Branches of Oceanography

Advancements and Discoveries

Each year, thousands of dedicated oceanographers make major advancements and vital discoveries that add to our collective knowledge about the oceans.

URL iconYour task is to seek out the most interesting discoveries in each of the four oceanography branches. A great place to begin is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) website. Also, be sure to research other reputable sources such as scholarly journals and oceanography magazines.

Organize your findings as follows:

  • Provide one section for each of the four branches: biological, chemical, geological, and physical.
  • Identify within each section the major advancement or discovery.
  • Describe in your own words the importance of the advancement or discovery, and why you decided to highlight it in your document. Include relevant quotes from your sources to support your opinion.

Application AssignmentUsing a word processing application, create a document containing the required information. Use the rubric below to guide your work. When you are finished, submit your completed work to the dropbox.

Application Rubric
Four Points
Three Points
Two Points
One Point
Accuracy of Information Presents accurately all of the information. Presents accurately most of the information. Presents accurately some of the information. Presents several facts inaccurately.
Required Elements Includes one specific topic from all four branches. Includes one specific topic from three of the four branches. Includes one specific topic from two of the four branches. Includes only one topic from the 4 branches.
Spelling and Grammar No spelling or grammatical errors. One to four spelling or grammatical errors. Five to nine spelling or grammatical errors. More than ten spelling or grammatical errors.