Living Together: Threats to Coral Reefs
Symbiosis within a reef community can be threatened by a number of factors. These include severe storms, nutrient discharge from farming and agriculture, and a process known as bleaching, which may be related to global warming.
Seafloor Spreading and Plate Tectonics (Part 2)
Geophysicist and geologist Tanya Atwater talks about the Deep Sea Drilling Project and the confirmation of magnetic reversals that provided strong evidence of seafloor spreading and plate tectonics.
Plate Tectonics and Earthquake Distribution
Geophysicist and geologist Tanya Atwater talks about the correlation between plate boundaries and earthquake distribution.
Oceanic Crust vs. Continental Crust
Geophysicist and geologist Tanya Atwater discusses the differences between continental and oceanic crust. Continental crust tends to be much thicker and would be thicker still were it not for the forces of gravity and erosion. In addition, oceanic c...
Plate Tectonics and Heat
Geophysicist and geologist Tanya Atwater talks about plate tectonics as a mechanism by which Earth's interior sheds the tremendous heat that builds up as a result of radioactive decay.
Pangaea
Geophysicist and geologist Tanya Atwater talks about the super continent Pangaea, thought to have broken up into the continents as we know them today beginning about 200 million years ago.
Alfred Wegener and Continental Drift
Geophysicist and geologist Tanya Atwater discusses the role of Alfred Wegener in bringing together a variety of evidence in support of the theory of continental drift.
Survivors: Intertidal Zonation
An organism's preference for the habitat to which it is adapted creates a mosaic of similarly adapted organisms clumped in recognizable bands along the shore. This is a phenomenon known as intertidal zonation.
Treasure Trove: Technology and Over-Fishing
Recent advances in fishing technology have brought about major changes in the way fishes are removed from the ocean. Improved trawls, dredges and baits have greatly advanced the efficiency of the fishing process. Unfortunately, this increase in effi...
Treasure Trove: Kelp: Its Varied Uses
Kelp is the common term for a group of brown seaweeds that have significant economic value and are used in a number of ways. They can be found in a variety of products, from ice cream to salad dressings and from shaving cream to tooth paste. In some...