Beth Schoren

UST 289

11/10/2015

2015The Great Motion of the Oceans and all the Power they Contain

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UST 289 | Fall 2015 | Professor Ruth Ruud | Beth Schoren

Due Date: October 18th, 2015 – Short Paper – choose one of three

Topic on Oceans

Narrative on choosing the topic: Of the three topics available for the short paper discussion one was on North East Ohio’s climate and weather. Even though this topic is interesting I just completed Exercise two in which I discussed how the Great Lakes were formed but also don’t consider it to be as interesting as hurricanes or oceans. So the next choice was hurricanes and tornadoes. Now this is a subject that I can discuss the power of hurricanes, the storms they produce and how they affect people and this is interesting very much. But if you put both subjects together they don’t put as much curiosity to my mind as the motion of the ocean and everything that the ocean does for the entire planet inside and out. Besides the details in which are required for the paper are not yet anything I have done any significant research on yet and I would really like to know more about something so vital to our lives. So that is how I came to my paper topic conclusion for a choice.

Because the Oceans are such a large percentage of the Earth’s surface they play a role in many things. Things

happen globally because of the oceans motion, some things happen to the oceans as a result of mankind’s

interrelation to them and still yet some things involve the oceans without relation to itself or mankind. This is

what the topic of oceans will entail because the oceans have great motion and they contain great power.

Even though the Earth is divided into three major layers [core, mantle and crust] and the largest volume of

those three is the mantle with 80% (Timothy Foresman, 2012, pp. 244-5) but of the lessor layers is the crust

and the oceans makes up 71% of the that lithospheric layer of Earth (Timothy Foresman, 2012, p. 262). Since

it takes up such a large percentage of the surface space of the Earth it is important to examine just how it

impacts the inhabitants of Earth.

First of all the list of oceans is somewhat confusing because current day perspective is that there is ONE

GLOBAL OCEAN but five distinctive regions not four as was historically nor seven as the stories were always

told. The reason there are 5 and not 4 is because the historical names of the Arctic, Atlantic, Indian, and

Pacific did not recognize the Southern or Antarctic

influence till 2000 and is still yet to be accepted into the

International Hydrographic Organization (National

Ocean Service - Ocean Facts, n.d., p. How many

oceans are there). There are also not “seven seas” like

we always remembered from stories. The seven seas

Oceans of EarthThe New Millenia Historic list Seven SeasOne Global Ocean Arctic Modern version- 5 distinctive regions Atlantic ArcticArctic Indian North AtlanticAtlantic Pacific South AtlanticIndian North PacificPacific South PacificSouthern Indian

Southern

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were originated differently throughout the ages with Greek literature, Medieval European literature and also

after Europeans “founded” America but more often than not the seven seas were to indicate the shipping or

trade routes (National Ocean Service - Ocean Facts, n.d., p. What are the seven seas). It is accepted that the

oceans are “geographically divided into distinct named regions”.

There are of course several versions of how the oceans were created one of which all believers will hold true

that in the beginning God created the heaven and earth, day and darkness, land between waters in Genesis

1:1-13 (Anthoni, 2000). In science the process of the oceans being formed where in very small steps over eons

of time. Starting after the origin of earthly firmament occurred at some 4.5 billion years ago the first bacterial

life begun approximately 4 billion years ago. That allowed photosynthesis to occur and an atmosphere started

around 2 billion years ago. Then

nearly 600 million years ago the

oceans began developing molluscs,

corals and fishes (Railsback, n.d.).

A German Meteorologist and

Geophysicist by the name of Alfred

Wegener had a theory of Pangea

which showed how the land would

have logically been one connected

continent [supercontinent] until the

physical process of lithospheric plates started moving them apart (Timothy Foresman, 2012, p. 263). This

process is easiest to see and understand when you look at the constant news about the Indian tectonic plate

converging with the Eurasian plate in the Himalayan Mountain ranges like occurred on April 25th, 2015. This

tectonic movement was along a 90 by 30 km area in Nepal, created a devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake

that killed 8,000 and injured no less than 19,000 (Earth Observatory, 2015). Then of course there is the

CERN’s theory with the particle accelerator which showed the collision of atoms created matter (CERN

Channel, n.d.).

