Sounding the Sea; A Study in Bathymetric Mapping

Research Question:  How can ocean floor features be measured and mapped using current acoustical technology? How can ocean floor maps be mused in the commercial, military, and or privet sector?

A flat abyssal plain-are sediment-covered portions of the deep ocean floor. With surface slopes of less than one foot of elevation difference for each thousand feet of horizontal distance, they are the flattest areas on Earth.

Underwater seamount or guyot- are volcanos that build up on the ocean floor, sometimes they even reach sea level or above.

Continental shelf-A submerged border of a continent that slopes gradually and extends to a point of steeper descent to the ocean bottom.

Submarine canyon on the continental shelf- they are narrow, steep-sided valleys that come from the continental shelf

Mid-ocean ridge- is an underwater mountain system, that consists of many different types of mountain ranges. They are formed by plate tectonics

Trench and island arc system- this usually occurs when there is volcanic activity when the lithosphere is going into earths interior. 

Analysis Questions:

Analysis Questions

1. Out topography of our surveyed area was mostly within a range of 2 centimeters apart, with bumps and hills as well because that is really how the ocean floor is.

2. When using a remote sensing sonar. It is much easier to find better and more accurate readings and destinations then with out one.

3. Having it stretched out makes it easier so that the numbers are not as close together. It makes things much easier to read.

4. Write two new research questions based on what you have learned from this activity:

• What would be the best way to measure the ocean floor?
• In the future will there be an easier way to study and measure the ocean floor?

5. What is the value and importance of this activity to your study of science

I think that from doing this activity in class we learned alot about the ocean floor and that it is not the easiest thing to study and measure. I think that it taught us that how science really does help us. Without the tools that we have now to help we would never be able to see the ocean floor or know what lies beneath the surface.

https://www.google.com/search?q=trench+and+island+arc+system&espv=210&es_sm=93&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=1F9qUuPMIoSqkAeK2oDoBA&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1366&bih=624

https://www.google.com/search?q=ocean+flooe&oq=ocean+flooe&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l5.2265j0j8&sourceid=chrome&espv=210&es_sm=93&ie=UTF-8#es_sm=93&espv=210&q=mid+ocean+ridge

https://www.google.com/search?q=ocean+flooe&oq=ocean+flooe&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l5.2265j0j8&sourceid=chrome&espv=210&es_sm=93&ie=UTF-8#es_sm=93&espv=210&q=continental+shelf 

Dancing of the continents

From doing the activity "Dancing of the Continents" I learned about how the continents have drifted over time and how they came together. The Theory of Continental  Drift discovered by Wegner in 1960, is said that the continents slid on the floor of the ocean. I never knew that that could ever happen until we learned this. I think that this theory does make sense in a way. It would make sense that the continents could slide over the ocean floor because under it us all rock and it would be easy for the continents to crack then begin to slide. The theory of Seafloor Spreading proposed by Hess in 1960 also could have been what happened. He says that molten magma from under the earths crust oozed up between the plates, after a while the magma would cool from the ocean water and become rock. This could have been one of the reasons that our continents could have drifted. The rock over time could have began to crack and cause the plates to slide and make the continents move. The Theory of Plate Tectonics says that the earths crust is broken into six large plates and small ones too. I think that scientist take so much time to try and figure out how the continents actually did move.
 I think that all of the theory's could have been the causing of the continents drifting. I think this because all of them have very interesting things and idea that could possibly be the cause. I do not think that we will ever really know what and or how the continents did drift. I also think that the plates may have drifted because they were old and or broken, and they just decided to break and that is why they drifted. Either of the theory's could have been why. All of them have logical information and details that could have been the cause of continental drift.

Field trip

Oceanography field trip

During the field tirip i learned so much about the ocean that I never knew before. I learned alot about the plankoton. I learned that plankton produce 60-80 % of the oxygen, and also that they can grow up to 6-8 feet wide/tall. The field trip had many interesting things that I found very interesting and exciting. I thought that it was one of the best field trip, it was informational nut exciting and fun at the same time. In the lab with the sea creatures i learned alot about different types of plants and animals that live in the ocean and what they do. One of my favorite parts of the feild trip was the skate, i thought it was a cool creatrure. I also learned that flownders eyes are at the top of their head so that they can see above, they live on the bottom

of the ovean so they do not need to see anything below them.