Oceanographers study the physical, chemical, and biological aspects of the world’s oceans to understand everything from marine life and currents to the ocean’s role in weather and climate. Their work has practical applications in areas like fisheries, coastal management, resource extraction, and pollution control. They use various methods, including field research on ships, satellite data, autonomous floats, and computer modeling, to collect and analyze data on everything from seafloor geology to the behavior of microscopic organisms.