Oceanography Ch. 2 Flashcards
Voyaging
Traveling on the ocean for a specific purpose
Charts
Graphic representations that primarily depict water
Oceanus
Latin variant of Greek root “ocean”
Cartographers
Mediterranean traders who made routine journeys
Marine science
The organized study of the ocean
Library of Alexandria
Library founded by Alexander the Great
Eratosthenes of Cyrene
Greek astronomer, philosopher, and poet
Latitude
Lines drawn parallel to the equator
Longitude
Lines drawn from pole to pole
Polynesia
The peoples of the central and eastern Pacific islands
Vikings
Bands of Scandinavian adventurers
Chinese navigators
More skilled navigators than Europeans
Prince Henry the Navigator
Third son of the royal family of Portugal
Compass
An instrument that points to a magnetic pole
Christopher Columbus
“Discovered” the New World by accident
Ferdinand Magellan
A Portuguese navigator in the service of Spain who thought he could open a westerly trade route to the Orient
James Cook
British Royal Navy; An intelligent and patient leader
John Harrison
Yorkshire cabinetmaker who invented the chronometer
Chronometer
A clock that is accurate to determine longitude
Matthew Maury
US Naval Officer and first full-time oceanographer
Benjamin Franklin
Noticed hull speed didn’t always mean “fastest”
Charles Darwin
Voyaged on HMS Beagle
Oceanography
Science of the ocean
Challenger expedition
Made to test theory that life below 549 meters was impossible because of high pressure and lack of light
Soundings
Grabbing stuff from deep within the ocean
Sea power
The means by which a nation extends its military capacity onto the ocean
Alfred Thayer Mahan
American naval officer and historian who published “The Influence of Sea Power upon History, 1660-1783”
Meteor Expedition
Crisscrossed the South Atlantic
Echo Sounder
A device that bounces sound waves off the ocean bottom
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Founded within the Department of Commerce in 1970
TOPEX/Poseidon
A satellite that covers 95% of ice-free ocean every 10 days
Jason-1
Satellite that monitors global climate interactions between the sea and atmosphere
AQUA
Satellite that will collect info on Earth’s water cycle
Global Positioning System (GPS)
A constellation of 24 satellites in orbit above Earth
