Introduction - Look from space: the planet "Ocean" rather than planet Earth - Brief history of the ocean planet, from its origins to the present day - The Challenger expedition: the birth of oceanography Part 1 - Evolution of concepts since the Challenger expedition1- The ocean acquires a third dimension2- From ocean physics to ocean-atmosphere interactions3- From marine chemistry to marine biogeochemistry4- From marine biology to biological oceanography5- From the azo abysses to hydrothermal ecosystemsPart Two - Concepts for the 21st Century Ocean1- From large to small scale: importance in physics, biogeochemistry, and biology2- Ecosystem approach to the exploited biological resources3- Integrated approach to a warm, acidified, deoxygenated ocean Outlook- Comparative evolution of concepts in oceanography and other natural sciences- The challenges of oceanography beyond the sciences sensu stricto.
Guy Jacques, a planktologist, launched the French program to study the pelagic environment of the Southern Ocean. He has chaired scientific committees at Ifremer and Orstom.Paul Treguer, a marine biogeochemist, led international and European programs on the impacts of global change on the ocean. He is the founder of the European Institute for Marine Studies (IUEM) and of Europole Mer.Herle Mercier, a marine physicist, is interested in observing the variability of water masses in the North Atlantic from a forecasting perspective. He has chaired the MISTRALS Evaluation Committee and the scientific council of the IPEV.