Related Links WHOI Research Departments Director of Research Research > Departments Departments Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering Department  The Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering Department (AOPE) comprises a diverse group of engineers and scientists who push the frontiers of technological innovation as they observe and model the ocean. Biology  Research in the Biology Department spans the scales from microbes to whales and from molecular to global systems. During 2002, continuing studies off the mid- Atlantic coast focused on the distribution, biomass and life cycle of gelatinous planktonic animals called salps and their role in the oceanic food chain. Geology and Geophysics  The scientists and research staff of the Geology and Geophysics Department (G&G) study the role of the oceans in past climate change, as well as the geologic structure and evolution of the ocean basins and their margins. Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry  Research in the Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry Department (MCG) involves all aspects of oceanic chemical fluxes. MCG researchers use laboratory, field-based, and computational tools to understand the processes that control the chemistry of the oceans. Physical Oceanography  As scientists in the Physical Oceanography Department advance our understanding of ocean physics, their long-term goal is accurate prediction of how the ocean and the atmosphere will evolve on time and space scales that are important to society.