History of Oceanography

Why Study The History of Oceanography? 1. It’s key to understanding how the oceans have shaped human society and how they may shape the future. 2. Oceanography’s past helps you understand why and how people apply marine sciences today. 3. It’s interesting! It grew out of humanity’s desire to explore.

History of Oceanography: 6 Stages Don’t copy!! 1. Ancient Uses and Explorations: (5,000 B.C. to 799 A.D.) 2. The Middle Ages: (800 to 1399) 3. European Voyages of Discovery: (1400-1699) 4. The Birth of Marine Science: (1700-1899) 5. 20th Century Marine Science: (1900-1999) 6. Modern Marine Science: (2000 – Present)

Timeline Each person will be responsible for showcasing 1 of the main events in the history of Oceanography. Front – event, picture to depict the event, & date Back – VERY NEAT description explaining the discovery or event (min 5 sentences). How did it contribute to the history of oceanography? Cite your sources in MLA Format!!!

Stage 1: Ancient Uses and Explorations 5,000 B.C. to 799 A.D.

Ancient Uses and Explorations 3 primary reasons for early civilizations to interact with the ocean: Food Trade Exploration

Ancient Uses and Explorations Earliest recorded sea voyage Egyptians, 3200 B.C. Ancient Phoenicians established 1st trade routes through the Mediterranean, 1200 B.C. The north star was once called the Phoenician star. It’s the earlier record of using the North Star for navigation.

Ancient Uses and Explorations The Polynesians were the first group to sail across the open ocean as opposed to staying close to shore. Homemade canoes Hawaii to Tahiti : 2,000 miles

Ancient Uses and Explorations Ancient Greeks: First to use mathematical principles and develop sophisticated maps for seafaring Greek Pytheas Used the North Star for navigation and predicted tides in the Atlantic Ocean based on phases of the moon. Greek Eratosthenes Calculated Earth’s circumference and invented the first latitude/longitude system Greek Herodotus Made one of the first known maps

What is Latitude and Longitude? Helps determine specific locations on the Earth’s surface Latitude = Across Longitude = Over

Stage 2: The Middle Ages 800 A.D. to 1399

The Middle Ages The “Dark Ages” (intellectual darkness) Myths replaced knowledge Example: The Greeks knew the Earth was round but the primary belief in the Middle Ages was that the Earth was flat Viking Explorations A warming global climate freed the North Atlantic of ice allowing the Vikings to explore westward Dark Ages – refers to intellectual darkness in Europe. Communication between nations was poor and invaders from the north swept across Europe. Education became lesson common and myths took over.

Chinese Explorations and Discoveries Responsible for making magnetic compass Chinese used compasses beginning in 1125, but there is no record of compass use in Europe until 1190.

Stage 3: European Voyages of Discovery 1400 to 1699

Renaissance (Latin: “to be born again”) New interest in ocean exploration Motives: Economics, politics, religion Bartholomeu Dias (1487) Completed first voyage around Cape of Good Hope

Exploration of New World Columbus, 1492 4 Voyages to find a route to Asia from Europe Even though Columbus was Portuguese, he was commissioned by the Queen of Spain to find a faster route to India where all the spices were located. Land and sea were both very slow and the Cape of Good Hope was a very dangerous place to navigate. Columbus thought the world was much smaller than it is and he thought that after a few weeks he should be able to cross the Atlantic and end up in Asia. Instead, he landed in the Bahamas. Native people of N. America were called Indians because he thought he was in India. The name stuck. He thought San Salvador, Bahamas was Japan and Cuba was China.

Vespucci: recognized South America as new continent Balboa: Crossed the isthmus of Panama and discovered the Pacific Ocean Renewed hope that you could get to Asia by sailing west. Magellan, 1519 Finally! Someone sails around the world!

