History of Ocean Floor research

Ms. Bridgeland 6th Grade

Why have people been interested in using the ocean since ancient

times?

3 Major Reasons

• 1) Ocean provides FOOD

• 2) Serves as a route for TRADE

• 3) Is a way to TRAVEL – Travel to have accurate maps– Fame for scientific discoveries

James Cook led first expedition for OCEAN RESEARCH in the late 1700s

The Challenger expedition in 1872

*inspired Charles Darwin to study marine biology informed his Theory of Evolution later

*led to discovery of organisms, data on temperature, currents, water chemistry, and ocean floor deposits

When did we actually begin studying the ocean floor?

Exploring the Ocean Floor

• No helpful ocean floor research until 1925

• WHY did it take so long to explore the ocean floor?

The ocean floor is more than twice as deep as the Grand Canyon

1925: Big breakthrough --SONAR

Conditions are very HARSH

• There is NO sunlight at this depth

• The water is very COLD

• Deep water exerts tremendous PRESSURE

•SONAR: Sound navigation and ranging

• a system that uses sound waves to calculate the distance to an object• Pulses bounce off the ocean floor

and return to the ship

When was SCUBA diving developed?

S.C.U.B.A.

• 1943: self-contained underwater breathing apparatus

• A tank containing compressed air that is strapped to a diver’s back and connected by a tube to a mouthpiece

• Only enables divers to explore to a depth of 40 meters

1960 -Submersibles

• “Trieste”

• Thick metal could withstand pressure help them safely reach lower depths

• Moved 3 ft per second and reached the ocean floor in about 4 hours

What is the difference between a submarine and a submersible?

Modern Day Submersible – Alvin was used to study the Titanic wreckage in 1986

1986 –Remote Underwater Manipulator

• A device like a small car controlled by a computer that could collect samples, take photos, and map the ocean floor without a crew

Remote Underwater Manipulator

2003: Deep Flight Aviator

• A new type of submersible was launched in San Francisco Bay.

• Moved faster and more easily than others• Passengers could see more

Deep Flight Aviator 2003“underwater airplane”

Deep Flight Aviator 2003

Exploring Titanic Wreckage 2004• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

6Z7REEnwKOQ

Modern technology oceanographer Sylvia Earle uses:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRd612BrDKU