58. How old is the science of oceanography? 



Mankind has been interested in the oceans since before the time of 

 Aristotle, who wrote a treatise on marine biology in the fourth century 

 B. C. The early studies of the ocean were concerned with problems of 

 commerce; information about tides, currents, and distances between 

 ports was needed. 



While he was Postmaster General, Benjamin Franklin prepared 

 temperature tables by means of which navigators could determine 

 whether or not they were in the Gulf Stream. This resulted in faster 

 mail service to Europe. 



The beginning of modern oceanography is usually considered to be 

 December 30, 1872, when HMS CHALLENGER made her first 

 oceanographic station on a 3-year round-the-world cruise. This was the 



first purely deep-sea oceanographic expedition ever attempted. Analysis 

 of sea water samples collected on this expedition proved for the first 

 time that the various constituents of salts in sea water are virtually in the 

 same proportion everywhere (Dittmar's principle). 



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