I ntroduction to Planet

Earth
Essentials of Oceanography
7
th
Edition
Geography of the oceans
Earths oceans:
Cover 70.8% of Earths surface
Are interconnected (world ocean)
Have huge size and volume (as a reservoir,
contain 97% of Earths water)

The four principal oceans
Pacific
Atlantic
Indian
Arctic
Plus:
Southern or
Antarctic
Ocean
Figure 1-2
Comparing oceans to the
continents
Figure 1-3
Comparing depth of the oceans
to elevation on land
Figure 1-4
Early exploration of the oceans
Pacific
navigators
peopled
many remote
islands
Figure 1-6
Early exploration of the oceans
Advancements of European navigators
Phoenicians explored the Mediterranean Sea
and beyond
Pytheas developed method to determine latitude
Eratosthenes calculated circumference of Earth
Ptolemy produced map that shows known land
surrounded by largely unexplored oceans

Early exploration of the oceans
The Vikings
explored the
North Atlantic
and
established
many colonies
Figure 1-7
Early exploration of the oceans
During the Age of Discovery, Columbus and
Magellan make journeys of exploration
Figure 1-8
Early exploration of the oceans
Voyaging for science began with English
navigator and explorer Captain James Cook
Mapped many unknown islands
Determined outline of the Pacific Ocean
Sampled ocean properties
Modified shipboard diet to eliminate scurvy
Used John Harrisons chronometer to determine
longitude
The scientific method
Figure 1-10
Origin of the Solar System and
Earth
Cloud of gas
and space
dust (nebula)
began to
contract
about 4.6
billion years
ago

The Nebular Hypothesis
Figure 1-12
Origin of the Solar System and
Earth
Protoplanets were created from the nebula
Protoearth was initially homogenous:
Larger in size than todays Earth
Had lots of volcanic activity
No continents or oceans
No life

Density stratification
Protoearth experiences density stratification
Density = how heavy something is for its size
Density stratification causes high density
material to sink while low density material rises
High density material = rock material and metals
Low density material = gases
Density stratification creates a
layered Earth
Figure 1-13
Origin of the oceans
As a result of
density
stratification,
water for the
oceans is
outgassed from
inside Earth
Figure 1-14
Origin of the atmosphere
Density stratification caused Earths early
atmosphere (water vapor and carbon
dioxide) to be outgassed from inside Earth
The initial atmosphere was rich in hydrogen
and helium
Earths present atmosphere is rich in
nitrogen and oxygen
Photosynthesis releases oxygen
to the atmosphere
Figure 1-16
Origin of life on Earth
Stanley Millers
experiment
simulating
conditions of an
early Earth
showed that life
probably began
in the oceans
Figure 1-15
Major events in Earths
development
Figure 1F
End of Chapter 1
Essentials of Oceanography
7
th
Edition