Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Lecture 2 08/31/2009

Introduction to Oceans

 
 

Course Development

  • Why important? /spatial scale of the ocean
  • Water and seawater; density
  • Ocean basins and margins
  • Changing land/ocean arrangement
  • Water in motion (physics of circulation, waves, tides)
  • Coast features; seafloor sediments; chemistry
  • Life in the sea
  • Humans and the ocean (fisheries, pollution, etc)
  • Carbon cycle: natural and human forced
  • Other oceans

     
     

 
 

MENU:

  • Why important?
  • Brief overview of early exploration
  • Water and seawater

     
     

     
     

Why is understanding the ocean relevance and interest to society?

  • Natural resources
  • Life in the sea
  • Trade/commerce
  • Influences weather
  • Recreation
  • Exploration/learning
  • Timescale of circulation/rapid change & global warming evidence
  • National security
  • Renewable sources of energy
  • Research origin of life
  • Expansion of living space
  • Photosynthesis in ocean
  • Carbon cycle: ocean - atmosphere
  • Aesthetic value
  • Medical research
  • Natural disaster
  • Cosmetics
  • Coastal erosion
  • Waste disposal
  • Response time
  • Food

 
 

Voyaging: population of Polynesia

Began 30000BC

Philippines 20000 BC

Tonga, Samoa, Solomons 900-800 BC

Polynesia 300-600 AD

Hawaii - Easter Is 450-600 AD

 
 

How did they do it?

Wave patterns

Flights of birds at dusk

Distant clouds

Temperature

Smell of water/life

Color of water

Sea life

Stars

Involuntary voyaging wars

Natural disasters

 
 

Magallen

First circumnavigation of the Globe. Benefitted from Chinese Compass/Rudder and middle eastern mathematics

 
 

Charting

Latitude equal divisions know through celestial navigation

Longitude: known by difference between the time of solar noon (local) and the noon at the "prime meridian"

 
 

First Successful chronometer

Needed to get Longitude right.

Development of accurate clocks was driven by the life and death consequences of not knowing longitude location.

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

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