Trade Routes, Upwelling, & Tides
Trade Routes, Upwelling, & Tides
Assignments completed in a narrative essay or composition format must follow the citation style cited in the American Psychological Association (APA). One page with references and they must be cited in the writing.
Assignment:
Here are this week’s essay options: Answer one of the following below
(1) Since now most U.S. commerce actually comes across the Pacific from China (which has replaced Europe as our #1 trading area). Check out the current map on page 166 in the text of the Pacific and plan a route from Shanghai, China to the U.S. West Coast (Long Beach, San Francisco, Seattle) and find the primary currents that you would use as a cargo ship router in order to make the fastest, most fuel efficient transit of the Pacific. We’ll call it the “Wal-Mart Trade Route“. As you research this topic review the attached Power Point about the Walmart Supply Chain. You will see how their corporate efficiency and use of technology has made the company so successful.
OR (2) The greatest fisheries in the world occur where there is strong upwelling. What is upwelling? What are at least three oceanographic or geographic situations that can cause it? Name at least six major areas of strong upwelling. Read pgs 175-177 and explain how the Southern Oscillation effects upwelling off of S. America.
Hint:That’s why most tuna is caught off of Peru and Ecuador. A note: 250 million years ago when all of the world’s land was together in the supercontinent Pangea there was one huge world ocean. At that time the ocean current patterns were very different and the was no upwelling. Thus the organic material (mostly phtyoplankton) that died on the surface of that ocean sank to the bottom where it was covered by sediment and “cooked” into the oil that we use today. And, just like pieces of Pangea have broken up and moved all over the globe so have pieces of that old ocean floor. But that’s what oil geologists look for when they drill. By the way in the entire world. Of course we could make all of our gas out of our coal (the US has about 200yrs of coal left). The Germans did it for all of WW II because Germany doesn’t have any oil. We could tell OPEC to stick it, but just be ready to pay about $6.00 per gal for your gas. In the Copied Resources folder of the Course Materials Section is an excellent article (B.P.’s Disaster Rare Mix of Geology) that explains oil formation very well. Please open it and read it.
OR (3) Why does the Bay of Fundy between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick have a tidal bore and a tidal range of over 15 meters (50 feet) while Chesapeake Bay has no bore and much lower tides? Look at a map to help you with this question. Remember due to the conditions you’re researching the aircraft carriers can only leave Norfolk at high tide. For you history buffs relate this to the Inchon landings during the Korean War. Check out the attachment here (Bay of Fundy & Chesapeake Bay maps) for helpful information.
OR (4). A massive ice shelf (larger than the island of Jamaica) broke off of the Wendell/Wilkens Ice Shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula. Looking at the current map on page 193 project where it might go in say the next 6 months. Also review the attached power-point on Antarctica and the arcticle about drilling into Antarctica’s buried lakes both are awesome.
