Assignment 1

doc

School

Capella University *

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Course

112

Subject

Geography

Date

Oct 30, 2023

Type

doc

Pages

Uploaded by MajorGuanacoPerson438

Essay Assignment 1 Answer ONE of the following two questions in a short, coherent, well-written paragraph. Use reference materials, please cite them with a URL or proper MLA or APA bibliographic citation. Oceanography is the study of the oceans and everything in them and under them. The Russians call it oceanology, but it’s the same thing. Why are the oceans worth studying? Especially in light of the worlds hunger for resources and the changes in climate. Such research is a difficult task to undertake and could be not only extremely expensive, but also dangerous. Against this must be balanced the possible advantages. Around 70%of the earth’s surface is covered by water in some form or another and it could be that this means the oceans contain 70% of the earth’s resources. Just consider its basic elements. For millions of years the rains have washed nutrients down from the land into the seas. Dr Maynard Murray in his web article ‘Sea Water in Agriculture ‘claims that about 4 billions tons of dissolved materials reach the seas each year and strongly suggests that this could and should be recouped in some measure. Then there is the matter of the creatures that live in the sea. The world needs energy. Near suitable coasts there are already examples of using wave power, but what about algae as a power source? According to Siobhan Wagner writing in ‘The Engineer’ in April 2009. Algae is viewed as a promising fuel source because it can generate 30 times more oil per acre than other plants …also algae does not compete with food crops. Miss Wagner was speaking of algae produced in large ponds, but surely there must be similar benefits available from sea life if properly researched. These are only two examples of many reasons why oceanography is necessary for both now and the future. References Murray, M. Sea Water in Agriculture, Ocean Health, retrieved 5th November 2009 from http://www.oceanplasma.org/documents/agriculture.html Wagner, S., (24th April 2009), Pond Power, The Engineer, retrieved 5th November 2009 from http://www.theengineer.co.uk/Articles/310914/Pond+power.htm

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