Introduction

Course overview

History of Oceanography

Intro to Earth

Course web page

chem.winthrop.edu Click on Courses on left column Find GEOL 220 link

Syllabus, topic outlines, schedule, etc.

Interdisciplinary

Biology Chemistry Physics Geology Geography Political Science Mathematics Computer Science

History of Oceanography

Early Middle Ages Age of Discovery Discovery with Science Modern Oceanography

Different motivations at different times

The Oceans

Atlantic Pacific Indian Arctic Southern Ocean

Early history

Reasons: trade, fishing, defense

Self centered view of Earth Examples

Early history (2)

Difficult to navigate without shorelines Phoenicians (approx. 1000 BC)

Polynesians (300-600 AD most important)

Early history (3)

Greeks (approx. 500 BC)– Erasthosthenes (working in Egypt) –

circumference of earth– Pliny the Elder – phases of moon and tides– Ptolemy (approx. 150 AD) – vast ocean, used lat

and long

Middle Ages

Very little exploration except

Vikings (approx. 1000 AD)

Arabs

Age of Discovery (1)

Travel for economic, political and religious reasons

Portugal: – Prince Henry– Dias (1497)– Vasco Da Gama (1498)

Age of Discovery (2)

Spain Columbus (1492) Vespucci (~1500) Balboa (1513) Magellan (1522)

Discovery with Science

Discovery with some science James Cook (1768-1780) Ben Franklin (1769) Matthew F. Maury (early 1800s)

Purely scientific Challenger Expedition (1872-1876) Extremely significant

More for science

Voyages of Nansen aboard Fram (end of 1800s)

Meteor expedition (1925-27)

Modern Oceanography (since 20th century)

International Interdisciplinary Scientific Complex instruments “Modern” technology

Modern Oceanography

US funding Oceanographic institutes Drill ships, satellites, for example International cooperation

Origin of solar system: nebular hypothesis

Layered Earth

Density stratification

Core MantleCrustOceans and Atmosphere

Lithosphere Asthenosphere

Geologic time

Details not important here Vast length of time very important Compare to human time