Spreading
Renowned oceanographer and geophysicist Walter Munk observes that spreading decreases the energy of sound as it travels. Energy loss due to spreading is proportional to the square of the distance from the source.
Making the Pieces Fit: Seafloor Spreading
Alfred Wegener's hypothesis was rejected by many who felt it lacked a credible mechanism which could explain the continental movement hypothesized by Wegener. The notion of seafloor spreading, which suggested that new seafloor develops at oceanic ri...
Making the Pieces Fit: Alfred Wegener and Continental Drift
Alfred Wegener proposed the idea of continental drift to explain the jigsaw puzzle fit of the continents. Wegner argued that the continents had all been joined together at one time as a super continent he called Pangaea. Wegener's ideas were initial...
First Steps: The History of Marine Exploration: Oceanographic Institutions
The world's first oceanographic laboratory was built not in the United States or Great Britain but in Italy. The two best known marine science institutions today, however, are the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, located in La Jolla, California,...
First Steps: The History of Marine Exploration: Technology and Collaboration
The past hundred years has been a time of explosive growth and change within marine science. Perhaps the greatest change has been the recognition that, if it is to flourish, oceanography must be practiced in a collaborative and multi-disciplinary ma...
Making the Pieces Fit: Confirming the Theory of Plate Tectonics
The theory of plate tectonics was initially accepted largely on the basis of indirect, paleomagnetic data. Eventually, however, it was confirmed through the use of GPS technology, which is able to actually measure plate motion.
Making the Pieces Fit: Significance of Plate Tectonics Theory
The evidence of plate tectonics takes many forms, from mountain ranges to oceanic ridges and volcanism It is widely considered to be a unifying theory that ties together a variety of scientific disciplines, including marine geology and geophysics, p...
Making the Pieces Fit: Coastlines and Jigsaw Puzzles
The scientific work that would eventually lead to the Theory of Plate Tectonics began with observations that the coastlines of Africa and South America are strikingly similar.
The Water Planet: Earth Without Water, An
From its likely role in the formation of life, to its impact on global climate, the world ocean has shaped planet Earth to an extent that is almost impossible to overstate. Perhaps the best way to fully grasp the enormity of the ocean's impact is to...
The Water Planet: Origin of Life on Earth
There is no definitive evidence that proves beyond a doubt where water originated. But wherever it came from, water did eventually cover more than two-thirds of Earth's surface. The implications of this for the formation of life on planet Earth were...