*Magellan’s Voyage Voyage started with 5 ships and 260 men 1 Ship and 18 men returned The rest died from disease and accidents Magellan himself died in the Philippines fighting with islanders

Stage 4: The Birth of Marine Science 1700 to 1899

Captain James Cook Launched expeditions with science and exploration as the only goals First to use a Chronometer An accurate clock that determines longitude at sea (could determine exact location) Discovered Australia Explored many Pacific Islands like Tahiti and Hawaii (where he was killed)

The United States Exploring Expedition Sailed through the southern ocean for 4 years Discovered Antarctica Gathered specimens Made maps Mathew Maury Father of Physical Oceanography Studied currents and other physical aspects of the sea

Darwin H.M.S Beagle, 1831 Explored Galapagos Islands Explained formation of coral reefs Proposed theory of natural selection The process by which organisms with favorable traits tend to live longer and reproduce more. Proposed that coral reefs grow upward as the seafloor slowly sinks.

The Challenger Expedition First expedition devoted entirely to Marine Science (1872) sailed 4 years Gathered physical, geological, chemical, and biological data at regular intervals across the ocean

(23 yrs to examine all the info) Data Collection (23 yrs to examine all the info) Discovered marine organisms in the deep ocean (people assumed nothing lived there) Discovered Mid-Atlantic Ridge and Marianas Trench Catalogued and identified 4,717 new species Accomplishments of expedition were so great that NASA names a shuttle Challenger in its honor.

Industrial Revolution Steam engines and iron ships Submarines The industrial revolution began in England in 1760 and took time to spread to other countries. U.S. didn’t start to notice the effects until later 19th century. Science and tech began accelerating rapidly. New ships meant we weren’t at the mercy of the wind. Submarines were a dream for a long time but the technology finally came about to make them a reality. Used mostly for warfare.

Stage 5: 20th Century Marine Science 1900 - 1999

3 Important Expeditions Meteor: Mapped Atlantic seafloor with echo-sounding technology Atlantis: First ship specifically designed for ocean studies H.M.S. Challenger II: Found deepest part of ocean within the Marianas Trench (Challenger Deep) Meteor – first modern research cruise (German). Echo sounding equipment used to map ocean floor. Atlantis – Built on work done by the Meteor and confirmed existence of Mid-Ocean Ridge (another space shuttle named for it).

Submersibles Bathysphere Beebe and Barton Bathyscaphe Trieste – first submersible to descend to bottom of Challenger Deep Deep-diving submersible Bathys = deep Scaphe = boat Previously, scientists had been studying the deep sea from the surface of the ocean (like trying to study the desert from an airplane). Bathysphere – steel ball with a window that dangled from a ship by a cable. Bad weather = bad news. Bathyscaphe – attached to a float instead of boat.

Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus Scuba Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus Jacques Cousteau introduced first workable scuba gear. Previously Henry Fleuss invented a type of scuba that worked with pure oxygen. Couldn’t go more than 33 feet because it would be toxic.

Hydrothermal Vents An opening in the seafloor where heated, mineral-rich water flows out. Form at locations where seawater meets magma

The Titanic Dr. Bob Ballard and his team discover the Titanic south of Newfoundland in 1985 (73 years after it sank in the Atlantic) at a depth of 12,000ft.

Stage 6: Modern Marine Science 2000 - Present

Census of Marine Life A 10 year investigation of diversity, distribution and abundance of marine life. A DECADE OF DISCOVERY  2,700 scientists  80+ nations  540 expeditions  US$ 650 million  2,600+ scientific publications  6,000+ potential new species  30 million distribution records and counting

1st Solo Dive to the Mariana Trench James Cameron and his team spent 7 years researching, designing and testing a submersible that could survive the pressure at 36,000 feet. Deepsea Challenger March 26, 2012

History of Oceanography: 5 Stages Don’t copy!! 1. Ancient Uses and Explorations: (5,000 B.C. to 799 A.D.) 2. The Middle Ages: (800 to 1399) 3. European Voyages of Discovery: (1400-1699) 4. The Birth of Marine Science: (1700-1899) 5. 20th Century Marine Science: (1900-1999) 6. Modern Marine Science: (2000-Present)