Natural Hazards Droughts in Australia The Nature of Droughts in Australia A drought is a lengthened dry period where there is not a sufficient amount of water for users’ standard requirement. Australia is the driest continent. The main explanation is that our country lies in a region of high atmospheric pressure and an inconsistent rate of rainfall. During a drought, streams and rivers dry up whilst plants and animals die. This is because they lack water and there tends to be less food to eat
The world's ocean covers about 70% of the Earth's surface. It is use to produce us many things. It is more than a place to swimming, sailing and other recreation. The ocean serves as a source of energy, raw materials and most of all food like fish and seaweed. In this essay I will talk about "What are our ocean resources and the importance of the oceans in the future." First, our largest resource in the ocean is food. There are two different kinds of food in the ocean, such as marine plants
El Nino: Past, Present, and Future El Nino is both an atmospheric and oceanic phenomenon affecting weather patterns all around the world. It is complemented by La Nina in a cycle that occurs approximately every 4 years, varying as much as every two years to every six years (Wang 1999, 3331). La Nina has almost the opposite effect, however differs in its strength and duration randomly, as does El Nino (Fedorov 2000, 1998). The cycle is often paraphrased as ENSO, standing for El Nino-Southern Oscillation
Multiple satellite methods exist for remote sensing of rip currents each with their own benefits and drawbacks. Photobathymetry, currents interaction using with Synthetic Aperture Radars (SARs), wave refraction, and wave kinematics bathymetry (WKB) are current technologies that are used most often due to the current satellite knowledge. Each of these techniques can be applied using low orbit satellites that are already currently orbiting Earth. All techniques aside from WKB have been tested as satellites
El Nino Typically, the level of ocean water around the world is higher in the western Pacific and lower in the eastern, near the Western coast of South and North America. This is due primarily to the presence of easterly winds in the Pacific, which drag the surface water westward and raise the thermocline relatively all the way up to the surface in the east and dampen it in the west. During El Nino conditions, however, the easterlies move east, reducing the continuing interaction between wind and
Horizontal and vertical ocean currents Ocean currents are horizontal or vertical movement of both surface and deep water throughout the world’s oceans (Briney, n.d.). The primary generating forces are wind and differences in water density caused by variations in temperature and salinity. Currents generated by these forces are modified by factors such as the depth of the water, ocean floor topography and deflection by the rotation of the Earth. Horizontal currents are wind driven, fast moving and
Oceanography is also commonly known as ocean logy or marine science. It is a branch of science that studies ocean and tries to understand the processes within it. The researches conducted by oceanographers are used by government and industry. The flora and fauna found in the ocean are used for medical research. These researchers are trying to discover the new supply of foodstuff made from plants and animals in the ocean. There are many branches of oceanography. They include: • Marine Physics:
Biological oceanography studies marine species as well, but in the context of oceanography, whereas marine biology studies the ocean along with different salt-water environments. Although there is a difference between these two terms they are usually easily interchangeable. Marine biology requires many different fields of science, including astronomy, biological oceanography, cellular biology, chemistry, ecology, geology, meteorology, molecular biology, physical oceanography and zoology (Marine
Oceanography H. P. Lovecraft once said “Ocean is more ancient than the mountains, and freighted with the memories and the dreams of Time.” (Lovecraft, n.d., Ocean Quotes). Extracting information from times past is what some are researching today. The oceans are vast and mysterious but with the advent of new technology many unmanned submersibles are being built and used to find out more on the mysteries of the ocean. A brief introduction to what oceanography encompasses along with a little history
Marine Chemistry: Think of marine chemistry as a balance. Both sides of the balance need just the right weight to maintain equilibrium. Now imagine the weights on each side of the balance are variables such as nutrients and that the balance itself is the ocean. If there is too much of one nutrient, the balance tips too far one way, therefore causing the chemistry of the ocean to be thrown off. The chemistry of the ocean is what drives its overall function. If there is too much of one thing or
