Field Of Oceanography Research Articles

Charles S. Peirce on creative metaphor: A case study on the conveyor belt metaphor in oceanography

Within Charles Sanders Peirce's semiotical theory, twodifferent kinds of creative metaphorical reasoning inscience can be identified. One of these, the buildingof remainder metaphors, is especially important forcreating new scientific models. We show that theconveyor belt metaphor provides an excellent examplefor Peirce's theory. The conveyor belt metaphor hasrecently been invented in order to describe theoceanic transport system. The paradigm of the oceanicconveyor belt strongly influenced the geosciencecommunity and the climate change discussion. Afteridentifying structures of metaphorical reasoning inscience (section 2), these structures are examined insection 3 for the conveyor belt metaphor in the fieldof oceanography. Finally, concluding remarks are givenin section 4.

Using Field and Laboratory Exercises on Local Water Bodies to Teach Fundamental Concepts in an Introductory Oceanography Course

Our introductory oceanography course is designed to introduce students to the interdisciplinary field of oceanography by supplementing traditional classroom offerings with extensive hands-on field and laboratory exercises based primarily on nearby Lake Winnebago. Six weeks of our ten-week fall term are devoted to boat-based field and laboratory exercises, including two weeks on sediments and sedimentary processes, three weeks on chemical and physical limnology and oceanography, and one week on aquatic ecology. These investigative, research-based exercises have improved the learning experience for students by engaging them in the process of solving local geologic problems using data which they have collected themselves. The process of conducting the data collection and analysis, discussing interpretations with peers, and writing a detailed report improves students' comprehension of scientific concepts and provides them with a familiar reference with which to compare concepts presented in lectures or readin...

WHOI establishes new fellowships

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) has received a $400,000 challenge grant from the Henry L. and Grace Doherty Charitable Foundation, Inc., to create WHOI's first‐ever endowed postdoctoral scholarships. The grant is to be matched by funds raised by WHOI from other donors, with a combined amount totaling $1,200,000. The Doherty Postdoctoral Scholarships will be given to individuals in various disciplines of oceanography, applied physics, and ocean engineering in their first and/or second postdoctoral year.WHOI currently offers postdoctoral appointments for 1 year, but an 18‐month appointment is under consideration. “One year is not sufficient for new scientists to prove themselves in the competition for federal funds,” said John Farrington, associate director for education and dean of graduate studies. “Increasingly, scientists need 1 year to get their science up and running, and another year to master federal proposals. Providing 18 months of postdoctoral support is critical to recruiting young scientists in the field of oceanography,” he said.

Scripps museum receives NSF grant

Scripps Institution of Oceanography has been awarded a $500,000 grant from the National Science Foundation for a 37,000‐square‐foot museum exhibition on ocean sciences entitled “Exploring the Blue Planet.” The exhibition will be installed in the Scripps Hall of Oceanography of the new Stephen Birch Aquarium‐Museum. The facility is under construction at the University of California, San Diego, and is scheduled to open in fall 1992.NSF is providing approximately half of the funds required for “Exploring the Blue Planet,” which is designed to help visitors explore the many fields of oceanography. “This NSF grant will fund interactive exhibits and changing displays featuring the latest Scripps research that will allow children and adults to experience science as an approachable, creative process that can be used to understand the changing world,” said Luther Williams, NSF Assistant Director for Education and Human Resources.

Volumetric Visualization: An Effective Use of GIS Technology in the Field of Oceanography

Volumetric Visualization: An Effective Use of GIS Technology in the Field of Oceanography

Interactive 3-D canonical acoustic modeling

There is often the question of whether the behavior of acoustic signals can be predicted in the complex and changing ocean environment. Our deplorable state of prediction is either blamed on limitations of acoustic models, or on the usually incomplete knowledge of the ocean environment, or on both. Despite the fact that efforts are being made to provide the critical links between the fields of oceanography and acoustics, still lacking is a comprehensive strategy to measure or predict oceanic features in order to improve our acoustical predicting capability. In a companion paper, a generalized canonical sound-speed (GENCASS) numerical environmental model is discussed. This GENCASS model is implemented in the Pesogen computer system [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. Suppl. 1 75, S26 (1984)] for illustration of the feasibility of using such a technique in an interactive acoustic modeling machine to better understand the interrelationships between complicated environmental conditions and their acoustical consequences. The interactive nature of this process allows rapid understanding of the database requirements, in preparation for setting environmental knowledge bounds toward better predicting capability. Examples will be shown to demonstrate the realistic nature of the canonical oceans.

