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How much of the Earth’s surface does the ocean cover? |
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The ocean covers more than 70% of the Earth’s surface. That’s why Earth is often called the “water planet” or "blue planet." |
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How deep is the ocean? |
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The deepest known point on Earth is at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, a depression in the floor of the western Pacific Ocean, just east of the Mariana Islands. This trench is 1,554 miles long and 44 miles wide. Near its southwestern extremity, 210 miles southwest of Guam, lies the deepest point on Earth. This point — referred to as the Challenger Deep — plunges to a depth of nearly 7 miles. In 1960, the Trieste, a manned submersible owned by the U.S. Navy, descended to the bottom of the Mariana Trench. There, the pressure from the weight of the vast ocean above is tremendous. At more than 8 tons per square inch, it’s the equivalent of an average-sized woman trying to hold 48 jumbo jets! |
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How “hot” is the hottest animal on Earth? |
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University of Delaware marine scientist Craig Cary and his colleagues discovered that an inhabitant of the deep sea is the most heat-tolerant animal on Earth. The Pompeii worm (Alvinella pompejana) can survive an environment as hot as 80° C (176°F) — nearly hot enough to boil water. How it can withstand this tremendous heat is a mystery that Dr. Cary and his team are working to solve.
While some bacteria can live at even higher temperatures than the Pompeii worm, Dr. Cary says the Pompeii worm ranks as the most heat-tolerant creature among higher-order life forms. It beat out the Sahara Desert ant, which formerly held the record at 55°C (131°F).
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The water erupting from hydrothermal vents is hotter than 100°C (212°F), yet it does not boil. Why? |
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As vent water bursts out into the ocean, its temperature may be as high as 400°C (750°F). Yet this water does not boil because it is under so much pressure from the tremendous weight of the ocean above. When the pressure on a liquid is increased, its boiling point goes up. |
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When was the first submarine built? |
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Cornelius van Drebel, a Dutch inventor, is usually credited with building the first submarine. His underwater vessel consisted of a wooden frame sheathed in leather. Oars extending out the sides propelled the craft through the water, at depths up to 4.6 meters (15 ft). The oar openings were sealed with tight-fitting leather flaps. Drebel tested the sub in the Thames River in England between 1620 and 1624. King James I is said to have taken a short ride in the craft.
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When you see R/V before the ship name Atlantis, what do you think it means? |
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The R/V is the abbreviation for research vessel. Now, here’s another question: what do you think the abbreviation F/V stands for? Or how about HMS in HMS Titanic? |
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What mountain range is the East Pacific Rise a part of? |
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The Earth’s longest mountain range is underwater. Over 56,000 kilometers (35,000 mi) long, this mountain range, called the Mid-Ocean Ridge system, winds around the globe. The East Pacific Rise is a portion of this massive ridge system. The East Pacific Rise occurs in a geologically active area where tectonic plates are moving apart, and new seafloor is being born.
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How long does a typical dive last aboard the submersible Alvin? |
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An average dive lasts eight hours. It takes about an hour per mile to descend and the same amount of time to return to the surface. The crew generally works for four to five hours on the seafloor before calling it a day. Alvin can accommodate two scientific observers in addition to the pilot. It’s very cramped in the sub and very cold. At over a mile down, the water outside the sub is only a few degrees above freezing. |
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The stern is
the front of
a ship. True or False? |
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False.
The stern is
the back of
the ship. Now, can you tell us where the bow
is, and port and starboard?
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Researchers
completed a first draft of the dog genome in July 2004.
What breed did they select for sequencing? |
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They
selected the boxer from about 60 breeds because it has
relatively little variation in its DNA. In July 2004, the
genome sequence of Tasha, a boxer from New York, was put
in an on-line database, where researchers from around the
world can now access it. Previously, in 2003, the genome
of a standard poodle named Shadow was sequenced. There
is a lot of interest in the dog genome because dogs and
humans have about the same size genome, and they suffer
from many of the same diseases, such as cancer and heart
disease. |
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