Sounding the Sea; A Study in Bathymetric Mapping

Abyssal plain is an underwater plain on the ocean floor, usually found at depths between 3000 and 6000 m.Generally between the foot of a continental rise and a mid-ocean ridge, cover more than 50% of the Earth’s surface. Its among the flattest, east explored regions on earth. 



Guyot  flat-topped seamount, found chiefly in the Pacific Ocean

continental shelf, break, slope, and rise Continental shelf, which is an underwater extension of the coastal plain. The continental shelves are the regions of the oceans best known and the most exploited commercially.The continental slopes begin at the shelf break and plunge downward to the great depths of the ocean basin proper.

A submarine canyon is a steep-sided valley cut into the sea floor of the continental slope, sometimes extending well onto the continental shelf. Some submarine canyons are found as extensions to large rivers; however most of them have no such association.

A mid-ocean ridge is a general term for an underwater mountain system that consists of various mountain ranges (chains), typically having a valley known as a rift running along its spine, formed by plate tectonics
   

An island arc is a type of archipelago, often composed of a chain of volcanoes, with arc-shaped alignment, situated parallel and close to a boundary between two converging tectonic plates.

The ocean floor is measured and mapped by using a technique called Topography. The dictionary definition for Topography is- the detailed mapping or charting of the features of a relatively small area, district, or locality.
It measures the height and shape of a certain area. 

Dance of the Continents

• The theory of Continental Drift states that the continents were once a single landmass that drifted apart and are still doing so. 
• The theory of Sea Floor Spreading is  the process by which new oceanic crust is formed by the convective up-welling of magma at mid-ocean ridges, resulting in the continuous lateral displacement of existing oceanic crust. 
• Theory of plate tectonics- holds that the entire crust of the earth is broken into six large pieces (plates) and many smaller ones, that any plate may consist, in part, of ocean floor and, in part, of a continent or islands.

• I learned that the continents spread apart and move, Example of continental drift. They will continue to move around and eventually look completely different. 
• Scientist share information in many different ways.  Most of them record journals to keep all of their data in. 

What Did I Learn? Clam Lab

You are going to be out there for 7 days, so you need to make sure you have all of the necessary supplies. Not only the supplies to study the clams, but the proper living supplies. You will need plenty of food and water with you on the boat. You will need somewhere for everyone to sleep at night. You will need scuba/snorkeling gear and an extra supply of air tanks with you on the boat. On the boat you should also have a lab area for testing and an area to be able to keep all of the collected data you hace researched on this experiment. You should have a radio to keep in contact with people on shore just in case there is an emergency you will be able to get in contact with them. 

  

Molasses Spill

The Molasses spill was a huge spill that killed thousands of fish and all other types of innocent types of sea creatures. 230.000 gallons, (1,400 tons) of  molasses was spilled into Hawaii's Honolulu Harbor. I think that this is a horrible event that was just a pure accident that was just really a mistake. This could not have been prepared for because a faulty pipe burst which started it all and no one could have expected that to happen or what the outcome would have been if it did happen. I think that it should somehow be cleaned out i don't know how people would do it and i know it wouldn't be completely cleaned but it is not safe for humans or sea life to be in the water. Humans cant be in the water because it is unsanitary because of all of the dead fish. There really is no way people can prepare for something like this to happen they just need to figure out what they are going to do next to move on.

Why Study Science?

I am taking Oceanography because I'm interested in learning about the ocean and its formation. I'm also interested in learning about the sea life inside of the ocean. I hope to gain useful knowledge I can use later on in life about the major parts of the ocean that I can later share with others.