[MUSIC]

JOAN CARTAN-HANSEN: HI.

I'M JOAN CARTAN-HANSEN, AND

WELCOME TO SCIENCE TREK THE

WEB SHOW, AND WELCOME TO THE

MK NATURE CENTER.

AND JOINING ME TO ANSWER YOUR

QUESTIONS ABOUT THE OCEANS ARE

DAVID WILKINS, ASSOCIATE

PROFESSOR OF GEOSCIENCES AT

BOISE STATE UNIVERSITY, AND

WALTER SNYDER, PROFESSOR

EMERITUS, FROM THE DEPARTMENT

OF GEOSCIENCES AT BOISE STATE

UNIVERSITY.

THANK YOU BOTH FOR BEING HERE.

DAVID WILKINS: GREAT TO BE

HERE.

WALTER SNYDER: THANKS FOR

HAVING US.

CARTAN-HANSEN: OKAY.

LET'S GO TO YOUR QUESTIONS.

[MUSIC]

JB: HI.

MY NAME IS JB, AND I GO TO

RIVERSIDE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL,

AND MY QUESTION IS, WHY IS THE

OCEAN BLUE?

SNYDER: WELL, THE OCEAN -- THE

OCEAN IS BLUE NOT FOR THE

REASON YOU MIGHT THINK.

IT IS NOT DUE TO THE FACT THAT

IT'S JUST REFLECTING THE COLOR

OF THE ALREADY BLUE SKY.

THAT'S WHAT MOST PEOPLE WOULD

THINK.

WHAT IT'S REALLY DUE TO IS THE

WAY THE OCEAN ABSORBS CERTAIN

COLORS OF SUNLIGHT AND

REFLECTS OTHER COLORS OF

SUNLIGHT.

SUNLIGHT HAS A FULL SPECTRUM

OF COLORS.

THINK OF THE RAINBOW.

AND WHEN THAT RAINBOW FROM THE

SUN HITS THE OCEAN WATER, THE

WATER ITSELF ABSORBS THE REDS

AND VIOLETS AND REFLECTS BACK

MOSTLY THE BLUE.

AND SO IT'S THE REFLECTED

LIGHT, THE REFLECTED COLOR, IS

WHAT YOU UNDERSTAND IS THE

COLOR OF ANY OBJECT YOU'RE

LOOKING AT.

SO, IT'S BLUE BECAUSE IT'S

ABSORBING THE RED COLOR OF

SUNLIGHT AND REFLECTING BACK

TO BLUE.

LUKE: HI.

MY NAME IS LUKE, AND I GO TO

RIVERSIDE ELEMENTARY.

MY QUESTION IS, I HEARD THAT

THERE'S A FLOATING ISLAND OF

TRASH.

WHERE IS IT LOCATED, AND HOW

BIG IS IT?

WILKINS: SADLY, THERE ARE

ACTUALLY SEVERAL TRASH ZONES

OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE

OCEAN.

EVERYTHING THAT WE TOSS INTO

THE STREAMS AND RIVERS

EVENTUALLY ENDS UP INTO THE

OCEAN.

SO, PLASTICS, BOTTLES, CANS,

EVERYTHING GETS WASHED OUT

THERE.

AND WITH THE OCEAN CURRENTS IN

THE BIG OCEAN BASIN, SPECIFIC,

THE ATLANTIC AND THE NORTH AND

THE SOUTH OF EACH OF THOSE

BASINS, THERE ARE THESE LARGE

AREAS CALLED "GYRES."

IT'S WHERE EACH HEMISPHERE

OF WATER IS CIRCULATING AROUND

THE CENTER OF THE OCEAN BASIN,

ITSELF, IN THE NORTHERN

HEMISPHERE AND THE SOUTHERN

HEMISPHERE.

AND SO ALL OF THE MATERIAL,

ALL THE FLOTSAM AND JETSAM,

ALL THE PLASTIC PARTICLES ALL

EVENTUALLY END UP FLOATING IN

A SHALLOW AREA, A SHALLOW ZONE

OF ABOUT 4 TO 5 TO 10 FEET

DEEP, AND MIGRATE OVER TIME

INTO THE CENTER OF THE OCEAN

BASINS WHERE IT ACCUMULATES.

THE FISH DON'T KNOW THE

DIFFERENCE, BECAUSE THE

PARTICLES ARE SO SMALL THEY

LOOK LIKE THINGS THEY MIGHT

EAT NORMALLY, AND SO THEY EAT

THEM, AND THEN THE FISH DIE,

BECAUSE THEY CAN'T DIGEST THE

PLASTIC EITHER.

IT'S A REAL PROBLEM, AND IT'S

VERY, VERY SAD.

MERCADEEZ: HI.

MY NAME IS MERCADEEZ, AND I GO

TO KAMIAH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN

KAMIAH, IDAHO, AND MY QUESTION

IS, WHICH OCEAN IS THE BIGGEST

OF THEM ALL?

