-
150
Ptolemy designates latitudes and longitudes on maps
Longitudes and Latitudes are still used today for directional purposes on maps. Ptolemy was from Egypt -
Period: 150 to
History of Oceanography
-
Jul 2, 675
Moon controls the tides
Discovered by Verable Bede. This became important later as ocean navigation advanced. -
Jul 2, 1418
Atlantic Exploration
Portugal began Atlantic exploration. The Azores and Canary Islands were found. A school for the study of navigation was founded in 1418. -
Jan 2, 1500
Compasses and better ships aided exploration
Compasses and better ships encouraged exploration. Adventurers went into the unknown seas of Africa and the Americas, and new information became available to cartographers. -
Jul 2, 1512
Mercator projection invented
1512-1594 Mercator developed the basis of map making today. The Mercator Projection is a rectangular grid system showing distances north and south of the equator and east and west of the prime meridian. It permitted projection fo the spherical Earth onto a flat piece of paper. -
Jul 2, 1519
Ferdinand Magellan circumnavigated the glove.
The earth is really round! -
Jul 2, 1529
First world map
Portuguese cartographer made a map of the entire world. It was the first map showing the Pacific Ocean with India and China in their proper locations. -
Jul 2, 1532
Antarctica and mountain ranges added to maps
First maps of newly explored Antarctica were added to maps. It was complete with mountain ranges. The map proved that explorers successfully navigated to the poles. -
Chronometer invented
John Harrison of England invented the chronometer. It was the first clock that could keep time during long-term sea voyages. Longitude was important because it accounted for earth's rotation. -
First scientific expedition to char the Pacific
Captain James Cook made three voyages to char the Pacific Ocean. It took him 22 years. -
Submarine invented
Bushnell of America invented the first workable submarine. It enabled researchers to study below the ocean's surface for the first time. -
Tides and currents mapped
1838-1842 Captain Charles Wilkes, with naturalist J.D. Dana, made studies of tides and currents of Antartcitc and the western North American Coast. -
Atlantic Ocean Floor mapped
Matthew Maury made a book of maps called the Physical Geography of the Sea. It was the firs tmajor oceanographic work in English. He is not referred to as the Father of physical oceanography. -
Oceanographic research centers begin
Baird established a research center in Woods Hole on Cape Cod. It stimulated the later development of the Marine Biological Laboratory and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. -
Oceanographic information collected in the Arctic
Fridtjof Nansen (Norwegian scientist) collected oceanographic magnetic and meteorological information on the Arctic. -
ECHO-sounder invented
Mason of the US invents the ECHO - sounder, which was originally used as a submarine detector. It was used later to map the ocean floor. -
Plate Tectonic Theory introduced
Deep ocean floor exploration using the Echo-sounder was used to mesure ocean depths. It furthered systematic mapping of the ocean floor. -
Theory of Plate Tectonics
Drill ships began supplying samples of rocks and sediments on the ocean bottom, providing evidence to prove the Theory of Plate Tectonics. -
Satellites invented
Earth orbiting satellites begin to map slopes of the ocean surface, movement of the surface currents, sea surface temperatures, and other rapidly changing ocean features that could not be adequately studied from ships. -
Compass invented
Arabs invent the compass. The compasses were not perfected until later.