Understanding that the tectonic plates move our lithosphere especially continental formations thereby changing

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our oceans as well over millennia a map might be helpful to show their geographic location and changes.

Image is current status of oceans: (Oceans: Facts & Information, n.d.) Pangea portrayal above

Knowing what the ocean floors are made of might also be helpful to better understand how they can be moving

along with continental lithospheric masses. Over the billions of years the planet was being formed active lava

came flowing out of the mantle through vents we call volcanoes. This thick molten rock [magma] is constantly

being made because our planet has a very hot solid core of 3,000-5,000⁰C composing mostly of iron that then

heats the next layer which is the mantle. The mantle has temperatures

between 2,800-5,100⁰C and is made up of a magnesium and iron bearing

silicate called mafic. This mafic near the earth’s surface is softer with

hotspots from radioactive decay that drives earthquakes and volcanoes

(Timothy Foresman, 2012, p. 244). This lava then erupts through the

vents, fractures or fissures and begins to solidify, this action then creates more land mass in the form of

igneous rock. This igneous rock cools very fast on the surface or in the oceans from the cold temperatures, is

very hard and resistant to chemical breakdown but has a lot of silicon dioxide which is the most common

mineral like on the beaches (Timothy Foresman, 2012, p. 249).

The bulk of the oceans crust is a mere 60 million years old compared to the

age of other mass land at 1 billion and the youngest of earth’s crust is along

the mid-ocean ridges where tectonic plates spread apart and continually fill

with magma rising and cooling (Timothy Foresman, 2012, pp. 263, 275). Most of the volcanoes on earth are

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located at “subduction zones” where the oceans lithosphere meets another tectonic plate and one dives

beneath the other. In doing so it causes plate motion and some rises and some sinks and carries with it

material thereby leaving an open space (FAQ on Earth Sciences, n.d.). This becomes the location of some of

the deep ocean trenches like the Mariana Trench.

Some of the most unique parts of the oceans are the trenches that are often used in movies. Here are some of

those details: (The 5 Oceans of the World, n.d.) Those deep trenches are found beyond the edge of the

continent where there is first a continental

shelf that reaches 200 m, then the

continental slope which leads down to the

abyss. The abyss sounds deep [up to

5,000 m] but it isn’t the trenches [as much as 11,033 m] as you can see the difference in the image below. An

abyssal plain is the depth of and abyss but flatter and covered with clay and sand and gravel from sediment

runoff. The fracture zone is the point where the ocean plates slide past each other relieving tension in the

seafloor. There are long-mountain ranges extend up to 65,000 km (Ocean, n.d.) referred to as ridges where so

much growth occurs from the volcanic activity in the part called a rift. The volcanos often rise above the sea

level appearing as islands,

like Hawaii Islands. Some

ridges have extinct

volcanoes, seamounts - a

singular mountain and then

the ocean trenches (Looking at the Sea - Physical Features of the Ocean, n.d.). Some of the mountains within

the ocean are higher than on land because Mauna Kea in the Pacific Ocean is over 10,000 m tall compared to

the 8,848 of Mount Everest even though the later has the record for highest altitude above sea level the Mauna

Kea is “tallest” from the vertical rise from its base to its summit (Records - Highest Mountain in the World, n.d.).

When a “submarine volcano” erupts it creates a new ocean floor in a process that moves the plates apart by 1

to 15 centimeters per year (Ocean Explorer - Shaping Earths Features, n.d.). All this activity with regard to the

ocean floor and how it develops over time is but a small portion of the actual movement created by the oceans

OceansName Size - sq km Greatest Depth - ft Name GivenPacific 155,557,000 35,827 Mariana TrenchAtlantic 76,762,000 30,245 Puerto Rico TrenchIndian 68,556,000 24,460 Java TrenchSouthern 20,327,000 23,737 Southern OceanArctic 14,056,000 18,456 Arctic Basin

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and all the processes and cycles that it is a part of but those things occur to the ocean not because of the

ocean. When you look at an event like a movement in tectonic plates at a subduction zone it not only has

volcanic activity but it also is responsible for the greatest of earthquakes. When this happens “it displaces a

large volume of water” which ultimately become tsunamis (Timothy Foresman, 2012, p. 288). So the following

image shows

locations of

volcanoes, nearby

mountains and

clearly defined plate

boundaries

including where the

convergent

boundary aka

subduction zones

are. This is not just

where the new oceanic crust comes from it represents which motion it is taking which leads to the causative

reaction of earthquakes and resulting tsunamis.