Marine chemistry is extremely important to not only to the lives living in the oceans, but to our lives as humans. If we don’t start caring about marine chemistry there is going to be nothing left of the oceans. Which means less oxygen for us, less food, less tourist income, etc. It’s not just about saving the oceans and its inhabitants, it’s about saving us as well. Ocean acidification is on the rise. All the extra CO2 in the world today as to go somewhere. That “somewhere” is our oceans. The
organisms in the ocean such as animals, plants, and their ecosystems, also observing, protecting, or managing marine organisms. Some subfields that are linked to the marine biology would be an invertebrate zoologist, ichthyologist, and the study of oceanography. Since the sixth grade, I would watch documentaries on National Geographic explaining our oceans and what may lie within them. It has always intrigued me to learn to learn about that 71% of ocean covering the Earth’s surface, whether it may be
Marine Biology is what I would like to study. I want to become a marine biologist because I want to discover new species. I want to go to the 70% of the ocean that has not been discovered. Marine biologists also get to go travel to different places. They not only get to seethings underwater which not many people get to see, but they also get to see places on land which not many people get to see. Marine biologists are also interesting to me because they get to swim for most of their work day. I love
Unit- Oceanography Subunits-Tides, Waves, Currents, Sea Level and Ice Cap Variations, Environmental and Geologic Implications, systems interactions, Economic and Public Policy issues Stage 1 – Desired Results Established Goals: ES.3 The student will investigate and understand the characteristics of Earth and the solar system. Key concepts include: b) sun-Earth-moon relationships (seasons, tides, and eclipses); ES.10 The student will investigate and understand that oceans are complex, interactive
"By and large, reefs have collapsed catastrophically just in the three decades that I've been studying them," said Nancy Knowlton, a marine biology professor at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, California. Knowlton, who is also a member of National Geographic Society Committee for Research and Exploration, notes that corals live precariously close to their thermal limits. As a result, even the most isolated reefs are vulnerable
the huge water mass in front of me? What were the wonders hidden in the ocean? As I grew, I decided I need to find the answer to those questions and studied Marine Sciences at college. While advancing in my degree, which I was projecting in physical oceanography, I realized that it was not only a matter of physics but ultimately, a series of feedbacks between other natural systems in the Earth and even out in space. Thus, I felt the need to satisfy my curiosity and start a degree in Environmental
J. Anderson Stephanie Branscum Dr. Sylvia 1. Yes, Dr. Sylvia Earle has the authority to speak on this subject because she is the first woman to serve as NOAA’s Chief Scientist, ocean explorer, and marine biologist, and has other qualification that makes her reputable. According to Harte Research Institute, “Dr. Sylvia Earle is a marine biologist, ocean explorer, author, lecturer, first woman to serve as NOAA's Chief Scientist, and now Explorer-in-Residence at the National Geographic Society. She
The Bathypelagic Zone and its Food Pyramid The Mysterious Deep The ocean covers 71% of the Earth’s surface, yet 95% of the deep ocean has not been explored.(NOAA, 2015) With the current technology it is still difficult for humans to investigate in the deep due to the intolerable pressure and the enormous creatures such as the giant squid, and others that are still unknown. However, using current technology, more and more information has been obtained. The veil of the deep ocean is slowly being
For years corporations have been depleting the oceans of its wildlife for our benefit. However, one thing these corporations tend to not mention is the bycatch they encounter when catching fish for the purpose of consumption. The definition of bycatch “is the unintended capture of nontarget animals…”(Crowder and Murawski pg.1). Bycatch takes a negative toll on our ocean ecosystem that cannot be reversed. Why does bycatch occur? To start many of the modern fishing gear used today are not very selective
Out of all the technology mentioned in the passage, by far the most advanced has to be the LIDAR. Light Detection and Ranging is used to find objects above the ground quickly and efficiantly. It is the most useful technology used to make new discoveries. In Florida Waters Treasure Hunters, Mel Fisher created his own technique of finding underwater treasures. He calls it the mailbox system. "A mailbox is a large metal tube that is bent 90 degrees, like an elbow. The tube has a diameter several inches