What do we gain by understanding oceans? Of the different branches of ocean study (biological - studying life in the oceans, chemical - studying ocean chemicals and how it interacts with the atmosphere, geological - studying the plate tectonics of the ocean floor, and physical - studying the waves, tides and currents) which do you think is the most important? Which would you be most interested in studying if you decided to enter an oceanography school? What questions would you want to answer as part of your study in that program?