ocean exploration

Herodotus

historian and cartographer, 2,500 years ago, thought oceans extend to end of world

Ptolemy

astronomer and geographer

1,800 years ago created map including Africa, Asia, Europe

first documented use of longitude and latitude

Egyptians

• 6,500

• ships built of wood and papyrus

• left mediterranean and explored west coast of Africa

Phoenicians

• 3,500 years ago

• reached England

Polynesians

• 4,500 years ago

• people originated from Asia

• reached Hawaii 1,000 years ago

• best navigators, used, stars waves birds clouds

Vikings

• settled in Iceland, then Greenland

• first visited North America before 1,000

Monsoon trade routes

• trade between Persia, India and africa

• no nails used for superstition

China

• zheng

• seven treasure voyages display

• thousands on board

• no steering oar

Europe

• renaissance period begins

• driven by trade with east

• Christopher Colombus worked for Spain

• thought earth was smaller than it was

• ferdinand magellan

• James cook

James cook

• Englands imperialists

• many scientists on board

voyage of beagle

• intended to be 2 years

• circumnavigated the world

• Charles Darwin on board

• not really oceanographic

• coral reef

coral reefs

• fringing reefs

• barrier reefs

• atolls

United States

• was not trying to gain territory

• 6 different ships

• established Antarctica

• led to rise in science in America

• Charles wilks arrested

challenger expedition

• 1876-1882

• converted from warship

• first expedition devoted only to scientific discovery

• coined the term “oceanography”

Azoic Theory

• thought there was no life beyond 550 mm deep

• seemed logical to many

latitude

• starts at equator

• celestial navigation (sun, stars)

• North Star = Polaris

• angle to horizon is equal to latitude

how to find latitude

• simple measurement of angle of horizon

• use two sites to find angle

longitude

• lines of longitude are not parallel

• distance between lines varies with latitude

• no consistency

John Harrison

• invented the chronometer

• very important and significant