The deadliest tsunami happened in 2004 as a result of an earthquake at 9.0 magnitude off the island of

Sumatra in the Indian Ocean. That day reports kept coming back with increasing death tolls and at long last

they discovered 250,000 people died in one single day. The tsunami reached 18 countries within 75 minutes

extending 600 km and leaving 1.7 million homeless. That one earthquake released enough energy into the

ocean as would 1,000 atomic bombs thereby creating gigantic waves (Tsunami 2004 Facts and Figures,

2013). Water markings on buildings and trees was the approach to gaining insight to the height of the tsunami

waves and on the west coast of Sumatra the waves reached 30 m high and other areas were up to 15 m high

(The 26 December 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami: Initial Findings from Sumatra, n.d.). This is but one kind of

wave created in the ocean but not by the ocean itself which indicates how the ocean is one body because

these massive tsunami waves can reach so far but are faster than normal oceanic waves in its normal

circulatory cycle or state. In order to show how much and how far the ocean can move about from the

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devastating earthquakes and resulting tsunamis there was another 9.0 magnitude earthquake near the east

coast of Honshu, Japan on March 11, 2011 that shook for six minutes where it then created waves up to 38 m

tall smashing down on Japans coast. Those waves carried over the Pacific to Hawaii, California and up the

North American coastline into Canada. Just two days prior there had been a 7.2 and several 6.0 earthquakes

within a 40 km range of the 9.0 adding to the shock and devastation to the situation that accounted for 125,000

buildings to “wash away” into the ocean (Japan's megaquake and killer tsunami, n.d.). The major problem in

this situation was the three nuclear power plants that were risk of core meltdown. One of them was under flood

water and another had a radiation leak which caused an evacuation. The pictures below show how items

washed away from Japan took a longer time in getting to a different continent but they still did.

This picture is from Alaska Aug. 27, 2012 with

some urethane foam resulting from the Mar 2011

tsunami in Japan

Here is an image of the first “confirmed” piece found on

California coast on April 7, 2013 from the 2011 incident

(Japan Tsunami Debris Cleanups, n.d.)

This had a worldwide impact as emergency persons came from over 45 countries to help deal with the force of

the events on that day (Andrew Hough, 2011). This all works to show the power of the ocean and how it moves

by extreme forces that were not of its own doing but about what the ocean is capable of pertaining to its power

and force. What about its own natural circulation? There are several things that cause the ocean to have a

circulation and not just because of a water cycle. Sure the ocean is part of the hydrologic cycle where the

ocean’s sea spray create the condensation nucleus that attract water molecules and form clouds and clouds

create precipitation and that evaporates or freezes and these clouds help create our planets source of fresh

water needed for our survival (Timothy Foresman, 2012, p. 108). Certainly this is important but what might be

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considered more important is its cycle of movement by currents and how this has a global impact that is of

energy from one global location to a different locale.

The ocean moves energy by means of something called the “thermohaline circulation” and this creates the

currents. For the most part this is a process of mixing deep cold

waters with warm surface waters onward to different latitudes

which helps to transfer the colder waters and warmer waters to

unlikely regions that end up being a normally pleasant feature of

the ocean. This involves wind on the surface to create waves and

wind has its own process and circulation [pictured on the right].

As the

ocean is in

motion with the winds it also works with the Coriolis effect

of deflection which is due to the earth’s rotation [pictured

left] as used with the Ekman transport (Unit 3: Oceans,

n.d.) [shown right].

While these three

processes combine

together moving the water into a downward spiral effect the deeper you

go the more dense the cold water is and sinks in high latitudes it

becomes replaced with the warmer tropic waters (Unit 3: Oceans, n.d.).

