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Hi, I'm Vanna White from America's favorite game show, Wheel of Fortune, where people

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get to solve puzzles for big prizes. Look at this. Another problem solved. Speaking

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of solutions, stay tuned as the Treehouse Detectives use math, science, technology,

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and a few vowels and consonants to solve their latest mystery in the next exciting episode

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of the NASA Sci-Files, The Case of the Ocean Odyssey.

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Don't forget to look for the answers to the following questions. What is a tide? How are

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oceans formed? When you see this icon, the answer is near. Are you sure we're in the

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right place? I think so. Kaylee told us to meet her at these coordinates. This is a nice

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spot. It's peaceful, remote, almost idyllic. Perfect for a picnic. Except for that group

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of people over there. Of course, your GPS might have been wrong. That's why I brought

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this compass. Let's see, judging by the sun's position... Hey, Jacob, that's Kaylee and her

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friends over there. Exactly. We should meet them right over there. Hey, guys, glad you

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could make it. Why don't you start cleaning up over there? I thought we were supposed

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to be having a picnic. Yeah, all that paddling made me hungry. Sorry, guys, we have to clean

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up first, then we can eat. Then we'll just have to clean up again. Yeah, but the team

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that picks up the most trash gets lunch and dessert. I knew there had to be a catch.

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Whoa, this is interesting. Hey, guys. Hey, guys, come here.

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This is really strange. Now, let's review the facts. We found 11 pairs of identical

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shoes on the beach, covered in what we believe to be an oily goo. You mean oily substance.

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Right, an oily substance. Then we found globs of the oily substance all over the beach.

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Sounds like we have ourselves another mystery. Exactly. I say we take a few pairs back to the

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treehouse for further research. Hopefully, we can figure out this mystery and clean up the beach.

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And we might even score a cool new pair of shoes in the process.

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So they're a little waterlogged. They're still stylish. Kind of retro.

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What are those? We found all these shoes when we were cleaning up the beach.

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What's all the black stuff on them? Not sure,

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but I got my dad to check them out, and he agrees with me. Oily globs of some kind.

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This is Ted Tune. We are receiving a lot of calls about shoes on the beach,

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and they're covered with oily globs. I Am Listening is reporting live from the oceanfront.

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Ted, shoes are washing up everywhere here on the beach, but we think we know the source.

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A ship that just docked in the harbor reports losing a container

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off the coast of Virginia in a storm a few days ago.

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Isn't it unusual to lose a container? Apparently not. Over 10,000 containers

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the size of semi-trailers are lost worldwide each year.

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Have there been any reports of oil spills? No, Ted. We have no reports of any spills.

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If you have any leads about where the oil might have come from, please contact KSNN.

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See? I knew that it was oil. So if the container fell overboard,

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how did the shoes get on the beach? That's easy. I would say if the shoes

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were lost off the coast, then the tide must have carried them into the beach.

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Sounds like a good hypothesis, but we need to check a little more carefully.

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Remember, it's always important to do research before jumping to conclusions.

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Why are you looking at me when you say that? I just found a tidal chart, and it says that

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it was high tide when we found the shoes. I'm sure that's what carried them in.

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Wait a minute. This is strange. Look at this shoe. I bought this same style two years ago.

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If they just fell off the ship, wouldn't they be the latest style?

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I think we need to bring up the problem board. Good thinking. Okay, so what do we know?

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We know that there are tennis shoes covered in oil washing up on the beach.

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And that a cargo ship lost a container of shoes off the coast just a few days ago.

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We also know that the shoes were found when the tide was high.

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So what do we need to know? We know that tides brought the shoes onto the beach.

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We need to speak to someone about tides. Maybe Dr. D can help us find an expert on tides.

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Kaylee, can you email him? Print out our get up and go shoes from the website, too.

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Visit the NASA Sci-Files website for lots of great tools to help you in your own investigations.

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Wait a minute. We've got a call coming in from Tony.

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Isn't he someplace in Florida? Hi, guys. Guess where I am.

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I'm staying in Jules Underwater Hotel, the world's only underwater hotel.

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What are you talking about? Right now, I'm 6.4 meters below the surface

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training for my future financial adventures. I'll bet it has something to do with sunken

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treasure. How did you know?

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Underwater, money, it had to be sunken treasure. My treasure hunt is going to take many days,

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so I'm training the same way NASA trains its astronauts for long-term space flight.

