Lecture Notes: Ocean Exploration

Introduction

• Discussion on the exploration of oceans.
• Historical context of ocean exploration.
• Connection between human aspect and scientific discoveries.

Early Ocean Exploration

• 40,000 Years Ago: First record of boats.
• Pacific Islands:
  • First explored and inhabited by Asians from the Asian continent.
  • Polynesia explored by early settlers, Polynesians, known for their navigational skills.

Polynesian Navigation

• Used stars, winds, bird flights, and water changes to navigate.
• Created maps with shells representing islands and lines representing wave directions.

Western Navigators

• Phoenicians: Earliest explorers of Mediterranean, Red Seas, and Indian Ocean (~2000 BCE).
• Pythias (325 BCE): Invented method to measure latitude at sea.
• Eratosthenes (276-194 BCE): Determined Earth's circumference with high accuracy and invented geography.

Later Discoveries

• John Harrison (1700s): Developed method to measure longitude, improving sea navigation.
• Captain James Cook (1728-1779):
  • Conducted voyages to map the Pacific Ocean.
  • First to systematically measure water temperatures, currents, and depths.
  • Demonstrated how sauerkraut prevents scurvy.

Charles Darwin (1809-1882)

• Journey on HMS Beagle, contributing to evolutionary theory and coral atoll formation.

Other Pioneers

• Ben Franklin: First charts of the Gulf Stream.
• Matthew F. Morey: Considered the first true oceanographer, made wind/current charts.

Challenger Expedition (1872-1876)

• First true oceanographic expedition, funded by the government, considered the birth of modern oceanography.

Summary

• Continuation of ocean exploration, leading to better understanding of the planet and its properties.
• Transition to the next lecture on basic planet properties and detailed scientific principles.