1 MAR Introduction to Oceanography Professor Pamela Lynch

1 Why Are You Here? Long Island is an ISLAND The Ocean is your backyard

1 Fig 1-2, p.4

1 A synthetic view of our ocean planet © digitalife/ShutterStock, Inc.

1 Important Facts 81% of the Southern Hemisphere is covered by Ocean (remember that! It’ll become really important later…); while only 61% of the Northern Hemisphere is covered – WHY? The Oceans are 4X as deep as the Continents are high (average depth = 2.5 miles). The Pacific (Ocean) is so huge that it covers almost ½ of the Earth’s surface; it is also the Earth’s largest collection of water. We have 100X more “aquatic” habitats available on earth than terrestrial habitats (1.4 billion cubic kilometers).

1 Our marine life is the stuff of movies!

1 …and fables… Aug. 1, 2008: “The Montauk Monster”

Oceanography is the scientific study of the ocean by applying traditional sciences, such as physics, chemistry, geology, biology, and engineering, to all aspects of the ocean. Oceanography: What Is It?

Subdisciplines of Oceanography Marine Geology- –Composition of ocean floor and the earth Physical oceanography- –Movement of water (waves, currents…) Chemical Oceanography- –Ocean’s dissolved solids and gases Marine biology- –marine organisms, the impact of human activities on these organisms Marine Engineers- –Design and build oil platforms, ships, harbors etc. that enable us to use the ocean wisely

1 History of Marine Biology/Oceanography Ocean explored for food, as trade routes, wars, and for VOYAGING Mediterranean Sea: 1 st voyages then the Atlantic Ocean was explored ( BC). Cartographers (chart makers) on board. Alexander the Great: (Egypt) Lib. of Alexandria Christopher Columbus (1492): “new world” discovered by accident. Followed by Magellan (1500’s, Port. navigator) and Cook (1768, comm. of Endeavour voyage) Charles Darwin Naturalist on HMS Beagle (1831)

1 Fig. 2-11, p. 29 Capt. James Cook, Royal Navy

1 History of Marine Biology/Oceanography First Voyages ever to specifically study the ocean (19 yrs. to publish, 50 volumes) Challenger Expedition ( ): measuring systems used, species samples Marine Laboratories –Stazione Zooligica – Naples Italy (1872) –MBL & Woods Hole Oceanograohic Institution– Massachussets –Scripps Institution of Oceanography, CA –Friday Harbor Marine Lab, Washington Allowed long term observation of living organisms

1 Fig. 2-17, p. 33 HMS Challenger’s track from December 1872 to May The Challenger expedition remains the longest continuous oceanographic survey on record.

1 Oceanography… Then….and Now…

1 Fig. 2-15, p. 32 Then… Ben Franklin 1769 Gulf Stream chart

1 Fig. 2-3, p. 22 Then…the “world” chart…3 rd cen. BC

1 Let’s talk about OCEANS! Now…

1 Fig. 2-1, p. 21 Then…500 B.C. greek ship

1 Now…typical Research Vessel

1 Fig. 2-22, p. 37 Now…deep sea sub, “Kaiko”

1 Figure 1.11 NOW: “Aquarius” FL Keyes underwater lab

1 Fig. 2-23a, p. 37 Now: “Woods Hole”

1 Us??? How did WE form? The earth…continent…US…NY…Long Island…Atlantic Ocean…Long Island Sound

1 Formation of The Atlantic Coast of North America Break-up of Pangea (180 mya) Formation of Atlantic Ocean Erosion of Appalachian Mountains

1 Fig. 1-13, p. 14

1 PANGEA (the super continent) Formation of The Atlantic Coast of North America 180 million yrs. ago – all continents were attached together and have slowly moved apart over time Discovered (S. F. Bacon, 1600’s) “Coasts of continents fit together like a puzzle.” Lead to theory of continental drift and plate tectonics.

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1 Pangea (reptile fossils) fnft

1 Formation of Long Island River erosion carving out the coastal plain to form Long Island Sound Basin (<3 mya) Glaciers reshaped the area (beginning 3 mya) The last ice advance (Wisconsinan) ended about 21,000 years ago - deposited terminal moraine in middle of Long Island Recessional moraines (along North Shore) were left as glacier receded

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1 Waterbodies of Long Island East River, Atlantic Ocean 3 South Shore “Bays:” Great South Bay, Moriches & Shinnecock “Fork Bays:” The Peconics (& others) Inputs from Rivers (Conn. + LI) Long Island Sound

1 Formation of Long Island Sound Glacial Lake Connecticut, which drained (15,000 years ago) Sea-level rose and ocean entered Long Island Sound Basin Sea-level rise slowed and marshes began to develop along the margins of the estuary (5, ,000 years ago) –became what we know as the Long Island Sound

1 Long Island Sound Estuary w/ “salt” water from Atlantic Ocean and 90% of “fresh” water from 3 rivers (Thames, Housatonic, Connecticut) Semidiurnal tides influence salinity Local major Carbon dioxide “sponge” on North Shore

1 Long Island Sound 110 miles long (from East River to the Race) 21 miles wide (Conn. River) ’ deep (thus SHALLOW - average = 65’; Statue of Liberty is 151’!) temp degrees F 1300 square miles Estuary with two openings to the ocean 1200 invertebrate and 170 fish species associated (w/ mammals/birds too!)