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Wow, that's really cool. The confinement, separation,

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and boredom of space travel are similar to being here in this underwater habitat.

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I learned at space camp that you might become more irritable and sensitive to certain noises

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and odors after you've been confined. They also say I'll have changes in mood,

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but I doubt that'll affect me. Mind over matter.

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Right. Anyways, while you've been gone, we found a lot of tennis shoes on the beach,

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and they seem to have oil on them. We need to do some more research.

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Keep checking in, okay? Bye, Tony.

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Okay. I'll talk to you soon. Bye.

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Look, an email from Dr. D. He wants a couple of us to go meet Dr. Hoffman at Water Country

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USA in Williamsburg. Dr. Hoffman's an oceanographer doing research at the park.

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Then he wants us to come see him at the pier on Dock 21DD.

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Research at Water Country USA?

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I feel like I'm at the ocean. Except here, the waves are man-made.

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Hi, Jacob and Catherine. I'm Dr. Hoffman from Old Dominion University.

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Hi. This is a great place to do research.

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We've been wondering, what is a tide exactly?

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A tide is the regular rise and fall of the surface of the ocean

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due to the gravitational force of the sun and the moon on our Earth.

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We learned that gravity is a force that exists between all objects.

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And it makes objects fall to Earth. That's right. And the bigger the objects,

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and the closer they are to one another, the stronger the gravitational attraction between them.

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The sun is much larger than the Earth and the moon,

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but a lot farther away from the Earth than the moon. So which one causes the tides?

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They both do, but the moon plays the bigger role, being about twice as strong as the sun,

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as the two of them create a gravitational force on the Earth's oceans

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that causes the water to move upwards towards the sun and the moon.

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And the Earth's gravity holds the water down.

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Right. But the tidal forces pull water sideways along the surface of the Earth,

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and this tug-o-war creates a bulge in the surface of the ocean.

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If the moon's influence is stronger than the sun's, then is the bulge bigger beneath the moon?

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Yes. And due to the rotational motion of the Earth-moon-sun system,

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there is also a bulge on the opposite side of the Earth away from the sun and the moon.

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These bulges of water are large waves that we call high tides.

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So if the water bulges on opposite sides,

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then it must draw water away from the area between the bulges.

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Very good. And that is where low tides occur.

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How often do we have high and low tides?

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Many coastal locations, such as the Atlantic and Pacific coast,

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experience two high and two low tides each day.

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But some areas, such as the Gulf of Mexico, only have one of each.

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Do the tides in a particular place always occur at the same time?

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No, but the answer is a little bit complicated.

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On average, high tides occur every 12 hours and 24 minutes.

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The Earth spins on its axis every 24 hours.

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So if you divide 24 by 2, you get 12.

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The extra 24 minutes is because of the moon's orbit about the Earth.

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Would high tides help bring objects floating in the water onto the shore?

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Tides do not typically have much of a role in transporting objects in the ocean.

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You can think of tides as a big sloshing motion

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where objects go as far in one direction as in the other.

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Here, let's check it out.

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That was cool. But what about the waves?

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Jacob, can you get in the pool?

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Can I?

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See the waves around Jacob?

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They look like they're moving the water forward, but actually they aren't.

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How is it that I stay in the same place?

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Each particle of water in a wave moves around in a circle.

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Energy moves forward while water particles remain in the same place.

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So an object floating on the water will rise and fall as the wave passes,

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but the object will not move forward.

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I think we definitely need more research about waves.

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Me too. Thanks, Dr. Hoffman.

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You're welcome. Enjoy the wave pool.

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You better stop researching the waves if you want to get there on time.

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Bianca does not like to be late.

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We're getting close.

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Isn't it 21DD?

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There it is.

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DD for Dr. D?

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He has his own boat dock?

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Come over here.

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Welcome to the MARI, Tidewater Community College's research vessel.

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Dr. D, we learned about waves and tides, but we need to know more about oceans.

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Let's start at the very beginning.

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You know how oceans formed?

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You mean they weren't always here?

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No, not always.

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When the Earth began about 4.6 billion years ago,

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volcanic eruptions helped to form an atmosphere that included water vapor.

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So were the oceans created when it rained?

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That's right.

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About 3.8 billion years ago,

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the lower areas of the Earth's crust, called basins, filled with rainwater.

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If the ocean is made from rainwater, why is it salty?

