Research Areas at Scripps Oceanography

• Atmosphere & Climate
  Researchers in atmospheric sciences study the global climate system with an emphasis on the physical, dynamic, and chemical interactions of the air, sea, land, ice, and biosphere. The Scripps Graduate Program associated with this research area is Climate Ocean Atmosphere Program that includes the following curricular groups: Applied Ocean Science, Physical Oceanography and Climate Science.
  
• Biology
  Scripps biologists investigate the fundamental processes affecting life and energy flow in marine ecosystems. They examine biodiversity at multiple levels, and explore most marine habitats, including coral reefs, the deep sea, polar regions, the nearshore, and coastlines. The Scripps Graduate Program associated with this research area is Ocean Biosciences, which includes the curricular groups Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography.
  
• Chemistry
  Scripps chemists examine natural processes and human-caused effects occurring in the marine environment, the atmosphere, and geophysical systems. Research combines field observations with laboratory projects and computer modeling. The Scripps Graduate Programs associated with this research area include Ocean Biosciences’ curricular group Marine Biology and Geosciences of the Earth and Oceans’ curricular group Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry.
  
• Engineering
  Studies of ocean and earth sciences are technology intensive. Scientists spend long periods of time at sea and on land deploying a wide range of instruments and processing enormous volumes of data. The Scripps Graduate Program associated with this research area is the Climate Ocean Atmosphere Programs’ curricular groups Applied Ocean Science and Physical Oceanography.
  
• Geosciences
  Geological research at Scripps encompasses marine geology and geophysics, tectonics, sedimentology, paleooceanography, petrology and geochemistry, and isotope geology. The Scripps Graduate Program associated with this research area is Geosciences of the Earth and Oceans curricular groups, which include Geosciences, Geophysics and Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry.
  
• Oceanography
  Physical oceanographers study the mechanisms of energy transfer through the sea and across its boundaries as well as the physical interactions of the ocean with its surroundings.The Scripps Graduate Programs associated with this research area include Ocean Biosciences with the corresponding curricular groups of Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography and the Climate Ocean Atmosphere Program’s Applied Ocean Science and Physical Oceanography curricular groups.
  
• Physics
  Marine physicists and engineers apply their knowledge of the ocean and its boundaries when performing basic research and solving problems in ocean acoustics, ocean optics, marine physics, marine geophysics, signal processing, and ocean technology.The Scripps Graduate Program associated with this research area is the Climate Ocean and Atmosphere Program’s Physical Oceanography and Applied Ocean Science curricular groups and the Ocean Biosciences Marine Biology curricular group.