Chapter 4: Currents, Waves, & Tides

Chapter 4: Currents, Waves, & Tides

Environmental Interpretation Project One of the most common interpretive strategies is use of a display to convey information. Displays can take many forms outside of the typical 2-dimensional component one finds in an exhibit. They may take the form of a poster, brochure, web page, or even smartphone app. What all displays have in common is use of graphics and words to express an idea and convey a message. The purpose of this project is to develop some of the skills used in creating interpretive displays - skills related to planning, theme development, writing, color scheme selection, and visual layout. You are about to design a display that is attractive, provocative, and captures interest. Most importantly, you are hoping to teach a visitor about your topic. How this will work: 1. You are going to receive a picture or topic for a specific location. Your job is to create an interpretive display for that specific topic and location. For example, if you get the picture to the right, your job will be to create an interpretive display for the bore tide in Alaska. 2. Consider the setting for your display. You are all going to receive a picture of what you need to interpret. The exact spot that the picture was taken from is where your sign will go. What you see in the picture is what visitors will see in real life. However, it is up to you to research the picture and find out what is important about it. What would you want your visitors to know or experience? 3. Consider your audience and their level of knowledge about your topic. Develop a thematic approach to your display and keep it simple, stupid! 4. As part of your planning, consider how to best convey your message. Drawings? Photos? Interpretive text? 5. Create a provocative and thematic title, and consider visually appealing layouts. 6. You can use PowerPoint or Google Docs Presentation for this. For Google Docs Presentations, go to File --> Page Setup --> Custom --> Pixels --> and make it 3456 x 2592. C RITERIA Theme and Thematic Elements: Message Clarity Presence of Levels I-IV text Attractiveness (aesthetic appeal, unity, color scheme) Visual flow and balance 8 Interpretive text in levels I-IV P TS 12 10 10 10 Peer feedback 10

NIKE SHOE INVESTIGATION INTRODUCTION: On May 27, 1990 the freighter Hansa Carrier, enroute from Korea to the U.S., encountered a severe North Pacific storm. During the storm, a large wave washed twenty-one shipping containers overboard. Five of these 20-metre containers held a shipment of approximately 80,000 Nike shoes ranging from children's shoes to large hiking boots. It has been estimated that four of the five containers opened into the stormy waters, releasing over 60,000 shoes into the north Pacific Ocean. The shoes washed ashore one at a time but were wearable after a scrub-down to remove barnacles, algae, and tar. Beachcombers held swap meets to find matched pairs. In this investigation we will consider the starting point for the ocean adventure these shoes had, look at the places where shoes washed ashore, then make some conclusions about the general circulation patterns in the Pacific Ocean. Procedure: 1. Plot the location of each shoe discovery on the map. Number 1-11. 2. For each point label how many shoes were found AND the date they were found. 3. Draw arrows on the map to show how the ocean currents moved the shoes. 4. Answer the questions on the back. Questions: 1. After looking at the data you plotted on your map, write a sentence or two describing the path taken by the drifting shoes. 2. Find the part of the map that shows the journey the shoes took from where they fell off the boat to where they first washed up on shore. Answer the following questions about that part of their journey. a. What is the name of the ocean current that moved the shoes from the boat to the shore? b. How many days did it take the shoes to travel from the boat to the shore? 3. Find the part of the map that shows where the shoes moved from California to Hawaii. Answer the following questions about that part of their journey. a. What are the names of the two ocean currents that moved the shoes from California to Hawaii? 4. TRUE or FALSE - All ocean currents move at the same speed.

All lines to the left of 180 are EAST All lines to the right of 180 are # Event Date Latitude and Longitude 1 Shoes lost overboard! May 27, 1990 48 N, 161 W 2 200 shoes recovered November 1, 1990 49 N, 126 W 3 100 shoes recovered February, 1991 53 N, 131 W 4 200 shoes recovered February, 1991 47 N, 125 W 5 250 shoes recovered March 26, 1991 59 N, 139 W 6 150 shoes recovered April 4, 1991 44 N, 124 W 7 200 shoes recovered May 9-10, 1991 40 N, 124 W 8 200 shoes recovered May 18, 1991 55 N, 130 W 9 Several shoes recovered January 1, 1993 19 N, 155.5 W 10 Several shoes recovered January, 1994 32 N, 132 E Yes, EAST! 11 Several shoes recovered April, 1996 54 N, 133 W

