The Ocean, like our planet as a whole, is undergoing perpetual change. Its variations affect the climate, therefore the life sheltered within it must also adapt to these changes. The physical laws that govern the movements of the ocean have been known since the nineteenth century, but progress in oceanography faced three difficulties. First, the opaqueness of the ocean made observation and measuring difficult. Second, its dimensions and the time and space-scales of variations required an advanced level of computing power in order to create realistic models. Finally, the international co-operation necessary for discovery and exploration has long been impeded by national, strategic imperatives.