Oceanography Merit Badge
Nine requirements, with the six projects of requirement 7 and the three reports or speech of requirement 8 drawn as questions, the five-day temperature log and three-week satellite tracking marked as time-bound, and the counselor approvals for the book, the satellite tracking and the speech outline marked.
10 steps (13 parts inside them). 9 parts depend on questions you have not answered yet. · Version 1, published 8 October 2026 · About Oceanography Merit Badge
No questions answered
This is the whole plan: everything that could apply to anybody. Answering the 2 questions at the address above takes out the parts that are not for you.
Which of this applies to you
You have not answered anything yet, so this is the whole plan: everything that could apply to anybody. Answering 2 short questions will take out the parts that are not for you.
Your progress
20 steps can be started now; 1 is waiting on something else.
Clear ticksYour ticks are kept in this browser, so they will still be here next time. They are in the address as well, so a link to this page carries them to another device.
The steps
Stage 1 of 10
1 step
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1. Four branches of oceanography, and why learn about the oceans Requirement
Name four branches, and describe at least five reasons why it is important for people to learn about the oceans.
Stage 2 of 10
1 step
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2. Salinity, temperature and density; currents; weather and climate Requirement
Explain the three terms and how an oceanographer measures them. Discuss ocean circulation and currents, and describe the effects of the oceans on weather and climate.
Stage 3 of 10
1 step
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3. Ocean waves Requirement
Describe their characteristics, and do the four parts, (a) to (d).
Stage 4 of 10
1 step
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4. Draw a cross-section of underwater topography Requirement
Name and put on it a seamount, guyot, rift valley, canyon, trench and oceanic ridge. Compare ocean depths with the heights of mountains on land. Show what is meant by (a) continental shelf, (b) continental slope and (c) abyssal plain.
Stage 5 of 10
1 step
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5. The chemistry of seawater Requirement
The main salts, gases and nutrients; some important properties of water; how ocean plants and animals affect its chemical composition; and how evaporation and precipitation affect its salt content.
Stage 6 of 10
1 step
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6. Benthos, nekton and plankton Requirement
Some biologically important properties of seawater. Define the three groups and name some plants and animals in each. The place and importance of phytoplankton in the oceanic food chain.
Stage 7 of 10
1 step,
all ticked
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7. A project. Do ONE Requirement
The badge states the choice: a plankton net, an atoll model, water temperatures, a sediment model, a wave generator, or satellite images.
6 parts
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7(c). Water temperatures four times daily for five days Optional May not apply Often forgotten Four measurements a day for five consecutive days, at the surface, midwater and bottom. You may measure depth with a rock tied to a line. Turbidity is measured with a Secchi disk you make.
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7(f). Track satellite images of one location for three weeks Optional May not apply Often forgotten Three weeks of tracking satellite images for one specific location. Get your counselor's and your parent or guardian's approval and permission before you start.
Stage 8 of 10
1 step
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8. A report or a speech. Do ONE Requirement
The badge states the choice: a book report, a visit report, or a speech to your troop.
3 parts, 1 ticked
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8(c). A five-minute prepared speech to your troop Optional May not apply Often forgotten The requirement says: "Before making your speech, show your speech outline to your counselor for approval." The speech is to your troop and lasts five minutes.
Stage 9 of 10
1 step
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9. Four methods marine scientists use Requirement
To investigate the ocean, the underlying geology, and the organisms living in the water.
Stage 10 of 10
1 step
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Counselor signs it off Milestone
The completion date is the date you met the requirements, not the date of the signature.
Usually comes after 1. Four branches of oceanography, and why learn about the oceans, 2. Salinity, temperature and density; currents; weather and climate and 6 others.
Merit badge requirements are republished annually. A Scout beginning work uses the requirements as they stand then; a Scout already working may finish under the ones they started with. Guide to Advancement 7.0.4.3 governs which applies. This page records the date its copy was read. Check it against the official page before relying on it.
This plan is a planning aid: the current Boy Scouts of America publication is always the authority, and the sources used here are listed in full. Each step names its own.