These circulation patterns are referred to as gyres [shown below]. The

easiest way to put this is there is a deep cold current that heads toward the equator and rises to the surface as

the waters begin to warm and then a warm current which

originates in the equatorial tropical region heading

westward pushed by the winds. When those winds reach

mid latitude the winds move in an eastward motion

thereby creating a new circulation rotation in the northern

hemisphere water begin to cool and sink as they become

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denser and the cycle starts over (Timothy Foresman, 2012, pp. 150-1).

This is also part of an “energy budget” where solar energy is moved towards the poles from the equatorial

region where it is the most abundant. The ocean has a 24/7 job working nonstop to transfer this solar energy

toward the Polar Regions and is called “Earth’s Heat Engine” when coupled with the atmosphere. This is also

part of how our climate is made (Earth Observatory, 2015, p. Climate and Earth's Energy Budget).

Another part of the oceans circulation is a shift in the barometric pressure between the east and western

southern oscillation in Pacific waters that change every so often. This natural cycle used to happen every 3 to

8 yrs. but now occur as often as every year or two (Timothy Foresman, 2012, p. 154). When it shifts to colder

waters pushing further west from the strong winds it is called La Nina. When winds weaken and the cold

waters cease to uplift and the warm surface waters push toward the east of the Pacific it is called El Nino and

those warm waters create a wide range of

temperatures and precipitation globally. Most often

El Nino creates more precipitation [rain in summer,

snow in winter] the one in 2015 is predicted to

remain strong into spring of 2016 and will continue

into the northern hemisphere. This is expected to

bring more precipitation and lower temperatures in

the southern states and warmer temperatures and

less precipitation than normal in the northern states (El Nino/Southern Oscillation Diagnostic Discussion ,

2015). This is one of the global affects that happen as a result of the ocean.

Another normal part of the circulatory system of the ocean is the tides that occur in the ocean but not by the

ocean. That is because an external force or forces create the event, those being the moon and the sun. Tides

are a “rhythmic rise and fall of sea level” due primarily to the gravitational pull of the moon but also the sun’s

just to a lesser degree (Timothy Foresman, 2012, p. 407). On the side of earth facing the moon its gravity pulls

the water into a bulge. On the opposite side of the earth

inertia creates the bulge which is a normal force created by

the rotation of earth. Both of these bulges are in relation

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to the moon and as the earth rotates wherever the moon is becomes the location of the bulges thus creating

two high tides and two low tides each 24 hour revolution. The sun’s effect works the same as the moon only

half the strength because of its distance but when the sun, moon and earth are all in alignment this creates a

greater bulge and this is referred to as a spring tide and a neap tide is when the sun and moon are at right

angles to each other (Timothy Foresman, 2012, p. 408). The two high tides that occur every day are called

flood tides and the low tides are referred to as ebb tides. Have you ever heard the phrase “ebb and flow”? This

is a rhythmic movement of back and forth much like the motion of the ocean as it moves back and forth with

relation to the gravitational pull of the moon and sun.

As a result of all the motions in the ocean and its circulation it is then important to see what happens to the

ocean as a result of human interaction to this. Recall the tsunami action and force where building material

shows up on the opposite side of the ocean [page 6] from whence it came. Well the ocean actually has multiple

“garbage patches” because of humans allowing trash to get into the ocean. This is an important fact that needs

explored because of the detriment to our “One Global Ocean” that everyone needs.