INVESTIGATING TIDES AND PHASES OF THE MOON I. INTRODUCTION It has been known for thousands of years that ocean tides are somehow linked to the phases of the moon. In this investigation you will explore the relationship between moon and tide. THE DATE TOTAL TIDAL RANGE AUG 1 9.4 II. PROCEDURES 1. Provide the date In the left hand column and list the TOTAL TIDE RANGE for each date in the right column. HINT: the "total tide range" for each date is calculated by determining the number of feet (to the nearest tenth) between the HHW and LLW point. 2. Next, using the graph below, create a profile showing tidal range throughout the course of August 2007. 3. Use colored pencils or highlighters to label the portions of your graph that correspond to: a) full moon b) new moon c) first quarter moon d) last quarter moon 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

TIDES - LA PUSH, QUILLAYUTE RIVER Using the Tide Chart from August 2007 of La Push answer the following questions: 1. What dates are the Spring Tides? 2. What is the highest tide level (specific value) on the graph? 3. What dates correspond to the Neap Tides? 4. On average, how many tides are there in one day? 5. What is the lowest tide level during the month? 6. What is the difference in height between the high and low tides on August 28th? 7. How many days are there between the new moon and the full moon? 8. How many days are there between the First Quarter and the Third Quarter moon? 9. What time does the Moon rise (MR) on August 28th? 10. What time does the Sun set on August 28th?

TSUNAMI OR TIDAL WAVE? Tsunamis and tidal waves are both long ocean waves. Tidal waves, or tides, are a predictable, common occurrence along coastal communities generated by forces beyond Earth the gravitational pull of the sun and moon. However, tsunamis are not predictable. They are often generated by earthquakes, volcanic activity, and slope failure. National Weather Service / NOAA The appearance of both types of waves can be similar. Most often, tsunamis and tidal waves appear as a surge. Rarely do they appear as an enormous breaking wave. The shape of the ocean floor greatly influences the runup of a wave as it approaches shore. Bays, inlets, and the mouths of rivers can act as funnels, focusing the energy of the wave into a smaller area, increasing the amplitude of the wave. For tidal waves, this may become quite dramatic as the wave may develop a single wave front called a bore. For tsunamis occurring in bays, the results can be devastating. The greatest wave amplitude for a tsunami was recorded in Lituya Bay in 1958, when people witnessed a tsunami reach 524 meters (1,720 feet) high. The highest tides have been recorded in the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick, Canada. The waves reach 16 meters (52 feet) at the head of the bay. Tsunamis and tides have some similarities and differences in their characteristics. The period of a wave refers to the time it takes for one wavelength (from crest to crest) to pass a given point. The period of a tsunami wave ranges from 5 to 60 minutes. For a tidal wave, the period ranges from 12 to 24 hours. Both have very large wavelengths, but a tsunami s wavelength is smaller than a tide s. Tsunami wavelengths range from 20 kilometers to over 300 kilometers. The wavelength of the tide is thousands of kilometers long. Within the water column, both are similar in that their depth of influence reaches the bottom of the ocean. Because they are so long, the small amplitude of both types of waves would be difficult to notice from a boat out on the open ocean.

TSUNAMI OR TIDAL WAVE? Directions: Use the information on the preceding page to identify differences and similarities among tsunamis and tidal waves. 1. Contrast: How are they different? T SUNAMI W ITH REGARDS TO... Generation T IDAL WAVE Period Wavelength Maximum Recorded Height Location of Maximum Recorded Height 2. Compare: How are they similar? W ITH REGARDS TO... S IMILARITIES

Tsunami Calculations Scenario A: Earthquake location: Seward, Alaska Ocean depth: 4,000 meters Other town Distance from Seward How long until tsunami arrives Homer, Alaska Kodiak, Alaska Kauai, Hawaii 81 miles, 130 km 192 miles, 308 km 2684 miles, 4318 km Scenario B: Earthquake location: Tokyo, Japan Ocean depth: 3,000 meters Other town Distance from Seward How long until tsunami arrives Seward, Alaska Sendai, Japan Kauai, Hawaii 3,483 miles, 5605 km 188 miles, 303 km 4068 miles, 6547 km Scenario C: Earthquake location: Christchurch, New Zealand Ocean depth: 3,500 meters Other town Distance from Seward How long until tsunami arrives Sydney, Australia Auckland, New Zealand Kauai, Hawaii 1329 miles, 2140 km 474 miles, 762 km 4849 miles, 7804 km