SNYDER: THE BIGGEST OCEAN OF

ALL IS THE PACIFIC AT ABOUT 64

MILLION SQUARE MILES.

THE ATLANTIC IS ABOUT HALF

THAT SIZE AT 33 MILLION SQUARE

MILES, AND THEN THE INDIAN

OCEAN IS AROUND 24, 25 MILLION

SQUARE MILES, BUT THE PACIFIC

IS DEFINITELY THE BIGGEST OF

THEM ALL.

BAILEE: HI.

MY NAME IS BAILEE, AND I GO TO

RIVERSIDE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL,

AND MY QUESTION IS, HOW LONG

DO WHALES LIVE?

WILKINS: WHALES, BECAUSE

THEY'RE SO LARGE, AND BECAUSE

THEY LIVE IN SUCH COLD

CONDITIONS, HAVE A VERY SLOW

METABOLISM.

THEY AGE FAIRLY SLOWLY.

THEY CAN LIVE DECADES.

60, 70, 80 YEARS IS NOT

UNCOMMON FOR WHALES, AND WE

DON'T DO THIS BECAUSE WE SEE

WHALES BLOWING OUT BIRTHDAY

CAKES WITH CANDLES ON THEM,

BUT WHEN WE FIND WHALEBONES ON

THE SHORELINE, WE CAN LOOK AT

THEIR TEETH STRUCTURES AND

THEIR JAW STRUCTURES AND GET

AN IDEA ABOUT HOW OLD THEY

ARE.

MEGAN: HI.

MY NAME IS MEGAN.

I GO TO SAGLE ELEMENTARY

SCHOOL, AND MY QUESTION IS,

WHY DOES THE OCEAN HAVE

CURRENTS?

SNYDER: THE OCEAN HAS CURRENTS

FUNDAMENTALLY BECAUSE OF TWO

FACTORS; WIND AND THE FACT

THAT THE EARTH ROTATES.

MAJOR WIND CIRCULATION ON THE

EARTH IS THAT WINDS TEND TO

BLOW TO THE WEST AT THE

EQUATOR AND TO THE EAST AT THE

POLES, BOTH THE NORTH POLE AND

THE SOUTH POLE.

SO, IF YOU JUST IMAGINE --

RIGHT NOW IMAGINE THE PACIFIC.

SO, THE WIND'S BLOWING TO THE

WEST ACROSS THE EQUATOR.

THE WATER IS MOVING FROM THE

AMERICAS TOWARDS THE --

TOWARDS JAPAN AND THE

PHILIPPINES AND THE PACIFIC

SIDE, AND THEN AS IT HITS THE

WEST SIDE OF THE OCEAN, IT

THEN MAKES A TURN TO THE

NORTH.

FLOWS ALL THE WAY UP NORTH

WHERE IT CATCHES.

THEN THE WINDS ARE BLOWING TO

THE EAST, AND THAT ALSO HELPS

PROMOTE THE CURRENTS THEN TO

MOVE BACK TO THE EAST.

THEN THEY MOVE DOWN ALONG IN

THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE DOWN

ALONG, SAY, OUR COAST, AND

THEN THEY GO BACK ACROSS THE

PACIFIC AGAIN AT THE EQUATOR.

NOW, WHAT CAUSES THOSE TO TURN

IS THE FACT THAT WHEN THE

EARTH TURNS, THE WESTERN

MOVING WATER IS FORCED TO TURN

TO THE RIGHT.

AND SO THAT COMBINATION OF THE

EARTH TURNING AND THE WINDS IS

WHAT CREATES THESE BIG OCEAN

-- WHAT ARE CALLED "OCEAN

GYRES" THAT HAVE CONSTANT AND

CONSISTENT DIRECTIONS OF

MOVEMENT.

[MUSIC]

CARTAN-HANSEN: EMILY

ASKS, IS IT EASIER TO FLOAT IN

AN OCEAN OR A LAKE, AND WHY?

SNYDER: IT ALL DEPENDS ON

WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE LAKE

OR THE OCEAN.

BASICALLY, YOU FLOAT IN THE

OCEAN BECAUSE THERE'S SALT IN

IT, AND WHEN YOU PUT SALT IN

THE WATER, IT MAKES IT

THICKER, HEAVIER, DENSER, AND

IF IT'S THICKER, YOU CAN FLOAT

EASIER IN IT.

SO, IN GENERAL, IN AN OCEAN,

YOU CAN FLOAT EASIER, BECAUSE

IT CONTAINS A LOT OF SALT THAN

IF YOU TRIED TO FLOAT IN A

FRESHWATER LAKE.

HOWEVER, SOME LAKES, SUCH AS

THE GREAT SALT LAKE, ARE

EXTREMELY SALTY, SALTIER THAN

THE OCEAN, AND IT'S EVEN

EASIER TO FLOAT THERE.

SO, IT'S NOT JUST THE

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE OCEAN

AND A LAKE.

IT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN

SALTY WATER AND FRESHWATER.