1 Long Island Sound Important economically and recreationally 8 million people in watershed, 21 million w/i 50 mile radius “impact area!” Local residents are the main contributors to the Sound’s degradation – runoff from lawn fertilizing leads to increased nutrients and hypoxia –pathogens enter the food web of the Sound through poor sewage treatment & pet wastes –improper garbage disposal leads to floatable debris

1 Montauk…the end? (What about the RACE?)

1 The “Race” (Remember) LIS is 110 miles long (from East River to the Race) Narrowest, Eastern, water entry pt. from Ocean Current = 5 knots; thus if you go through at “Fair Tide” (when currents move to right) you can go 4 knots but if you try to head windward you go BACKWARDS 1 knot (that’s how powerful water moves through skinny area) 25 billion gallons/daily funnel through thus 350’ deep (deepest LIS pt.)

1 Let’s talk about OCEANS!

1 The Ocean EARTH: The only planet w/ Oceans (or liquid water) Covers 71% of earth’s surface “Divided” into 4 large basins –Pacific (largest, deepest) –Atlantic –Indian –Arctic (smallest, shallowest) –(sometimes people add a 5 th : the Antarctic, “Southern Ocean”)

The Ocean > Covers 71% of the earth’s surface (197 million square miles) Accounts for 97% of the water on earth (rest in land ice, ground/freshwater, lakes & rivers) Average depth = 3,796 meters (12,451 feet) (deepest = Mariana trench 11,022 m or 36,163 ft) Average temp = 3.9 o C (only 39 o F)

1 Fig. 1-1, p. 3

1 freshwater Where does the Freshwater come from?

1 Fig 1-1, p.3 Old text

1 Local Case Study Shinnecock Bay

1 Where is Shinnecock Bay? Shinnecock Bay is located on the South Shore of Long Island, NY (i.e. the “Hamptons” and Quogue). It is about 75 miles east of New York City Shinnecock Bay is about 9,000 acres including open water, salt marshes, intertidal flats, and barrier beaches. This boundary encloses a significant habitat for fish and shellfish, migrating and wintering waterfowl, colonial nesting water birds, beach- nesting birds, migratory shorebirds, raptors, and rare plants

1 Where???

1 High Tide

1 Low Tide

1 Average depths/characteristics The western portion of the bay are an average depth of about 2 meters (6 feet) or less; the eastern portions of the bay are about 3 meters in depth. The shallow waters are very highly productive; the most productive areas are the mudflats, and the salt marshes. The deeper water habitats are mainly composed of eel grass and sandy shoals; the eel grass beds provide an excellent habitat for many species (offering cover and also a nursery for these organisms).

1 The organisms There are many species in or around Shinnecock Bay that are federally listed as threatened or endangered. Some of which include:

1 The Piping Plover

1 The Least Tern

1 The Common Tern

1 Sea Beach Amaranth

1 More organisms Some animals found around Shinnecock Bay which are not endangered or threatened include:

1 The Horseshoe Crab

1 Oyster Catchers

1 Willets

1 The Semipalmated Plover

1 Where does all the water come from? On the east of the Bay there is an inlet (an inlet can be defined as an indentation of a shoreline, usually long and narrow). This inlet is connected to the Atlantic Ocean.

1 Where did the inlet come from? In 1938 there was a large hurricane (Category 3) and the inlet was created by the storm surge. The storm surge carved out a large section of the barrier island separating Shinnecock Bay from the Atlantic Ocean.

1 June 30 th 1938 (before the hurricane), no inlet

1 September 24 th 1938 (after the hurricane), large inlet

1 Recent image of the inlet, visible jetties

1 Ponquogue Bridge, Shinnecock Bay Since Shinnecock Bay is in the Northeast United States, it has semidiurnal tides (two high tides and two low tides each lunar day). The highest tide at this location is 2.8 feet The lowest tide is 0 feet

1 The tide takes longer to get to the further parts of the bay. This is why there are different times of high and low tides for the different locations in the bay.