Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Assignment 1

Hi Everyone! My name is Sam Gifford, I am currently a junior at BU majoring in Marine Science and hoping to minor in Earth Science. I'm originally from Port Charlotte, FL, but have been living in Boston for about 10 years now. I'm taking this class mainly because it just seemed interesting, and since I am always around during the summer i figured why not? I am also hoping to pursue a career in research after school, and this class will hopefully give me some experience in field work that I can use and later build on in grad school. I love everything about the ocean, from its vastness to its diversity, but my favorite part is definitely the animals that live in it. So called "charismatic megafauna" are my favorite; whales, dolphins, sharks, and especially coral reef species. Ever since i was little I've lived near the ocean and done things like boating, fishing, and snorkeling regularly with my father. I recently became scuba certified, something i have wanted to do for years, and am excited to get out there and see even more of the ocean whenever an opportunity arises.

As for the direction water flows down the drain in China...
No matter where you are in the world, water will flow down a drain the same way. The only noticeable factor affecting the flow of water is how it is introduced to the contained from which it drains, for example the entrance holes on the rim of a toilet. Which ever direction the water is pointed is the direction which the water will spiral down. Of course, the geometry of the container has an effect as well. The idea that water will behave differently in different locations of the world stems from the coriolis effect and how it is observed in the ocean. According to this idea, water should drain counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere, and clockwise in the southern hemisphere. However, a sink is too small a body of water for the coriolis effect to take place, and therefore is unaffected by its location on the planet.


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