Knowing the Ocean World

Marine Science

Marine geologistPhysical OceanographersMarine BiologistsMarine EngineersPaleontologistArcheologists

Ocean World

What is the ocean?• Size– Area– Mass– Volume– Depth

• Salinity• Age

Ocean World

• Temperature• Salinity• Topography– Deepest point– Highest point (from sea floor)– Contours

Nature of the Ocean

How many oceans are there on the planet?– Water– Air

The Greeks

Pythagoras– Lived about 550 BC– Mathematician– Pythagorean Theorem– the world is round

Eratosthenes– Lived about 200 BC– Astronomer, Philosopher, Poet– Library of Alexandria

Eratosthenes``

Latitude and Longitude

The CoordinatesLatitude

• Parallel to the equator• Defined distance from one parallel to the next• Range from 0 to 90 degrees north and south• Significant parallels

– Equator– Tropic of cancer– Tropic of Capricorn– Arctic circle– Antarctic circle

• Measured in degrees of arc

Degrees of Arc

Each degree is divided into 60 minutes

Each minute is divided into 60 seconds

HemispheresNorthSouth

Coordinates

Longitude• North to south• Meridians• Range from 0 to 180• Usually numbered in 15 minute increments– Earth takes 24 hours to complete 360 degree rotation– Therefore 15 degrees equals one hour

• Prime Meridian

What’s Unique about Latitude and Longitude?

Longitude– Run North to south– Prime meridian through Greenwich England– Meridians of Longitude 15 degrees part equal one

hour– Lines are not parallel– Time can be used to determine position

What's unique about latitude and longitude?

Latitude• Lines are parallel• Distance can measured between parallels of

latitude– Each degree equals 60 nautical mile– Each minute equal 1 nautical mile(each nautical mile equals 1.15 statue miles)

Oceans

PacificAtlanticIndianArcticSouthern

Tributaries

MediterraneanBering

Marginal Seas

Latitude and Longitude

Convert Latitude / Longitude in Degrees/Minutes/Seconds to/from Decimal (FCC) USA

The significance of time and distance

to determine location north or south you must measure distance

To determine location east or west you must measure time

Measuring Distance

Measuring Time

• Throw the log• Chronometer• Modern electronics

Library at Alexandria

Library researchers invented:• Astronomical, geometric, and mathematical

base for celestial navigation• Cartography flourished• Hipparchus and Ptolemy• The “great mistake”

Alas the Library at Alexandria

• Rise of the Roman Empire• Dark Ages – 1000 years• European Renaissance

Exploration in the Dark Ages

PolynesiansVikingsChinese

European Enlightenment

Prince Henry the NavigatorChristopher ColumbusFerdinand MagellanJames CookJohn Harrison

Scientific Expeditions

United States Exploring Expedition– USS Vincennes– Charles Wilkes– Four Year Voyage

Matthew MauryBenjamin FranklinTim FolgerCharles Darwin/HMS BeagleChallenger ExpeditionFridtjof NansenRoald Amundson

Oceanographic Institutions

How do scientists work?

Scientific Method

What do scientist do?

DiscoverInventExplainSolveExperimentObserveHypothesizeMeasure