Download Chapter 1 The Growth of Oceanography

1
MAR 105 - Introduction to
Oceanography
Professor Pamela Lynch
1
Why Are You Here?
• Long Island is an ISLAND
• The Ocean is your backyard
1
A synthetic view of our ocean planet
© digitalife/ShutterStock, Inc.
1
1
1
Hawaii, 66’ wave, Fig. 9-16, p. 211
Our marine life is the stuff of movies!
1
1
…and fables…
Aug. 1, 2008: “The Montauk Monster”
OCEANS?
1
Important Facts
1
• 81% of the Southern Hemisphere is covered
by Ocean (remember that! It’ll become really
important later…); while only 61% of the
Northern Hemisphere is covered – WHY?
• The Oceans are 4X as deep as the Continents
are high (average depth = 2.5 miles).
• The Pacific (Ocean) is so huge that it covers
almost ½ of the Earth’s surface; it is also the
Earth’s largest collection of water.
• We have 100X more “aquatic” habitats
available on earth than terrestrial habitats
(1.4 billion cubic kilometers).
The Ocean
1
• EARTH: The only planet w/ Oceans (or liquid
water)
• Covers 71% of earth’s surface
• “Divided” into 4 large basins
–
–
–
–
–
Pacific (largest, deepest)
Atlantic
Indian
Arctic (smallest, shallowest)
(sometimes people add a 5th: the Antarctic,
“Southern Ocean”)
1
Fnft
The Ocean
1
> Covers 71% of the earth’s surface (197
million square miles)
• Accounts for 97% of the water on earth
(rest in land ice, ground/freshwater, lakes &
rivers)
• Average depth = 3,796 meters (12,451
feet) (deepest = Mariana trench 11,022 m
or 36,163 ft)
• Average temp = 3.9oC (only 39oF)
1
Fig. 1-1, Garrison
Oceanography: What Is It?
• Oceanography is the scientific study of
the ocean by applying traditional
sciences, such as physics, chemistry,
geology, biology, and engineering, to all
aspects of the ocean.
Subdisciplines of
Oceanography
• Marine Geology– Composition of ocean floor and the earth
• Physical oceanography– Movement of water (waves, currents…)
• Chemical Oceanography– Ocean’s dissolved solids and gases
• Marine biology– marine organisms, the impact of human
activities on these organisms
• Marine Engineers– Design and build oil platforms, ships,
harbors etc. that enable us to use the
ocean wisely
1
History of Marine
Biology/Oceanography
• Ocean explored for food, as trade routes,
wars, and for voyaging
• Mediterranean Sea: 1st voyages then the
Atlantic Ocean was explored (900-700 BC).
Cartographers (chart makers) on board.
• Alexander the Great: (Egypt) Lib. of Alexandria
• Christopher Columbus (1492):
“new world”
discovered by accident. Followed by Magellan (1500’s, Port.
navigator) and Cook (1768, comm. of Endeavour voyage)
• Charles Darwin
Naturalist on HMS Beagle (1831)
1
History of Marine
Biology/Oceanography
• First Voyages ever to specifically study the ocean
(19 yrs. to publish, 50 volumes)
• Challenger Expedition (1872-1876): measuring
systems used, species samples
• Marine Laboratories
– Stazione Zooligica – Naples Italy (1872)
– MBL & Woods Hole Oceanograohic Institution–
Massachussets
– Scripps Institution of Oceanography, CA
– Friday Harbor Marine Lab, Washington
• Allowed long term observation of living organisms
Capt.
James
Cook,
Royal
Navy
1
HMS Challenger’s track from December 1872 to May 1876.
The Challenger expedition remains the longest continuous
oceanographic survey on record.
1
Now: “Woods Hole”
1
1
Oceanography…
•Then….and Now…
Then…
Ben Franklin
1769
Gulf Stream
chart
1
1
Then…the “world” chart…3rd cen. BC
Let’s talk about OCEANS!
1
Now…
1
Then…500 B.C. greek ship
1
Now…typical Research Vessel
1
NOW: “Aquarius” FL Keyes underwater lab
1
Figure 1.11
1
Us???
• How did WE form?
• The
earth…continent…US…NY…Long
Island…Atlantic Ocean…Long
Island Sound
1
Formation of The Atlantic
Coast of North America
• Break-up of Pangea (180 mya)
• Formation of Atlantic Ocean
• Erosion of Appalachian Mountains
1
Fig. 1-18, G
PANGEA (the super continent)
1
Formation of The Atlantic Coast of
North America
• 180 million yrs. ago – all continents were
attached together and have slowly moved
apart over time
• Discovered (S. F. Bacon, 1600’s) “Coasts of
continents fit together like a puzzle.”
• Lead to theory of continental drift and plate
tectonics.
