Marine biology

Marine biology is the scientific study of organisms living in the ocean and their interactions with marine environments.

Marine ecology: The study of interactions among marine organisms and between them and their environment. It describes the ecological relationships at the center of marine biology.
Marine conservation: The protection and management of marine species, habitats, and ecosystems. Biological evidence helps identify threats and guide protection measures.
Hydrothermal vent: A seafloor opening that releases geothermally heated, chemically rich fluid. Vent communities revealed ecosystems sustained without sunlight.
Marine food web: A network of feeding relationships among organisms in a marine ecosystem. Biological research traces how energy and nutrients move through ocean communities.
Marine snow: Falling particles of organic matter that carry carbon and nutrients from surface waters into the deep ocean. Its production and sinking rates remain uncertain but shape deep-sea food supply.
Biological oceanography: The study of how ocean conditions shape marine life and how organisms affect ocean processes. It connects marine organisms to ocean currents, chemistry, and climate.
Fisheries science: The study and management of fish populations and fisheries. Population biology supports estimates of sustainable catches.
Coral reef: A marine structure built largely by reef-forming corals and inhabited by diverse organisms. Reefs make species interactions and habitat formation visible at fine scales.
Biological carbon pump: The processes by which marine organisms transport carbon from surface waters into the ocean interior. Marine organisms influence how much atmospheric carbon the ocean stores.
Mesopelagic zone: The ocean layer roughly 200 to 1,000 meters below the surface, where little sunlight penetrates. Its abundant, poorly measured life may affect carbon transport and fisheries.

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