MAR 126 Marine Biology and Oceanography (Video Notes)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms from the lecture notes on marine biology, oceanography, science concepts, and foundational theories.

Marine biology

The study of living organisms in the sea and their interactions with one another and their environment (chemical and physical).

Oceanography

The science dealing with the ocean, including its physical, chemical, and biological aspects.

Physical oceanography

The study of the ocean's physical environment (waves, tides, currents).

Chemical oceanography

The study of the ocean's chemical environment (salinity, dissolved gases, chemical processes).

Biological oceanography

The study of living organisms in the ocean; often equated with marine biology.

HMS Challenger

The British ship that led early ocean exploration and helped establish modern marine science.

Challenger expedition

The 1872–1876 voyage that expanded knowledge of the oceans and marine life.

Science

A discipline that seeks to explain the world through empirical evidence and observation.

Fact

An empirically verifiable observation or measurement.

Hypothesis

A testable educated guess about a natural phenomenon.

Theory

A well-supported, broad explanation of natural phenomena backed by extensive evidence.

Law

A descriptive generalization about how some aspect of the natural world behaves under certain conditions; highly reliable but not absolute.

Empirical evidence

Information obtained through observation or experimentation.

Scientific method

A systematic process: observation, data collection, hypothesis construction and testing, experimentation, data analysis, and theory refinement.

Observation

The act of noticing and recording phenomena or events.

Inductive reasoning

Reasoning from specific observations to general conclusions.

Deductive reasoning

Reasoning from general principles to specific predictions.

Evolution by natural selection

Darwinian process where advantageous traits increase survival and reproduction.

Continental drift

The theory that continents move relative to each other over geological time due to plate tectonics.

Relativity

Theory describing the relationship between space, time, and gravity (special and general relativity).

Big Bang

The prevailing theory that the universe began from a hot, dense origin and has been expanding since.

Gravity

The force of attraction between masses that governs planetary motion and many physical phenomena.