Geological oceanography studies the ocean floor, focusing on its structure, topography, and natural processes. It uses oceanographic principles and techniques to discover past and future geological events. Scientists study the effects of lithospheric plate movement, particularly on the continental shelf, to predict water movement and wave height. Sub-disciplines include paleoclimatology and plate tectonics, and scientists use advanced tools such as high-resolution bathymetric survey systems and deep-sea exploration programs.
Simply put, geological oceanography is the study of the ocean floor. This branch of earth sciences focuses on the geological structure and topography of the ocean floor and the natural processes that create and modify these features. Scientists specializing in this field apply oceanographic principles and techniques to discover major geological events that occurred millions of years ago, as well as to predict those that may occur in the future.
In terms of structure, geological oceanographers study the effects of Earth’s lithospheric plate movement, which results in sedimentary deposits and the formation or destruction of the ocean floor. A notable area of concentration affected by these processes is the continental shelf. This is the land area under the ocean just off the coast and extending to the point where the shelf slopes down to the abyssal plain of the ocean floor, the depth of which varies around the world. By measuring the depth of the shelf at specific points, scientists can predict the pattern of water movement along the coastal shoreline, as well as the height of waves expected to start offshore and eventually reach land. Studying variations in the continental shelf also provides clues to help estimate sea level fluctuations in various geographic regions, as well as the impact of tropical storms.
There are numerous sub-disciplines that fall under the science of geological oceanography. For example, paleoclimatology is the study of the seabed to construct a timeline of climate change as it relates to the formation and reshaping of the Earth, as well as the health and biodiversity of past and present living organisms. Plate tectonics is the study of the Earth’s tectonic plates, which reside on the planet’s lithosphere and are driven to migrate by heat generated by the underlying upper mantle of the Earth’s crust, or asthenosphere. Many subdisciplines of geological oceanography provide even more specialized areas of study. For example, seismology, which is devoted to the study of seismic activity, is a subcategory of plate tectonics.
Geological oceanography scientists use a wide variety of tools and equipment in their work. For example, in addition to satellite imagery, researchers are using highly advanced tools to map the ocean floor, such as high-resolution bathymetric survey systems and side-scan sonar and acoustic profiling equipment. Many scientists also participate in deep-sea exploration programs, such as the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP), an international project funded and managed by the US National Science Foundation and 22 global partners that make up the Joint Oceanographic Institutions for Deep Earth Sampling (JOIDES ).
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