About the Oceans provides an encyclopaedic collection of information about the oceans, organized in the following areas:
How Oceans were Formed: an overview of the physical, chemical and biological processes responsible for the birth and evolution of the oceans
How Oceans are Changing: present trends in oceanic changes in respect to meteorological and oceanographic characteristics, the protection of the marine environment and the sustainable and efficient management of marine resources
Maps and Statistics and Online Databases: a collection of maps, statistics and databases related to oceanic geography, islands, continental shelves, ocean depths, troughs and deeps, sea beds
Ocean Dynamics: coastal and ocean currents, winds, waves, tides, mechanisms, research foci
Physical & Chemical Properties: including temperature, salinity, oxygen, seasonal changes, relation to climate
Ocean-Atmosphere Interface: present status of knowledge on the role of oceans in climate, weather and storm generation, marine weather forecasts, temperature flows, carbon sink, etc.
Biology: from plankton to whales, corals, fish, birds, plants, biodiversity, research foci
Ecology: food chains, habitats, ecosystems structure and characteristics, research foci
Coasts & Coral Reefs: river basins, estuaries, flows, coral reefs, formation and types of coasts
Monitoring & Observing Systems: how the oceans are monitored by humans and which technologies are in use and are under development
Research: includes current and future research foci (including recent discoveries) and research organization
Education & Training: capacity building, public education, marine extension, training, professional development
International Cooperation: institutions, mechanisms and international agreements to facilitate inter-governmental and other cooperation to study, manage and preserve the oceans
Early Explorations: examines the first oceanic explorations
Issues: a link to OCEAN ISSUES
The Uses of the Oceans & Coastal Areas: a link to OCEAN USES
The Oceans of the Future: futuristic assessment of ocean use, technology, risks and opportunities