SURVIVING A TSUNAMI Lessons from Chile, Hawaii, and Japan http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/c1187/ The Giant Chilean Earthquake and Tsunami of 1960 1. What fact distinguishes this earthquake from any other in modern history? 2. How many people were killed? What was the economic impact? 3. Why did this earthquake happen? 4. What is subduction? 5. How many hours went by before the tsunami hit Hawaii? What about Alaska? Similar Tsunamis, Similar Strategies for Survival 6. Where is Cascadia? 7. What is located just off the coast in the Pacific Ocean that gives scientists a reason to think that a tsunami could hit the West Coast Many Will Survive the Earthquake 8. Jose Argomedo thought the 1960 Chile earthquake was what? 9. What caused more damage - the earthquake or tsunami? Heed Natural Warnings 10. What exactly did some residents do that actually saved their lives before the tsunami? Heed Official Warnings 11. What mistake did the police officer make? Expect Many Waves 12. From midnight to 3:00 a.m., how many waves hit and were recorded at the Wailuku River Bridge? 13. What was the height of the highest, most devastating wave?

Head for High Ground and Stay There 14. Fireman, Kimura Kunio, was responsible for what when the tsunami hit Onagawa, Japan? Abandon Belongings 15. What was Ramon Atala s fatal mistake? 16. What is the difference between the before and after pictures? Don t Count on the Roads 17. What caused the roads to crack first? 18. What make the roads even worse? 19. Besides road damage, what else did the 1960 earthquake cause? Go to an Upper Floor or Roof of a Building 20. Where did the Navarro family go when the tsunami was approaching? Climb a Tree 21. Is climbing a tree with an approaching tsunami a guaranteed way of survival? Climb onto Something that Floats 22. What object did Ms. Gallardo ride to her safety? 23. What did Armanda Cubate and others use as a raft? Expect the Waves to Leave Debris 24. What does this mean: El maremoto fue tan grande que hasta los muertos saco de sus tumbas? 25. What was found 3 miles upriver after the tsunami rolled through? 26. Besides destruction, what else did the tsunami bring to local lands? Expect Waves to Lower Coastal Land 27. What happened to Mr. Stala s plantation? 28. Why do some trees die with earthquakes?

Ocean Current Location/Map

Currents, Waves, Tides Notes 1. What is an ocean current? 2. What is a gyre? 3. In the space below, draw the Earth-Sun-Moon relationship for both spring and neap tides. 4. What causes the tides? 5. What kind of moons are associated with spring tides? 6. What kind of moons are associated with neap tides? 7. What is tidal range? 8. How does tidal range vary based on topography? 9. Where in the world has incredible tidal range? 10. What is a bore tide and where can you see it? 11. What is a tidepool? 12. How do tidepools form? 13. What is the crest of a wave? 14. What is the trough of a wave? 15. What is wavelength? 16. What is wave height? 17. What is the period of the wave?

18. How does energy change as you go deeper into the water? 19. What different factors determine waves? 20. Why do waves break? 21. What is a spilling breaker? 22. What is a plunging breaker? 23. What is a surging breaker? 24. Why does Hawaii get huge waves in the winter? 25. What causes a tsunami? 26. How fast and high do they travel in the open ocean? 27. How fast and high are they when they approach the shore? 28. What is the classic warning sign of an incoming tsunami? 29. What is wave refraction? 30. What is a longshore current? 31. What is a rip tide? 32. How do you get out of a rip tide? 33. What is ocean foam and where does it come from?

CHAPTER 4 REVIEW SHEET Be able to identify and locate all of the following major ocean currents:! Gulf Stream! North Atlantic! Labrador! Canary! North Equatorial! Kuroshio! North Pacific! Alaska! California! West Wind Drift How do you differentiate between a warm and cold current? What is a current? What is a gyre? What is an eddy? If a pair of floating shoes travel 1500 miles in 30 days, at what velocity were they traveling? If a pair of floating shoes traveled for 100 days at a rate of 2 miles per day, how far did they travel? If a pair of floating shoes traveled at a rate of 3 miles per day for 3000 miles, how long did they travel? What are the different parts of a wave? Crest- Trough- Wavelength- What is a density current? What is the difference between a spring tide and neap tide? What phases of the moon are associated with spring and neap tides?

What is a bore tide? What does tidal range mean? What are the causes of tsunamis? If an earthquake occurs 4500 meters deep, what is the speed of the tsunami? How long would it take for that tsunami to reach Location A (3000 km away) and Location B (1700 km away)? What is the primary cause for ocean waves? What are the 3 types of ocean waves and what kind of beach can they be found near? 1. 2. 3. How does particle motion in the water change as you go down? Describe how a floating cork would move in the open ocean as a wave passes by. Why do ocean waves break? What season can you find large waves in Hawaii? What are the reasons behind large waves in Hawaii? What is a longshore current? How does a rip tide form?