Cross-disciplines

The distinctions linking the natural science disciplines is not always sharp, and they share a number of cross-discipline fields. Physics plays a significant role in the additional natural sciences, as represented by astrophysics, geophysics, physical chemistry and biophysics. Similarly chemistry is represented by such fields as biochemistry, geochemistry and astrochemistry.

A exacting example of a scientific discipline that draws upon multiple natural sciences is environmental science. This field studies the interactions of physical, chemical and biological components of the environment, with a exacting regard to the effect of human activities and the impact on biodiversity and sustainability. This science also draws upon knowledge from other fields such as economics, law and social sciences.

A comparable discipline is oceanography, as it draws upon a alike breadth of scientific disciplines. Oceanography is sub-categorized into additional specialized cross-displines, such as physical oceanography and marine biology. As the marine ecosystem is very big and diverse, marine biology is further divided into many subfields, including specializations in particular species.