BIOLOGICAL OCEANOGRAPHY 



By W. A. Clemens 



Institutes of Oceanography and Fisheries 



University of British Columbia 



Vancouver, Canada 



The study of the ocean is usually referred to as oceanography. 

 Various sciences are involved such as physics, chemistry, biology, geo- 

 logy, meteorology,— in other words, oceanography is not a single science 

 but the application of many sciences in the study of the ocean. The 

 phases have been designated as physical oceanography, chemical ocea- 

 nography, and so on. 



I have been trying to visualize the place of biological oceanography 

 within the general compass of oceanography. In doing so I have had 

 in mind the fact that the "Challenger" expedition is usually referred 

 to as the beginning of the science of oceanography and, as Merriman 

 (1949) has pointed out, this expedition was primarily a biological one 

 having for its objective the exploration of life in the depths of the sea. 

 Fortunately men interested in the physics and chemistry of the ocean 

 were included in the project and so there was laid the foundation for 

 the co-operation of representatives of the various sciences in the study 

 of the sea. 



I am inclined to suggest that there are possibly four phases of 

 biological oceanography. The first has to do with the contribution of 

 biological processes to the physical and chemical conditions in the 

 ocean, that is, the relations of living organisms to the oxygen, carbon 

 dioxide, phosphate, nitrate, silicate and other chemical states and pro- 

 cesses; to light penetration, sound transmission, bottom deposits, coral 

 reef building, etc. For these aspects, terms might be used, such as: 

 bio-oceano-chemistry and bio-oceano-physics. 



A second phase involves the use of organisms, planktonic or other, 

 for the identification of water masses including the movements of these. 

 I recall for example the paper by Kemp (1938), in which he tells the 

 story of how the water masses entering the English Channel may be 

 identified by the species of Sagitta present. Certain species of fishes 

 may be used as indicators. 



A third phase and the one which has received most attention is 

 the study of ocean conditions as an environment for populations of 

 living organisms. It is this aspect of biological oceanography which 



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