I chose The USS Monitor’s gun turret breaks the surface for the first time in 140 years during the Monitor Expedition of 2002.
List the basic categories of Earth’s chemical composition and physical properties, with an emphasis on how these factors relate to the ocean.
The categories for Earth’s chemical composition include oxygen, silicon, iron and silicon. The oceanic crust mainly consists of the silicon oxygen and magnesium. This minerals contributes to the properties of the oceans such as its life supporting function (presence of oxygen). Further, magnesium and silicon also helps supports the life of the organism living inside the ocean as they act as modes for bone formation. The earth’s physical properties comprise the varying thickness and densities of rocks. The thin layer of dense rocks forms the oceanic crust.
• Describe at least one of the early research theories about the origins of life on Earth.
Electric spark
The theory states that organisms arose due to the action of electric sparks that produced amino acids, ammonia, water and sugars that then acted as the building block for life on earth. As time elapsed, this building block gradually grew to form molecules that are more complex.
Primordial soup theory
This theory states that life on earth started more than 3 million years ago. The lives resulted from the fundamental microbes, which grew to form more complex organism.
• List the modern tools of research used in your chosen ocean exploration.
The exploration involves the use of a gun turret, which helps in breaking the surface of ocean. Other tools used in the ocean exploration include ships and vessels.
• How can the information gathered from the mission benefit the field of oceanography?
The monitor expedition provides an extensive knowledge that can be used for future study of the ocean.
• Explain whether the explorative mission was successful in its findings.
The explorative mission was successful in its findings since it resulted to the gun turret of the USS monitor breaking the surface after 140 years without doing so. The picture show
• Explain how the data was collected and what modern technologies were used.
The collection of data involved the use of video capturing which helps in transmitting the needed data about the USS monitor. Modern technologies used included state of the art High Defination (HD) video equipment, which helped in providing clear images of the monitor (NOAA, 2010). There was also use of dive technologies “rebreathers” which helped during the expedition diving. This rebreathers helps in the divers to remain at a specific thereby allowin for detailed observation. Other technologies that helped during the expedition included Remus, remote current sensing Buoy and weather forecast and satellite imagery (NOAA, 2010).
• What challenges did the team encounter?
There was need for an enomours amount of time in order to recover the revolving gun turret. This means that the explorers had to dedicate most of their time in working towards this exploration. The exploration also required incorporation of much technology implying that more money was to be spent in buying the required equipments. Further, the need for technology also meant that the team had to acquire expatriate in the field of technology thereby contributing to more money and time spent. The exploration required many participants.
• List the areas to be explored by the mission.
Studying the USS monitor which is regarded as the significant warship in the history of United States. This will involve capturing images and collecting data from the USS monitor.
References
NOAA. Monitor Expedition. Retrieved from: http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/02monitor/monitor.html
NOAA. Ocean Exploration. Retrieved from: http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/topics/oceans/oceanex/
NOAA. The Technologies. Retrieved from: http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/missions/2009monitor/technology.html
