When did Vasco da Gama depart from Lisbon on his voyage to redefine global trade routes?
Vasco da Gama departed from Lisbon in 1497. His ship spent three months in the open South Atlantic to profit from southward deflection of currents near Brazil.
Questions about Oceanography
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What year was the HMS Challenger expedition launched by Charles Wyville Thomson and Sir John Murray?
The British Government announced the HMS Challenger expedition in 1872 following a recommendation from the Royal Society. The vessel traveled nearly 69,000 nautical miles while conducting deep sea soundings, bottom dredges, open water trawls, and serial temperature observations over four years.
Who completed the major work on diatoms that remained the standard taxonomy until after her death in 1999?
Easter Ellen Cupp completed a major work on diatoms that remained the standard taxonomy until after her death in 1999. She earned her PhD from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, becoming the first woman to do so in the United States.
How many new species of marine life were discovered during the HMS Challenger voyage between 1873 and 1876?
Around 4,700 new species of marine life were discovered during this voyage. The resulting Report Of The Scientific Results of the Exploring Voyage of H.M.S. Challenger became known as 'the greatest advance in the knowledge of our planet since the celebrated discoveries of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.'
When did the World Ocean Circulation Experiment begin and end to provide critical global circulation data?
The World Ocean Circulation Experiment began in 1990 and continued until 2002. This project provided critical global circulation data alongside modern buoy arrays for predicting future environmental changes.