Marine biology is a hybrid subject that combines
aspects of organismal function, ecological
interaction and the study of marine biodiversity.
The earliest studies of marine biology trace
back to the Phoenicians and the Greeks who
are known as the initial explorers of the
oceans and their composition.
The first recorded observations on the distribution
and habits of marine life were made by Aristotle
(384-322 BC).Observations made in the earliest
studies of marine biology provided an impetus
for the age of discovery and exploration that
followed.
During this time, a vast amount of knowledge
was gained about life that exists in the oceans.
Individuals who contributed significantly
to this pool of knowledge include Captain
James Cook (1728-1779), Charles Darwin (1809-1882)
and Wyville Thomson (1830-1882).These individuals
took part in some of the more well-known expeditions
of all time, making foundation contributions
to marine biology.
The era was important for the history of marine
biology, but naturalists were still constrained
by available technologies that limited their
ability to effectively locate and accurately
examine species that inhabited the deep parts
of the ocean.
The subsequent creation of marine laboratories
was another important development because
marine scientists now had places to conduct
research and process their specimens from
expeditions.
Technological advances, such as sound ranging,
scuba diving gear, submersibles and remotely
operated vehicles, progressively made it easier
to study the deep ocean.
This allowed marine biologists to explore
depths people once thought never existed.
== Early exploration of the deep sea ==
=== Phoenicians and Greeks ===
The history of marine biology can be traced
as far back as 1200 BC when the Phoenicians
and the Greeks began ocean voyages using celestial
navigation.
Phoenicians and Greeks were some of the first
known explorers to leave their local communities
bordering the Mediterranean Sea.
They ventured outside the Mediterranean to
the Atlantic Ocean with their knowledge of
tides, currents and seasonal changes.
It wasn’t until much later at around 450
BC when observations of natural phenomena
related to the oceans started getting recorded.
Herodotus (484-425 BC) wrote of the regular
tides in the Persian Gulf, the deposition
of silt in the Nile Delta and used the term
“Atlantic” to describe the western seas
for the first time.
It was during this time when many of the first
recorded observations about the composition
of the oceans.
=== Aristotle ===
Aristotle was one of the most notable Greek
philosophers to examine and keep written records
of observations concerning marine organisms.
Aristotle identified a large range of species
such as crustaceans, echinoderms, mollusks
and fish.
Aristotle has been known as the initiator
of the tradition of natural philosophy and
an influential player in the beginnings of
marine biology because of the early observations
he made about marine life
=== Polynesians ===
The Polynesians were also very involved in
the exploration of marine life and their efforts
are often overlooked.
Throughout the time period of 300-1275 AD
the Polynesians made efforts to explore and
populate the great Polynesian triangle, which
is bounded in the east by Easter Island, in
the north by Hawaii and in the southwest by
New Zealand.
The Polynesians were among the first to go
out and explore the mysteries of the ocean
and marine life.
In the years that followed the Polynesian
efforts, there were minimal efforts that aimed
to further man’s understanding of the sea.
This ended with the Age of Discovery in the
late 15th century.
== Age of discovery ==
Between the late 15th century and early 20th
century, humans explored the oceans like never
before creating new maps and charts and collecting
specimens to bring back to their home ports.
Most of the exploration that took place during
this time was fueled by European countries
such as Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Scotland
and Germany.
Some of the landmark explorers of marine biology
carried out their famous work during this
time period.
Explorers such as Captain James Cook, Charles
Darwin and Wyville Thomson made revolutionary
contributions to the history of marine biology
during this time of exploration.
=== James Cook ===
James Cook is well known for his voyages of
exploration for the British Navy in which
he mapped out a significant amount of the
world’s uncharted waters.
Cook’s explorations took him around the
world twice and led to countless descriptions
of previously unknown plants and animals.
Cook’s explorations influenced many others
and led to a number of scientists examining
marine life more closely.
Among those influenced was Charles Darwin
who went on to make many contributions of
his own.
=== Charles Darwin ===
Charles Darwin, best known for his theory
of evolution, made many significant contributions
to the early study of marine biology.
He spent much of his time from 1831 to 1836
on the voyage of HMS Beagle collecting and
studying specimens from a variety of marine
organisms.
It was also on this expedition where Darwin
began to study coral reefs and their formation.
He came up with the theory that the overall
growth of corals is a balance between the
growth of corals upward and the sinking of
the sea floor.
He then came up with the idea that wherever
coral atolls would be found, the central island
where the coral had started to grow would
be gradually subsiding
=== 
Charles Wyville Thomson ===
Another influential expedition was the voyage
of HMS Challenger from 1872 to 1876, organized
and later led by Charles Wyville Thomson.
It was the first expedition purely devoted
to marine science.
The expedition collected and analyzed thousands
of marine specimens, laying the foundation
for present knowledge about life near the
deep-sea floor.
The findings from the expedition were a summary
of the known natural, physical and chemical
ocean science to that time.
=== Later exploration ===
This era of marine exploration came to a close
with the first and second round-the-world
voyages of the Danish Galathea expeditions
and Atlantic voyages by the USS Albatross,
the first research vessel purpose built for
marine research.
These voyages further cleared the way for
modern marine biology by building a base of
knowledge about marine biology.
This was followed by the progressive development
of more advanced technologies which began
to allow more extensive explorations of ocean
depths that were once thought too deep to
sustain life.
== Modern studies ==
=== 
Marine biology labs ===
In the 1960s and 1970s, ecological research
into the life of the ocean was undertaken
at institutions set up specifically to study
marine biology.
Notable was the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
in America, which established a model for
other marine laboratories subsequently set
up around the world.
Their findings of unexpectedly high species
diversity in places thought to be inhabitable
stimulated much theorizing by population ecologists
on how high diversification could be maintained
in such a food-poor and seemingly hostile
environment.
=== Exploration technology ===
In the past, the study of marine biology has
been limited by a lack of technology as researchers
could only go so deep to examine life in the
ocean.
Before the mid-twentieth century, the deep-sea
bottom could not be seen unless one dredged
a piece of it and brought it to the surface.
This has changed dramatically due to the development
of new technologies in both the laboratory
and the open sea.
These new technological developments have
allowed scientists to explore parts of the
ocean they didn't even know existed.The development
of scuba gear allowed researchers to visually
explore the oceans as it contains a self-contained
underwater breathing apparatus allowing a
person to breathe while being submerged 100
to 200 feet into the ocean.
Submersibles were built like small submarines
with the purpose of taking marine scientists
to deeper depths of the ocean while protecting
them from increasing atmospheric pressures
that cause complications deep under water.
The first models could hold several individuals
and allowed limited visibility but enabled
marine biologists to see and photograph the
deeper portions of the oceans.
Remotely operated underwater vehicles are
now used with and without submersibles to
see the deepest areas of the ocean that would
be too dangerous for humans.
ROVs are fully equipped with cameras and sampling
equipment which allows researchers to see
and control everything the vehicle does.
ROVs have become the dominant type of technology
used to view the deepest parts of the ocean.
=== Romanticization ===
In the late 20th century and into the 21st,
marine biology was "glorified and romanticized
through films and television shows," leading
to an influx in interested students who required
a damping on their enthusiasm with the day-to-day
realities of the field.
== See also ==
Research vessel
== Citations
