2: Team Oceanography

Our understanding of how the world ocean works as a system emerges from the scientific method, the systematic and self-correcting set of practices that scientists use to discover knowledge about the natural world. But while textbooks often present the scientific method as a set of rigid rules that scientists must follow, I’m here to tell you that science is messy—occasionally very messy—with twists and turns as dramatic and spine-tingling as an Agatha Christie novel. As you’ll see, the scientific “method” is more of a scientific “process,” a back-and-forth, collaborative, social—and did I say messy?—web of activities carried out by a community of scientists on a quest to understand how nature works.

The Hollywood model of the scientific method goes something like this: A scientist—usually a man in a white lab coat working in a dark basement filled with bubbling test tubes—poses a question, creates a hypothesis, tests the hypothesis, gets a result, forms a conclusion, communicates the results, and wins a Nobel Prize. The crowd roars. But science rarely, if ever, works this way.

Scientific research proceeds in fits and starts, maybe even two steps forward, one backward, and a couple sideways. The standard sequence may be taken out of order. An initial approach may prove to be a dead end. Early results may be shared to get feedback. Methods may be refined. Hypotheses may be revised, and revised again, as new observations and measurements lead to a deeper understanding of a problem. All kinds of things, theoretical, methodological, statistical, and conceptual, may interrupt the smooth sequence of textbook science. Instead, scientists multitask and work with other scientists and skillfully jump between different activities to ensure that by the end of a particular study, the data they collect, the methods they use, and the interpretations they offer meet rigorous standards and pass muster with their fellow scientists, a key step called peer review.

This modern approach has been called the activity model of the scientific method (Harwood 2004). The activity model emphasizes the social character of science, which proceeds in small, careful steps with numerous refinements and do-overs. Preliminary results are scrutinized to refine methods and make adjustments prior to full-scale implementation. Scientists may share data in the cloud or an online database to gain feedback from other scientists for improving their approach or to support scientists working on similar problems. An exchange of ideas and new findings happens via telephone, email, social media, and at any of the regular gatherings of professional organizations, scientific conferences, or virtual meetings. In this way, science in the 21st century takes on many of the aspects of a thriving, dynamic, and exciting entrepreneurial enterprise.

Oceanography, perhaps more than any other discipline, embodies the activity model of the scientific method. If you’re looking for a scientific career that brings you into contact with people from all walks of life, you’ll likely enjoy working in ocean science. We call it team oceanography. Come join us!