Biological oceanogaphers study the ecology of the oceans. Their goal is to obtain a predictive understanding of the activities and distributions of marine organisms, from viruses to whales. Research in this field is often interdisciplinary, because the physics and chemistry of the ocean have important effects on organisms. Within biological oceanography, researchers use a variety of approaches. The currency of investigations may be the numbers of individuals of various species, the concentration of a nutrient, or the distribution of a gene.

The program allows students to participate in research both in the laboratory and in the field. Many students get to participate in oceanographic cruises and some have the chance to work in the laboratories of our colleagues around the world. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of many of the questions biological oceanographers investigate, we often collaborate with chemical, geological, and physical oceanographers.