Error estimates for mixed finite element approximations of nonlinear problems

The finite element methods have proved a very effective tool for the numerical solutions of nonlinear problems arising in elasticity and other related engineering sciences. Relative to linear elliptic theory, little is known about the accuracy and convergence properties of mixed finite element approximation of nonlinear elliptic boundary value problems. The nonlinear problems are much more complicated, since each problem has to be treated individually. This is one of the reasons that there is no unified and general theory for the nonlinear problems. In this paper, the application of the mixed finite element method to a highly nonlinear Dirichlet problem, which arises in the field of oceanography and elasticity is studied and new results involving the error estimates are derived. In fact, some of the results and methods to be described in this paper may be extended to more complicated problems or problems with other boundary conditions. As a special case, we obtain the well known error estimates for the corresponding linear and mildly nonlinear elliptic boundary value problems.

Multicomponent Convection

In two early reviews of this subject (Turner 1973, 1974), the phenomena described were adequately covered by the name double-diffusive convection. They were treated as generalizations of the process of thermal convection in a thin fluid layer, which arise when spatial variations of a second component with a different molecular diffusivity are added to the thermal gradients ; the term thermohaline convection was introduced to describe the heat-salt system. The experimental and theoretical results then available could be described in terms of the differential diffusion of two components acting so as to release potential energy from a component that is heavy at the top, even though the net density decreases upward. It was also shown that the form of the resulting motions depends on whether the driving energy comes from the component having the higher or lower diffusivity. Where one layer of fluid is placed above another (denser) layer having different properties, two basic types of convective instabilities arise, in the diffusive and finger configurations. These are illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, respectively. In both cases, the double-diffusive fluxes can be much larger than the vertical transport in a single-component fluid because of the coupling between and convective processes. The main development of these ideas since 1974 has occurred in the field of oceanography, with interactions between theoreticians, laboratory experimenters, and sea-going oceanographers playing a vital role. The field has also broadened considerably, with new applications becoming ap­ parent in addition to those outlined by Turner (1974). A rather personal historical review of the subject was presented by Huppert & Turner (198 1a), in which they emphasized the importance of transfer of information from

John Murray / MABAHISS expedition versus the International Indian Ocean Expedition (IIOE) in retrospect

In addition to its scientific achievements, the John Murray/Mabahiss Expedition was a unique experiment in technology transfer and it pioneered bilateral relations in the field of oceanography, at a time when the Law of the Sea was not even an embryonic concept. The Expedition will be remembered for its profound influence on the development of oceanography in Egypt, and subsequently in several Arab and African countries, as well as for its socio-economic impact in Egypt. The International Indian Ocean Expedition (IIOE) was an elaborate exercise involving both the most sophisticated developments in oceanography of the day and the full complexity of international relations which necessitated the scientific, coordinating and supporting mechanisms of SCOR, IOC and Unesco combined. Each exercise separated by 25 years represented a significant event in the development of oceanography. Each was a natural product of the prevailing state of the art and the international climate. Oceanography had made a quantum jump in technology in the intervening quarter of a century, which had put the cost of deep sea oceanography quite beyond the financial capabilities of many developing countries, an important factor to bear in mind when comparing the impact of the John Murray/Mabahiss Expedition on Egypt with that of the IIOE, on the Indian Ocean countries.

An evaluation of digitized APT data from the TIROS-N/NOAA-A, -J series of meteorological satellites

Abstract The TIROS-N/NOAA-A, -J series of meteorological satellites transmit imagery data to the Earth in both digital and analogue formats. The analogue data are a processed subset of the digital data and have lower resolution. A quantitative evaluation of a post-reception digitized version of this is made using the corresponding digital data as a standard. In nine comparisons the calibration of the infrared sensor on board was within 001°C. Sea surface temperature estimates from APT data were 0.3°C below the corresponding digitally transmitted data. The albedo estimates were within 0.2 per cent. Processed APT data are adequate for many mesoscale measurements in the fields of oceanography and meteorology and are more readily accessible than the digitally transmitted data.

The development of marine science in Egypt

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Mabahiss/John Murray Expedition to the Indian Ocean, a review is given on development of marine science in Egypt and the main institutions devoted to education and research. The contributions of Egyptian oceanographers working along the Mediterranean and Red Sea coasts of Egypt since 1930 in all the fields of oceanography are summarised.