Only one percent of the 260 million tons of plastic produced each year get recycled and one third of that is

disposable some of which is sent to landfills others end in the oceans five garbage patches. The largest one

between Hawaii and Baja California is called “The Great Pacific Garbage Patch”, one near Chile, and two in

the Atlantic Ocean – one near Bermuda and one between South America and South Africa and one in the

Indian Ocean. The largest of these is nearly the size of the entire state of Texas (Scripps, n.d.). These

locations are because of the normal circulatory patterns in the oceans currents referred to as “GYRES”. The

image [on page 7] might be helpful in locating the 5 gyres in the oceans and as you can see the pattern in

which they flow. This image shows the

trail of how the garbage is collecting in

piles in those five gyres. This garbage

comes from many sources including

from rivers, streams, off of boating or

shipping vessels and from natural

events such as tsunamis like the one in

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Japan that sent 20 to 40 million ton of debris out into the ocean (Scripps, n.d.). Other sources of this garbage

come from litter blown by wind or picked up with high tides on dirty beaches (Andrews, 2012). The UN is more

specific in pointing out culprits toward the pollution getting into the oceans by stating all the things associated

with a beach such as piers and marinas but also list the types of ocean vessels like cruise liners. They also

include untreated municipal sewage, storm water and industrial and medical waste (Trash in world's oceans

threatens wildlife, economy and human health, UN warns, 2011). The plastics in the ocean was discovered

dating all the way back to 1997 when a catamaran racer, Charles Moore, took the Northern Pacific Gyre back

home and discovered on his 7 day journey an “endless sea of floating garbage” (Scripps, n.d.). If you have a

problem believing that beaches can be part of the problem then take a look at the following photos.

Beaches not only cause debris in the ocean but

also collect what comes in via wind and waves.

The reason the information about the ocean garbage patches is so important is because of the natural habitats

the plastic particles are interfering with are the food sources to many creatures including our own food sources.

When plastic enters the ocean is might be normal in size but with the heat of the solar energy on the ocean,

the wind and the waves, the motion from the ocean currents the plastic then breaks down. Plastic when broken

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down is also very toxic. Plastics contain lead, cadmium, mercury, diethylhexyl phthalate [DEHP], bisphenol-A

[BPA] all of which are very toxic to both marine life and humans (Andrews, 2012). The United Nations [UN] has

stated that “trash in our oceans is a symptom of our throw-away society” and it is affecting every country and

every ocean. They further state from a report that 270 species worldwide become affected with 86% of all sea

turtles, 44% of all seabirds’ species and 43% of all marine mammals. They acknowledged that coral reefs can

be damaged and ruin feeding spots for marine animals (Trash in world's oceans threatens wildlife, economy

and human health, UN warns, 2011). The plastics found in the ocean have typically broken up into small

pieces that birds, fish and sea mammals then eat because they think it is food. A 2012 report shows that more

than 100,000 sea turtles and birds are dying each year from ingesting or becoming entangled in the garbage

(Andrews, 2012). Another interesting report that was completed in 2005 from the UN counted “on average

more than 13,000 visible pieces of plastic litter” was floating in any given square km or ocean (Earth

Observatory, 2015, p. Blog: Plastic Ocean). Here are a few images showing how creatures of the ocean are

being affected by humans’ trash in the oceans.

an albatross

consumed all this

plastic thinking it

was food

This bird has been

tangled up in plastic

roping with several

attached pieces

here a shark

died as a

result of the

plastic in its

ocean

here is yet another

bird with a stomach

full of plastic pieces

It is easy to see if animals are eating the trash and dying from it, you can imagine what fish are going to look

like eating all the small broken pieces of plastic they think is plankton but is not. That means when humans

ingest the foods that are captured from the oceans we then consume the plastic. According to a study done by

Rolf Halden he states that plastics and additives are found not only in animals but in humans’ blood and urine

and get there when we heat or wash our plastics and the chemicals “leach” out. Halden goes on to state that

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the plastic in the oceans outweigh plankton by six fold (Impact of plastics on human health and ecosystems,

2010). So what might people do to stop this process from happening more and making it worse and what can

be done to reverse the situation now that it has become increasingly important to the health and welfare of all

global citizens?

Some people have already taken their role and created programs to collect from beaches. Others have

devised nets that will pick up fine materials and have sessions of trolling to pick up debris. In 2012 Hong Kong

was acknowledged for having a volunteer program to clean up water at the garbage patch (The Great HK

Garbage Patch, 2012).

Here is a group collecting from beaches what has washed up Above is some of the plastic soup collected

Image left is an invention by a young man

who was 19 at the time [2012] by the name

of Boyan Slat. He devised a plan to clean

the ocean with a device anchored that

would keep out plankton but take in plastics.

