OCEANOGRAPHY Timeline Surface Exploration Undersea Exploration

Surface Exploration 600 B.C. Phoenicians “Hug the Coast” Near-shore environs

Surface Exploration 500-700 A.D. Polynesians Elaborate navigation system in the South Pacific 10 million square miles Used sun, planets, tides, currents as “landmarks”

Surface Exploration 900 Vikings North Atlantic Greenland, Iceland, Newfoundland Use North Star for guidance

Surface Exploration Chinese 1000 Invent the compass No more than magnetized needle in bowl of water Reduced fear

Surface Exploration 1519 Ferdinand Megallan 1st round-the-world sailing voyage Takes 2 years

Surface Exploration James Cook 1768 Maps the Pacific Ocean Defines Longitude Voyage solely for Scientific Investigation

Surface Exploration 1825 Charles Darwin The HMS Beagle Marine life on/near Galapagos Islands

Surface Exploration 1853 U.S. Navy Lieutenant Matthew Maury 1st Atlas, collected info from around the world Sailing directions, sea conditions

Surface Exploration 1872-1875 Challenger Expedition 1st Fully scientific oceanographic expedition Salinity, temp of seawater Gives birth to Oceanography Physical, chemical, biological and geological studies

Surface Exploration $$$ 1950 Big Gov’t $$$ for Ocean Science Follows WW II $$$

Surface Exploration 1957 $$$ even more Russians develop Sputnik, 1st man-made satellite Arms race w/USA $$$ even more Creates NSF – National Science Foundation

Surface Exploration 1968 Deep-sea Drilling Program started The Glomar Challenger Takes bottom “core” samples

Surface Exploration 1978 US Satellites give color photos Reflective properties of ocean surface Today’s SeaWiFs satellites

Surface Exploration 1990 John Martin’s “Iron Hypothesis” Inc. Fe Inc. PhytoPlankton Dec. CO2 Dec. Earth Temp. Influence of Iron levels in Ocean habitats

Surface Exploration The Future 2000 – Creation of “Ocean US” and IOOS: Integrated Ocean Observing System Weather forecasting, marine preservation

Marine Geophysics Study of rock structure in the ocean basin, properties of rocks such as magnetism, occurrence of earthquakes.

Dec 26, 2004 9.0 Eq, Sumatra 275,950 killed Image courtesy of BBC

Undersea Exploration 1535 The Diving Bell Worn on the shoulders Stay under ~ 1 hour

Undersea Exploration 1825 William James (UK) Develops SCUBA equipment* Compressed air containers worn on a belt Many were involved in SCUBA SELF CONTAINED UNDERWATER BREATHING APPARATUS

Undersea Exploration 1934 William Beebe & Otis Barton conduct first deep-sea dive Crude steel ball, ½ mi. down Generates much interest in the vitality & natural resources of the ocean O2 tanks inside, circulated by hand-held fans, CO2 absorbed by chemicals

Undersea Exploration 1943 Jacques Cousteau AquaLung Inc. Safety Inc. Time below Still used today (with some improvements)

Undersea Exploration 1951 Mariana Trench Challenger II (UK) Used soundwaves 7 miles below ocean surface

Undersea Exploration 1964 Alvin is launched Avoid the crushing pressure, darkness, temperature of deep sea exploration

Undersea Exploration 1976 Hydrothermal Vents Cracks in ocean floor Extreme environs Not much known

Undersea Exploration 1979 Marine Biologist Sylvie Earl invents The Jim Suit Pressurized Walk on ocean floor, 1,250 feet down

Undersea Exploration Today LEO Long-term Ecosystem Observatory