What is the difference between Ocean Engineering and Oceanography?
Ocean engineering is an engineering field much like chemical engineering, mechanical engineering and electrical engineering; oceanography is an earth science. Ocean engineers solve problems and design for their environment either on the harsh ocean surface or at crushing depths. An ocean engineer might focus on ocean acoustics, wave hydrodynamics, off-shore structures, marine robotics and vortical flow amongst many other concerns. An ocean engineer is highly technical and skilled at designing for all projects that face complex ocean variables. An oceanographer has a substantially different relationship with the ocean. Their goals include monitoring the inner workings of a marine ecosystems, plate tectonics, ocean currents and geology of the sea floor. The two disciplines work closely together to find answers to intricate ocean problems. For example and ocean engineer might design an underwater vehicle capable of diving to extreme ocean depths.
In short, Ocean Engineering is an engineering discipline, whereas oceanography is a science. Engineers are problem-solvers; they must assimilate numerous skills (e.g. math & physics) and resources (e.g. oceanic data) in order to solve a problem through means such as the design of a structure, vehicle or system. Oceanographers, on the other hand, are generally responsible for finding out information about the oceanic characteristics (temperatures, currents, etc.) which ocean engineers need. The two groups – oceanographers and ocean engineers – usually work very closely with each other. Or, to quote Theodore Von Karman, “Scientists discover the world that exists; engineers create the world that never was.