The dynamic response of the high‐latitude thermosphere and geostrophic adjustment

We find that certain features of the response of the high‐latitude thermosphere to inputs of energy and momentum can be explained qualitatively in terms of the theory of geostrophic adjustment. The theory is well known in the fields of oceanography and meteorology. The adjustment process is critically dependent on the ratio of the scale size of the forcing to the Rossby radius of deformation, a natural parameter of the mean atmospheric state. When the ratio is small, large wind speeds are efficiently generated by a momentum source. When the ratio is large, changes in the mass field associated with a heat source are more effectively produced. The variation of the Rossby radius with height explains the qualitatively different responses of the high‐latitude E and F regions during disturbed geomagnetic conditions as shown by both observations and numerical models. The E region is a more efficient generator of large winds, whereas the F region creates perturbations equally well in the mass field and the wind field. Earlier results by Dickinson et al. (1971) and Volland and Mayr (1971) are explained in terms of geostrophic adjustment, and the analytic solutions are also compared to the results of the integration of the spectral numerical model of Mayr and Harris (1978). We find that the analytic solutions are in good agreement with the model results regarding the apportionment of energy between the divergent and rotational components of the wind field as a function of wavenumber.

The Seasonal Occurrence and Abundance of Chaetognatha in Mississippi Sound

The Chaetognatha as “biological indicators’’ have attracted attention from various fields of oceanography and fisheries biology because various species of Chaetognatha are associated with different water masses, and their distribution and numerical abundance are used to infer biological productivity and movements of water with their inherent temperature, salinity, sediment load pH, and other variables (Legark and Zoppi 1961, Redfield 1950). The Chaetognatha populations, therefore, tend to fluctuate following the seasonal changes and the influx of water masses from different sources.

Foreword

The two main observations characterising marine and lacustrine methane macro-seeps are ebullition through holes in the sea- or lake-bed, and hydroacoustic “flares” in the water column. This paper reviews multi-year, multi-scale, and multi-discipline results from three seep locations in the North Sea and combines the knowledge with recent seafloor and water column results from seeps in the Santa Barbara basin, California, a seep off West Africa, seeps in the Gulf of Mexico, and in Lake Baikal, Russia. We have identified a total of 12 characteristics of methane and minor oil macro-seeps that are not only geological in nature, but also biological and geochemical. These are shown to impact the marine environment in different ways, not least in benefactory manners, as primary producers (mainly bacteria and archaea) tend to bloom during seepage. Therefore, the seepage is inferred to have a fertilizing effect on both the seafloor and the water column, which may be of broad ecological and biological significance. The study concludes with a holistic conceptual seep-model which is expected to be of interest to a broad range of researchers in the fields of oceanography and limnology.

Oceanography: A Wet and Wondrous Journey

This article is one in the series of Bulletin science reviews, dealing with new developments in science of great importance to society; the last series dealt with human genetics. The field of oceanography requires the application of physics, chemistry, biology, and mathematics. From the motion of the waves, to the way of life in the sea, and the ocean floor itself, scientists of the world are only beginning to study and analyze the ocean. The Bulletin plans several articles in this field.At the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission meeting (Paris, June 10–19, 1964) to draft a “General Scientific Framework for World Ocean Study,” it was suggested that international cooperation in oceanography is necessary if human understanding of the oceans is to keep pace with human needs. Two examples of the way in which international cooperation can quicken and intensify exploration of the oceans are the International Indian Ocean Expedition and the International Cooperative Investigation of the Tropical Atlantic.

An Oceanography Option for the Geology Major

Interest in the field of oceanography is not sufficiently developed at the undergraduate level. Hence, the numerous new graduate programs in the field will be lacking qualified candidates. An oceanography option for the geology major provides a possible solution. It can be offered with no additional cost to the institution and without increasing the number of semester hours required for the major; however, it has the inconvenience of limiting greatly the choice of elective courses in geology.