1
fnft
1
Pangea
(reptile fossils)
fnft
1
Fig. 3-4, G
Formation of Long Island
1
• River erosion carving out the coastal
plain to form Long Island Sound Basin
(<3 mya)
• Glaciers reshaped the area (beginning 3
mya)
• The last ice advance (Wisconsinan)
ended about 21,000 years ago deposited terminal moraine in middle of
Long Island
• Recessional moraines (along North
Shore) were left as glacier receded
1
Formation of Long Island
Sound
• Glacial Lake Connecticut, which drained
(15,000 years ago)
• Sea-level rose and ocean entered Long
Island Sound Basin
• Sea-level rise slowed and marshes
began to develop along the margins of
the estuary (5,000 - 3,000 years ago)
– became what we know as the Long
Island Sound
The Formation of Glacial-Marine Sediments
1
Fnft Ice Rafting
Glaciers form land and alter
sedimentation
1
fnft
1
1
Waterbodies of Long Island
• East River, Atlantic Ocean
• 3 South Shore “Bays:” Great South Bay,
Moriches & Shinnecock
• “Fork Bays:” The Peconics (& others)
• Inputs from Rivers (Conn. + LI)
• Long Island Sound
If time permits
1
•2 “Waterbody” Case
Studies
•LIS
•Shinnecock Bay
1
Long Island Sound
• Important economically and recreationally
• 8 million people in watershed, 21 million w/i 50
mile radius “impact area!”
• Local residents are the main contributors to the
Sound’s degradation
– runoff from lawn fertilizing leads to increased
nutrients and hypoxia
– pathogens enter the food web of the Sound
through poor sewage treatment & pet wastes
– improper garbage disposal leads to floatable
debris
1
Long Island Sound
• 110 miles long (from East River to the
Race)
• 21 miles wide (Conn. River)
• 60-300’ deep (thus SHALLOW - average
= 65’; Statue of Liberty is 151’!)
• temp. 32-75 degrees F
• 1300 square miles
• Estuary with two openings to the ocean
• 1200 invertebrate and 170 fish species
associated (w/ mammals/birds too!)
1
Long Island Sound
• Estuary w/ “salt” water from Atlantic
Ocean and 90% of “fresh” water from 3
rivers (Thames, Housatonic,
Connecticut) w/ remaining 10% from LI
Rivers and groundwater/other sources
• Semidiurnal tides influence salinity
• Local major Carbon dioxide “sponge”
on North Shore
• Local area of interest: Port Jefferson
Harbor
1
Port Jefferson
1
2009
1
Drowned Meadows 1800’s
1
The Village of Port Jefferson 2009
Montauk…the end?
(What about the RACE?)
1
1
The “Race”
• (Remember) LIS is 110 miles long (from
East River to the Race)
• Narrowest, Eastern, water entry pt. from
Ocean
• Current = 5 knots; thus if you go
through at “Fair Tide” (when currents
move to right) you can go 4 knots but if
you try to head windward you go
BACKWARDS 1 knot (that’s how
powerful water moves through skinny
area)
• 25 billion gallons/daily funnel through
thus 350’ deep (deepest LIS pt.)
1
Local Case Study
•Shinnecock Bay
1
Where is Shinnecock Bay?
• Shinnecock Bay is located on the South Shore of
Long Island, NY (i.e. the “Hamptons” and
Quogue).
• It is about 75 miles east of New York City
• Shinnecock Bay is about 9,000 acres including
open water, salt marshes, intertidal flats, and
barrier beaches.
• This boundary encloses a significant habitat for
fish and shellfish, migrating and wintering
waterfowl, colonial nesting water birds, beachnesting birds, migratory shorebirds, raptors, and
rare plants
1
Where???
High Tide
1
Low Tide
1
1
Average depths/characteristics
• The western portion of the bay are an
average depth of about 2 meters (6 feet) or
less; the eastern portions of the bay are
about 3 meters in depth.
• The shallow waters are very highly
productive; the most productive areas are
the mudflats, and the salt marshes.
• The deeper water habitats are mainly
composed of eel grass and sandy shoals; the
eel grass beds provide an excellent habitat
for many species (offering cover and also a
nursery for these organisms).
1
The organisms
• There are many species in or around
Shinnecock Bay that are federally listed as
threatened or endangered.
• Some of which include:
1
The Piping Plover
1
The Least Tern
1
The Common Tern
1
Sea Beach Amaranth
1
More organisms
• Some animals found around Shinnecock Bay
which are not endangered or threatened
include:
1
The Horseshoe Crab
1
Oyster Catchers
1
Willets
1
The Semipalmated Plover
Where does all the water come from?
1
• On the east of the Bay there is an inlet (an
inlet can be defined as an indentation of a
shoreline, usually long and narrow).
• This inlet is connected to the Atlantic Ocean.
1
Where did the inlet come from?
• In 1938 there was a large hurricane
(Category 3) and the inlet was created by
the storm surge.
• The storm surge carved out a large section of
the barrier island separating Shinnecock Bay
from the Atlantic Ocean.
1
June 30th 1938 (before the hurricane), no
inlet
1
September 24th 1938 (after the hurricane),
large inlet
Recent image of the inlet, visible jetties
1
Ponquogue Bridge, Shinnecock Bay
1
• Since Shinnecock Bay
is in the Northeast
United States, it has
semidiurnal tides (two
high tides and two low
tides each lunar day).
• The highest tide at this
location is 2.8 feet
• The lowest tide is 0
feet
1
• The tide takes longer
to get to the further
parts of the bay. This
is why there are
different times of high
and low tides for the
different locations in
the bay.