Do have have interest in an online degree in marine biology? With there being so many different marine life types to explore, it’s easy to forget that there are also hundreds of other types of animals out there! The marine world is massive and it’s constantly changing.
There are new water features emerging everyday and by learning about the different marine life you can find at each one of these new environments, you’ll be able to better understand your environment and its inhabitants. Here is an overview of the most essential things you need to know about getting a Marine Biology degree.
Also read: 5 Ways to Get Online Degree for Free
Start with the Basics of Marine Biology
Getting a marine biology degree is no easy feat. You must complete several courses, have a foundation in aquatic biology, and additionally have a solid knowledge of fish and marine animals. The best way to get started is to learn about the basics of marine biology.
The first course to take is Marine Biology I. This course is an overview of the basic concepts and terminology of marine biology. You will learn about the water cycle, species distribution, ocean environment, Environmental Assessment of Marine Species, and more.
Next, you will need to fire up the calculator and learn how to fish. While this is a very advanced course, it is also a good introduction to the ins and outs of learning to fish. This will give you a good knowledge of how to take advantage of all the fish you catch, and how to prepare for and prepare for the inevitable catch-and-release situations.
You will also learn a lot about how coral reefs respond to changes in the water level and ocean composition. These things are basic, but behind the scenes, you will find out how coral reefs are a vital part of the marine environment.
Finally, you will be able to acquire an advanced understanding of how humans affect the environment and the ecosystems they call their homes. This is the ultimate goal of all marine biology courses: to get you versed in the ways of the marine environment.
What is Marine Biology?
Marine Biology is the study of life in the sea. Oceans are the life-sustaining systems of the global biosphere. They are basic resources that provide us with water, food, and energy. Oceans cover an area just like a continent, with the addition of a few islands and a few percent chances of land cover.
Ocean biology is the study of how organisms live and evolve on earth’s oceans. At the basic level, ocean biology is the study of how organisms, including fish, sharks, sea turtles, and more, develop, grow, and adapt to their environment. It encompasses techniques such as the identification of cells and proteins by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), measurement of DNA and RNA in living organisms, and the determination of oxygenase activity in the human body.
The marine environment is one of the most important factors influencing our planet’s climate, which in turn has major implications for our economy, education, and culture. Oceans influence the environment around us by providing us with water, food, and energy. The atmosphere around us is an increasingly fragile landscape characterized by changes in temperature and precipitation; sea-level rise will make these changes even more intense. A significant portion of these impacts is related to changes in the ocean’s composition.
What Topics do Marine Biologists Research?
What topics do marine biologists research? marine life From the smallest microscopic organisms to blue whales—the biggest known living thing to have ever existed on Earth—marine life is incredibly diverse. Marine biologists research everything. The daily tasks of a marine biologist vary greatly depending on the discipline of marine biology in question due to the tremendous diversity of marine life. Additionally, the study team’s question influences the scientific duties.
The procedures employed by a team of marine biologists are careful to minimize the influence on the ecosystem as much as possible, regardless of the issue being posed by the team and regardless of the many approaches used to acquire information. When gathering data, marine biologists take great care, and numerous standards are put in place to lessen the overall impact of study methods.
In order to find the answers to their scientific concerns, many marine biologists need to gather specimens. Trawls and plankton nets are two common types of nets used to capture marine organisms. Trawling is rarely carried out on the ocean floor since it is extremely harmful to marine life. But it’s considered appropriate to pull a trawling net at mid-levels in the water column.
Crustaceans and other sea life that crawls rather than swims are also caught using a variety of traps. It is meticulously planned where and when to deploy the net or trap to ensure that it only captures what is required for a sample. Bycatch refers to marine life that is caught but is not intended for research. The techniques utilized to capture samples aim to reduce bycatch as much as they can.
Learn About Marine Environment
Learning about the marine environment is the next step to getting a marine biology degree. You must have a basic knowledge of what makes up the ocean and its components. You also need to start to learn about the different species of fish and other marine life that live in the ocean. Depending on your interests, this can be a field of zoology, marine biology, fisheries, ocean psychology, or even hydrogeology.
We have a large number of marine biology courses available through various universities and colleges in the United States, so you should be able to pick up a few concepts along the way. Learning about the ocean environment is the next logical step after reading about fish. You will learn about the impact of human activities on the environment, as well as learn about what can be done to reduce the impacts of future development on the ocean environment.
In addition to these, you will also learn about the importance of connectivity in the marine environment. How does this connection with our coastal and inland areas affect the marine environment? What can we do to make the most of this connection? You can also learn about coral reefs and how they are connected to the environment.
These are some of the more advanced topics that come up in marine biology courses, allowing you to get your mind committed to the subject and help it grow.
Online Degree in Marine Biology Subdivisions
These are the subdivisions or branches of marine biology, they are:
- The study of reptiles and amphibians, many of which dwell in or near the ocean, is known as herpetology.
- Fish studies are known as ichthyology.
- The study of organisms is known as invertebrate zoology (organisms without a backbone). Sponge, crustacean, and mollusk are only a few examples of the numerous aquatic invertebrates.
- The study of whales, dolphins, and porpoises is known as marine mammology.
- Algae are the subject of phycology.
Jobs in Marine Biology
Numerous marine biologists conduct research in all of the aforementioned fields as well as others. There are numerous occupations accessible in the field of marine biology, which is quite competitive and hence very attractive.
Universities, research facilities, commercial fisheries, governmental organizations, and conservation organizations all offer employment opportunities. Each job has a different working environment; some include only fieldwork, some only laboratory work, and many involve a combination of the two.
Research technicians carry out tasks that assist marine biologists in their work. While many technicians hold bachelor’s degrees, the majority of marine biologists hold master’s or doctoral degrees.
Conclusion
The final step in the marine biology course journey is to take the certification exam. This is the most important certification exam, and it will determine your degree, if you passed the certification exam, or not! The next step is to take the IUCN Marine Species Checklist.
This is an extremely important part of the marine biology certification process, as it allows you to create an accredited marine conservation plan. The certification process is long, and there are many sub-courses within the marine biology curriculum to choose from.
Next, you will need to take the required naval physical, and then you will be ready to start work on your marine biology degree.
