLIP. This ship has a long tail that fills up with water until the ship is sticking straight up in the air as shown in the picture below. This makes the ship more stable which makes it easier to measure currents.

A geological oceanographer studies the formations at the bottom of the ocean such as volcanoes and hydrothermal vents. One of the tools they use is called a Bathymetric map. This shows the formations and depth levels of the ocean floor.

The final oceanographer is and oceanographic engineer. These engineers create the technology that other types of oceanographers use to explore the sea. To create these oceanographic engineers need computers of their own to log and save all the changes to these technologies that they create.