SO, THE MORE SALT, THE EASIER

IT IS TO FLOAT BECAUSE IT

MAKES THE WATER THICKER, AND

IT CAN SUPPORT YOU.

YAROSLAVA: HI.

MY NAME IS SLAVA, AND I GO TO

RIVERSIDE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL,

AND MY QUESTION IS, I LIKE

SHARKS, AND I READ THEY LIVED

BEFORE DINOSAURS.

DO THEY HAVE THE SAME LOOK AS

THEY HAD A HUNDRED MILLION

YEARS AGO?

WILKINS: PRETTY MUCH.

SHARKS HAVEN'T CHANGED MUCH IN

THEIR APPEARANCE SINCE THEY

FIRST FORMED -- FIRST APPEARED

IN THE FOSSIL RECORD OVER 400

MILLION YEARS AGO.

THE ONE BIG DIFFERENCE IS THAT

THEY WERE MUCH LARGER BACK

THEN.

YOU HAVE SHARK SPECIES THAT

WERE 50 FEET LONG, WHICH WOULD

BE MUCH -- IT'S VERY HARD TO

VISUALIZE AND PROBABLY PRETTY

TERRIFYING TO EVERYTHING ELSE

THAT WAS IN THE WATER AT THE

TIME.

ONE OF THE MOST INTERESTING

FOSSILS IS THE HELICOPRION

WHICH IS A BUZZSAW-JAWED

SHARK.

THE TEETH ACTUALLY CAME OUT OF

ITS JAWS LIKE A BUZZ SAW.

IF YOU PICTURE A SAW THAT'S

GOING AROUND AND AROUND ON A

TABLE, THAT'S WHAT THE TEETH

IN THIS LOOKED LIKE.

THE SCIENTISTS AT IDAHO STATE

UNIVERSITY ARE THE BEST IN

STUDYING THIS, AND SOME OF THE

BEST FOSSILS HAVE COME FROM

EASTERN IDAHO.

ASHLEY: HI.

MY NAME IS ASHLEY, AND I GO TO

RIVERSIDE ELEMENTARY, AND MY

QUESTION IS, HOW DO WE KEEP

THE OCEAN WATER CLEAN,

HEALTHY, AND SUSTAINABLE?

WILKINS: I WISH I KNEW.

I WISH WE KNEW.

I THINK WE BEGIN BY TREATING

THE OCEAN WITH RESPECT.

MAYBE RECOGNIZING THAT THE

HEALTHY OCEAN MEANS A HEALTHY

PLANET FOR THE REST OF US.

EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS IN THE

OCEAN EVENTUALLY COMES BACK ON

LAND; WEATHER, CLIMATE, WATER,

ALONG THE SHORELINE, A LOT OF

OUR FOOD.

ALL THAT MEANS THAT WE NEED TO

HAVE A HEALTHY OCEAN TO HAVE A

HEALTHY PLANET.

WHAT WE REALLY NEED IS WE NEED

TO HAVE MORE GOOD CURIOUS

INTERESTED SCIENTISTS WHO WANT

TO STUDY THIS PROBLEM LOOKING

AT HOW DO WE -- HOW DO WE --

SAY, HOW DO WE PROTECT AND

SUSTAIN THE OCEAN, AND WE ALSO

NEED TO HAVE WELL-EDUCATED AND

LISTENING LEADERS WHO CAN

LISTEN TO THE SCIENTISTS AND

ACTUALLY MAKE THE DIFFICULT

DECISIONS THAT ARE NEEDED TO

MAKE THE OCEAN SUSTAINABLE.

[MUSIC] CARTAN-HANSEN: I'M

SORRY, WE'VE RUN OUT OF TIME.

MY THANKS TO DAVID AND WALTER

FOR ANSWERING STUDENTS'

QUESTIONS.

WILKINS: THANKS FOR INVITING

US.

IT'S BEEN A LOT OF FUN, AND I

LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING ALL

THESE STUDENTS IN OUR

CLASSROOMS IN A FEW YEARS.

SNYDER: IT'S BEEN A PLEASURE.

I'VE ENJOYED YOUR QUESTIONS,

AND KEEP ON ASKING QUESTIONS.

CARTAN-HANSEN: AND MY THANKS

ALSO TO THE FOLKS HERE AT THE

MK NATURE CENTER FOR HOSTING

US.

NOW, IF YOU WANT TO LEARN

MORE, CHECK OUT THE OCEANS

AREA ON THE SCIENCE TREK

WEBSITE.

YOU'LL FIND FACTS, LINKS,

GAMES, OUR OCEANS BROADCAST

SHOW AND LOTS MORE.

AND EVERY WEEK, CHECK OUT MY

BLOG FOR THE LATEST SCIENCE

NEWS FOR KIDS ALL AT

IDAHOPTV.ORG.

THANKS FOR JOINING US.

WE'LL SEE YOU NEXT TIME ON

SCIENCE TREK, THE WEB SHOW.

[MUSIC]