OCN1010-02 HW#1 R.

Lachhman

Q1. Eratosthenes estimated the circumference of the Earth at approximately 25,000 miles.

Compare this estimate with the circumference used by Ptolemy. What difference would it have

made to later voyages of discovery if Eratosthenes’ measurement had been used rather than

that of Ptolemy?

Ptolemy estimated the Earth’s circumference to be about 29,000 km or 18,000 miles.

Compared to Eratosthenes calculation, he was off by about 7,000 miles, a huge gap. If later

voyages had used Eratosthene’s measurement instead of Ptolemy’s Christopher Columbus

wouldn’t have underestimated the distances involved in reaching the coast of Asia when he set

off to chart a new course to Asia and ended up finding the New World.

Q6. Why did Benjamin Franklin consider it so important to chart the Gulf Stream current?

Benjamin Franklin considered it so important to chart the Gulf Stream current because

he was concerned about the amount of time it took for new and cargo to travel between

America and Great Britain.

Q7. Who was Matthew F. Maury, and why is he considered by many to be the “founder of

oceanography”?

Matthew F. Maury was a Lieutenant who worked with the Coast and Geodetic Survey.

He was assigned to the Hydrographic Office and founded the Navel Depot of Charts. He began

the first systemic collection of wind and current data from ships logs and produced the first

wind and current charts of the North Atlantic in 1847. He also pleaded for an international

collection of ship logs and his work ensured the increased safety of future voyages. He
OCN1010-02 HW#1 R. Lachhman

published The Physical Geography of the Sea in 1855. The work includes chapters on the Gulf

Stream, the atmosphere, currents, depths, winds, climates, and storms.

Q11. What was Fridtjof Nansen trying to prove by freezing the Fram into the polar ice?

Fridtjof Nansen was trying to prove his theories on the sense of direction of the polar ice

caps by freezing his ship in the polar ice. He analyzed the ocean there proving that the Artic

Ocean was not a shallow sea as previously thought.

Q14. In what ways have computers altered oceanography?

Computers have greatly altered the way data is collected, sorted, and analyzed in

oceanography. With computers, scientists and oceanographers can quickly and efficiently

compile and analyze data for immediate results. It also aides them in comparing data, sharing

data, and ultimately allows for large scale collaboration with governments.