How Tides Work
Renowned oceanographer and geophysicist Walter Munk talks about the role of gravity and the Moon in tidal processes. He also discusses early ideas about tides in the days before Sir Isaac Newton developed his theory of gravity.
Internal Waves
Renowned oceanographer and geophysicist Walter Munk talks about the role of internal waves in ocean dynamics. He notes that only in recent years have oceanographers come to understand that internal waves can have a profound impact on what happens ne...
Due West: Point Mugu Naval Air Station
Restoration and protection of the Point Mugu, California wetlands has been a great success story, despite the challenges associated with agricultural runoff and other by-products of urbanization.
Due West: Malibu Coast, The
The Malibu coast is plagued by serious erosion problems-especially landslides. Given that coastal erosion is an unavoidable fact of life, the focus in this fabled community is not so much on stopping it, but finding ways to live with it. These inclu...
Due West: Aliso Creek
Aliso Creek, located in Orange County, California, has a consistent beach pollution problem due to rapid development of the upstream environment. As the watershed has been largely paved over, the water is prevented from soaking in and filtering natu...
Food for Thought: Primary Producers and Photosynthesis
Primary producers are marine organisms so small that most of them can't be seen individually without magnification. But despite their small size, primary producers are extremely important. They take energy from other sources-primarily the sun-and us...
First Steps: The History of Marine Exploration: Matthew Fontaine Maury
Perhaps the first person for whom oceanography was a full-time occupation, Matthew Fontaine Maury began charting winds and ocean currents for the United States Navy in the mid-19th century. He is considered by many to be the father of physical ocean...
Dirty Water: Toxic Metallic Compounds
Along with oil and excess nutrients, toxic metallic compounds can also make their way to the marine environment and cause damage that may be passed along through the food web.
Early Evidence of Continental Drift
Geophysicist and geologist Tanya Atwater points to the jig-saw puzzle fit of Africa and South America as the most obvious evidence supporting the theory of continental drift.
Its in the Water: Ocean and Carbon Dioxide, The
The exchange of gasses, like carbon dioxide, is a critical aspect of the ongoing and dynamic interaction between the ocean and the atmosphere. Scientists are very interested in the ocean's ability to absorb carbon dioxide that mankind's activities m...