Midterm 1 Flashcards
(99 cards)
The oceans covers
71% of the earths surface
The average depth of the oceans is
3800m
The deepest depth of the oceans is, and was visited by who?
10,994 meters. By two men in 1960 and by James Cameron in 2012
What percentage of all the Living volume of life is in the oceans
more then 90%
light only penetrates to
100m water depth
bio luminescence is
the most common evolutionary trait of life!
What percentage of all goods are transported across the ocean at some point
90%
Oceanography is divided into sub categories
Geological, Chemical, Physical, Biological
Geological
- Structure of the ocean basins
* Sedimentary processes
* Interpretation of the sediment record
Chemical
- Composition of seawater
* Biogeochemical cycles
* Effects of pollutants
Physical
- Motion of the water
* Ocean circulation
* Ocean mixing
Biological
- Ecology of marine organisms
* Fisheries oceanography, sustainability
* Similar to marine biology, however more focus on ecological aspects
Oceanus
Titan son of Gaia, His realm was the Boundary between the living and the dead
Aristotle
- The first marine scientist.
- Meterologica a number of explanations for how the oceans were formed and why they were salty
- Attempted to explain ocean tides
Polynesian voyagers
First true ocean explorers
* Highly skilled navigators using the sun and stars, there patterns on the surface waves, the flight paths of migratory birds, and even the smell of the water * Originated in the Philippines * Travelled to New Guinea 30,000 years ago * Travelled to Hawaii 1500 years ago
Greeks
- By 900-700BC the ancient greeks ventured as far west as at the strait of Gibraltar (750m)
The Principles of Navigation
- Some idea of scale
* Some idea of location
Eratosthenes of Cyrene
- Accurately calculated the Earths circumference
- Also discovered the Earths tilt within a degree, that there are 365 and 1/4 days in the year, and proposed the addition of leap years
Circumference of the earth
Summer solstice Knew the sun was directly overhead in Aswan, Egypt and was 7* off Alexandria. Knew actual distance. = 25,252 miles
Autumn Equinox
Sun is directly over the equator (0*)
Its rays hit all of the earth equally from pole to pole
Winter Solstice
Three months later (one/quarter a year) later
Sun is directly above the Tropic of Capricorn (23.5S)
The Sun no longer rises in the Arctic Circle (above 66.5N)
The start of winter in the Northern Hemisphere
The shortest day of the year
Vernal (Spring) Equinox
Three months later (one/quarter a year) later
Sun is directly over the equator (0*)
Its rays hit all of the earth equally from pole to pole
Start of Spring in the Western Hemisphere
Summer Solstice
Three months later (one/quarter a year) later
Sun is directly above the Tropic of Cancer (23.5N)
First day of summer in the Western Hemisphere
The sun never sets in the Arctic Circle (above 66.5N)
The longest day of the year
Latitude
- Measured along the North-South axis
- Similar to the y-axis in a graph
- 1 Degree of latitude is an exact distance. It is exactly 1/360 the circumference of the Earth