Chapter 1: Planet Ocean: A Historical Perspective

Chapter 1: Planet Ocean: A Historical Perspective

I) Early Exploration

A) Phoenicians are the first accomplished sea travelers in the West

B) Polynesians were the first regular, long-distance, open ocean seafarers

C) Greeks1) Pytheas

a) Predicted tides by studying the moon

b) Figured out how far north or south one was by using the North Star

384-322 BC

C) Greeks2) Eratosthenes

a) Calculated Earth’s circumference

b) Invented the first latitude / longitude system

264-194 BC

C) Greeks3) Aristotle

a) 1st marine biologistb) Described many forms of

sea life

384-322 BC

C) Greeks4) Ptolemy

a) 1st sphere map on flat paper

b) Improved latitude & longitude system

384-322 BC

D) Latitude & Longitude:1) Latitude

a) Parallel lines running east / west

b) Equator = 0O

c) Poles = 90O

d) Above equator = Northe) Below equator = South

D) Latitude & Longitude:1) Longitude

a) Intersecting Lines that begin at one pole and end at other

b) Prime Meridian = 0O

c) Opposite side = 180O

d) Right of PM = Easte) Left of PM = West

II) Middle Ages

A. Vikings: 1) Raided, explored, & traded between 790

A.D. - 11002) Leif Eriksson discovers Vinland & North

America

995 AD

B) Arabs1) Voyaged to E Africa,

SE Asia, & India2) Figured out wind

patterns & currents (including monsoons)

C) Chinese1) First people to

understand magnetism & use compasses

2) Developed central rudders & watertight compartments

III) European Voyages of Discovery

1451 – 1506 AD

A)Columbus:a) Rediscovers America in 1492

1480 – 1521 AD

B)Magellan:1) First person to sail around the world

IV) Beginning of Ocean Science

A)James Cook:1) Explored all the oceans and began making

scientific observations

2) Chronometer: clock that isn’t affected by waves, allowing one to accurately determine longitude

B) Edward Forbes1) Dredged ocean floor & discovered new sea

creatures2) “Father of modern oceanography”

1815 – 1854 AD

C) U.S. Exploring Expedition1) AKA: Wilkes Expedition2) Explored the southern

Atlantic & Pacific oceans, discovering Antarctica

3) Included scientists & illustrators

1838– 1842 AD

D) Matthew Maury1) “Father of Physical

Oceanography”2) The Physical

Geography of the Sea

3) Among 1st to envision worldwide patterns for surface winds and currents 1806– 1873 AD

E) Charles Darwin1) Studied plankton & described the formation

of coral reef atolls

1809 – 1882 AD

F) Challenger Expedition1) Gathered biological,

chemical, geological & physical data

2) Discovered Mid-Atlantic Ridge; Marianas Trench; over 4700 new species

V) Modern Marine Biology

A) Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole (Massachusetts) is established (1888)

B) The Scripps Institution of Oceanography is established (La Jolla, CA - 1924)

C) Meteor (1925-Germany)

1) Crossed Atlantic 14X, gathering biological, chemical, geological, & physical data

D) Atlantis (1931-USA)

1) 1st ship designed & built for ocean exploration

E) Challenger II (1951-U.K.)

1) Used SONAR to map ocean floor

a) WWII: for sub huntingb) Based on the detection of

underwater echoes

c) Allowed accurate mapping of oceanic floors

V) Modern Marine Biology

F) Submersibles:1) William Beebe & Otis

Barton develop bathysphere

a) Dove over 2000 feet off Bermuda in 1932

F) Submersibles:2) Deepest diving

bathyscaphe

a) Trieste dives to bottom Challenger Deep (36000 feet)

G) Hard Hat Diving1) Developed by

Augustus Siebe

2) Good for underwater labor, limited for underwater research

H) SCUBA: self contained underwater breathing apparatus1) Developed after WWII by Emile Gagnan &

Jacques Cousteau

2) First time one could study directly in the marine environment

I) Modern Scientific Ships (FLIP)

J) Submarines

K) Satellites

L) Remote Sensing

M) Critter cams

N) Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV)

O) Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV)

P) Global Positioning System (GPS)