The International Hydrographic Bureau

Established in the Principality of Monaco are two institutions of the highest stand? ing, oth intimately conne ted with the sea. They are the Oceanographical Museum and the International Hydrographic Bureau (IHB). The Oceanographical Museum was inaugurated by its founder, H.S.H. Prince Albert I of Monaco, on 29 March 1910 and an eloquent account of this most memorable occasion is given in the Geographical Journal oi May 1910 {Geogr. J. 35, 5 (1910) 558-62). The Opening Address delivered by the Prince is also given (pages 562-5) and, although written fifty-three years ago, its message is particularly important today. Prince Albert himself used these noble words to describe this monument to his life's work: 'Le Musee Oceanographique de Monaco semble t je l'ai donne comme une arche d'alliance aux savants de tous les pays'. This report, which complements the account given in the Geographical Journal referred to above, relates to the International Hydrographic Bureau established at Monaco in 1921 on the initiative of Prince Albert, who offered to provide accommoda? tion for this new agency. In tracing the origin of the International Hydrographic Bureau it is necessary however to go back much further than 1921. In was, in fact, in 1853 that, on the instigation of Lt.-Cdr. Maury, usn, an international conference was held at Brussels with sixteen maritime States participating, to establish a common plan for observation of winds and oceanic currents. In 1878, Mr. E. R. Knorr, chief draughtsman of Lt. John Rogers's Hydrographic Expedition to the North Pacific, proposed the creation of a permanent international board to serve as intermediary between the different hydrographic organizations. He detailed the areas requiring cooperation, including the introduction of the metric system. In 1889 an international maritime conference held in Washington rejected the plan for the formation of a permanent international maritime board. The XI International Congress on Naviga? tion at St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1908, proposed an international conference consisting of seamen and engineers. This resulted in a conference at St. Petersburg in 1912 to which fifteen countries sent delegates. Monsieur J. Renaud, Ingenieur hydrographe en Chef, in his report on the 1912 Conference stressed how instructive it had been for delegates to examine in a group collections of charts from all countries and to criticize them in the presence of the hydrographic service which had prepared them. The delegates also received the impression that agreement could easily be reached on almost all points. After the First World War, during which the prevailing spirit of unity among the allied maritime services had vastly encouraged an increased consciousness of the need for greater understanding and cooperation, the hydrographic offices, especially those of Great Britain and France, decided that a close and permanent association between hydrographic offices was necessary. The hydrographic offices are governmental organizations set up by the majority of maritime nations, for the purpose of furnishing mariners with nautical charts and other documents necessary for the navigation of their territorial waters and the oceans of the world. The activities of these offices are thus essentially twofold: surveys at sea and along the coasts, and publication of nautical documents. Scientific studies in the fields of oceanography, photogrammetry, astronomy, geodesy, tides, magnetism, etc. are essential parts of these fundamental activities.

Navigational Requirements for Oceanography

The field of oceanography is one that is of the utomost scientific importance to the nation from the political, military, economical, socialogical, and recreational view points. The oceans cover such a vast part of the earth's surface that many fundamental scientific theories are kept from complete development because of the difficulty of obtaining adequate data at sea. For example, in addition to oceanography the fields of geodesy, gravity, magnetics, scismology, and meteorology are all heavily dependent on oceanic observations. One of the controlling factors affecting the validity of such data, of course, is the accuracy of the positionig of ships and equipment during the periods when observatiosn are being made. utniost h(*i(\nf ifica itn~~orlnnrc: to the nation from tllct political, nlilitar!., cw~non~ic~nl, sociological, :r11t1 I.O(~NYiLol~la l x.icB\p oints. ‘I’hc oceans caovcr >~~c*alr vast part of t hr cwG’s hurface lhat, tnanp funtl:~tnc~ni:tl wicnt ifiica 1 hcoriw are kcl)t from c~)rn~)l(~t(~tl r~~~lo~~mcni, becau~c of the difficulty of ol)t:iining adwluatc data at dca. For csample, in atltlition to oc~wnogr:rl~hy the fields of gt‘odrsy, grayit J., tnagtwtic~s, Amolopy, and meteorolop> :ir(s all ltwvil~ tl~~~wntlt~nl~ on oceanic observation;. Ollc 01’ 111(~ cY)ntrolling facators affecting the \.:llidit,y of .~uc*h tlaia, of course, is the acr, lr:xcs!’ of the l)ohil ioning of shilw and equipment (luring tlrcb Iwriotls \vhen obscrvat ions are bping rrl:lll~~.

Applications of cathode-ray polarography in the field of oceanography

Some applications of cathode-ray polarography in the field of oceanography have been discussed. Emphasis in this report has been placed on results of a preliminary study of the behavior of chloride ion, some trace elements, and dissolved oxygen in sea water. The advantages of rapidity, specificity, sensitivity, and adaptability to solid electrode systems and direct reading instrumentation for continuously recording these constituents found in sea water have been pointed out. It would seem that further research should extend the potentialities of cathode-ray polarography and other polarographic techniques in the field of chemical oceanography. Especially, the great advantage of in situ measurement, may at last be realized.

A high-speed correlator

The correlation function, <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$\phi_{ij}^{(\tau)} = \lim_{T \rightarrow \infty} {1 \over T} \int^{T}_{o} f_{i}(t)f_{j}(t-\tau) dt$</tex> is of great interest today because of its use in the fields of oceanography and meteorology and because of its recent applications in the field of communication. Various machines, both analog and digital, have been designed for the automatic computation of correlation functions. The machine described in this paper differs from those which have previously been described in the literature in that the speed with which it computes the integral above for each value of τ <inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">i</inf> is mainly limited by the minimum value of T permissible for a precision of a few per cent.