(The Ocean Cleanup Project - Boyan Slat,

n.d.)

The attempt to clean up the oceans might seem like a great idea but unless they have a water vacuum to clean

the coral reefs then all the plastics will have forever harmed them as reefs need to be “free of suspended

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sediment” for coral growth to occur. Coral reefs are often found around volcanos which would melt the plastics

and are typically near the water surface that have wave action. They need these conditions as well as warmer

waters but not too hot in order to survive in which they provide a “highly productive ecosystem” for many life

forms in the oceans. There are already half of the coral reefs in jeopardy because of humans and natural

causes (Timothy Foresman, 2012, pp. 415-16).

The natural salinity of ocean water [3.5%] and the acidity or pH is around 8.0 both will also be part of the

reason that the plastics become so degraded even though they are not biodegradable. The composite of all the

elements that go into ocean waters is phenomenal but the main ones are Chloride, Sodium and Sulfate. Other

composition is needed for seaweed growth and the plankton survive on iron as an essential element. The

oceans have lower salinity when glacial melting occurs because fresh water dilutes the volume only slightly

(Anthoni, Oceanography , 2000, p. Chemical

composition of seawater). In the ocean biodiversity

there is a “photic zone” sometimes referred to as

epipelagic zone that is the open waters down to

100m and this is where much of the fish feed and is

where the phytoplankton and krill live because of

the bright sun. As you go down into the ocean the

fish in the middle or mesopelagic zone have large

eyes that have lanterns that can turn on in order to

feed. Now would that be a shame to loose such a creature with features built in like that? Further down still in

the bathypelagic zone are fish that almost have no eyes at all because they cannot see to eat nor is there

much to eat so they live alone. There are certainly some humans that can understand this plight. The fish on

the seabed or abyss plains live in complete darkness where food is scarce and their body is watery and they

have soft bones like flounder. There are also dead zones in which oxygen is lost because of human factors

with nutrients (Anthoni, Oceanography , 2000, p. Marine habitats). So our food comes from the oceans and

creatures of the deep will bring us new scientific ideas so we should not spoil this habitat because without it we

lose many things. If we ruin our oceans with pollutants not only will lose a food source we could lose our

seasons if the currents become messed up with all the ocean garbage to bounce off of.

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So in summation, the motion of the ocean is a very complex set of variables that cause the ocean to move and

react. They are things like wind helping currents form, solar radiation helping to warm the ocean which give us

seasons when the warmed waters become part of the currents circulation process. Earth’s rotation causing a

Coriolis Effect is part of the currents circulation process as well. The moon and the sun creating tides help to

move the waters about adding to the circulatory process of the global ocean and help shape the earth

formations by erosion and sedimentation. The ocean floor moves about because of plate tectonic movement

and volcanic lava creates more oceanic land mass these in turn create earthquakes which create tsunamis that

cause great global waves that carry matter from one location to another. El Nino’s and La Nina’s create

different weather patterns but are all part of the global ocean as they increase in frequency as the oceans

warm.

Warmer ocean waters melt more of the pollutants especially plastics that humans are careless with and this

creates a biologic hazard for the ocean habitats ultimately reducing our human food supply. The planet is

already over populated and to reduce our food supply is going to make things much worse. So people need to

start caring about what they throw out. People need to start recycling items especially of plastics. People need

to pick up trash if they see it lying about outside. If each and every person tries to do their part then the world

just might bounce back but everyone must participate in a global effort even the littlest person no matter how

small. Just like the story of Horton Hears a Who.

Pretty much all the information contained herein is new to me and I am grateful for having the opportunity to

learn this material for such an important part of humanity. There are many initiatives in the political world who

are trying to step up to the ball plate to try to make a difference and I certainly hope they do.

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Andrews, G. (2012). Geology and Human Health - Plastics in the Ocean Affecting Human Health . Retrieved from Science Education Resource Center Carlton College: http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/health/case_studies/plastics.html

Anthoni, D. J. (2000). Oceanography . Retrieved from SeaFriends: http://www.seafriends.org.nz/oceano/index.htm

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