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Well, in the beginning, it wasn't very salty.

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So how did it get that way?

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One way is from freshwater rivers.

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As they float towards the oceans,

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rivers dissolve minerals such as salt from the land, adding salt to the ocean.

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But how can the ocean be more salty than the rivers?

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When water evaporates from the oceans,

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it takes almost pure water away, leaving the salt behind.

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Then for millions of years, the rivers carried salt into the oceans,

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and evaporation leaves it there.

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Do the oceans continue to get saltier?

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No, and they're not getting any less salty either.

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We say saltiness, or salinity, has reached equilibrium.

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Why is the salinity of seawater so important?

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One reason is that it's a major factor in creating ocean currents.

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Let's do an experiment.

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We're going to pour salty water into fresh water.

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Let's see what happens.

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The salty water went to the bottom.

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Why is that?

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Salty water sinks to the bottom because it's denser than fresh water.

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A gallon of salt water weighs more than a gallon of fresh water.

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Jacob, test it out.

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They both feel the same.

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Salt water from the ocean is only about 3% heavier than fresh water.

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But even a small difference in density makes a real difference in currents.

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Is there anything other than salinity that determines the density of salt water?

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Is there anything other than salinity that determines the density of water?

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Yes, the temperature does.

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I think we're going to have to learn more about how density makes currents.

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I have a friend named Dr. Martens who can help you.

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He's doing research in an underwater laboratory called Aquarius.

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I'll give you his contact information.

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Thanks, Dr. D.

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What's up?

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Did the tennis shoes come from the recently lost container?

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Where did the oil globs come from?

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How did the tennis shoes get to the beach?

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Don't miss the next exciting chapter of the NASA Sci-Files.

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In this segment of the Case of the Ocean Odyssey,

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look for the answers to the following questions.

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How do cold temperatures make water denser?

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How are surface currents created?

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How do you find the speed of a moving object?

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Good morning, Kaylee.

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You're off to an early start.

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I sure am.

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I was doing some research trying to figure out how those shoes washed onto our beach.

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But I'm not sure what we need to know next.

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We have a lot of information about tides.

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And Dr. D. told us how oceans formed.

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Speaking of oceans, I wonder how Tony's doing in his underwater habitat.

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Let's call him.

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Hi, everyone.

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Today I started my day with a swim around the hotel exploring underwater.

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Then I came in for something to eat and I watched a video.

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This is a piece of cake.

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I'm not showing a single sign of irritation.

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That's great, Tony.

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Dr. D. told us about an underwater research lab called Aquarius.

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I've been to the website.

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It's a really cool lab.

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It'd be great to talk to some of the scientists that live and work here.

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I don't mean to be rude, but I need to go.

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Talk to you later.

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See you later, Tony.

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That was strange.

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What are you doing?

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I'm taking notes for my IOI report.

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IOI report?

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What's that?

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Incidents of irritation.

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Tony's definitely showing symptoms of isolation.

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Well, it's difficult to tell with Tony.

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He could have had a bad day with the stock market.

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I have the contact in here somewhere for the Aquarius expert.

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Here it is.

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Can you dial him up?

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Sure.

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Hi, I'm Dr. Martens.

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Glad you found me.

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Hi, Dr. Martens.

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Dr. D. told us that the density of water depends upon its temperature and salinity.

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But how does temperature make the water more dense?

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Cold water molecules are packed together more tightly than warm ones, making cold water denser.

233
00:15:33,600 --> 00:15:37,360
So do the density currents form near the north and south poles?

234
00:15:37,360 --> 00:15:38,000
Exactly.

235
00:15:38,000 --> 00:15:42,800
The cold air at the poles cools the surface water, making it denser and causing it to sink.

236
00:15:42,800 --> 00:15:44,080
What about salinity?

237
00:15:44,080 --> 00:15:47,440
When ice forms in polar waters, it leaves behind salt,

238
00:15:47,440 --> 00:15:49,920
which increases the salinity of surrounding water.

239
00:15:49,920 --> 00:15:53,200
The higher salt content makes the polar water denser.

240
00:15:53,200 --> 00:15:56,080
I learned that evaporation also makes water saltier.

241
00:15:56,080 --> 00:15:56,640
That's right.

242
00:15:56,640 --> 00:16:01,040
In areas such as the Mediterranean Sea, where there's little rainfall and lots of heat,

243
00:16:01,040 --> 00:16:05,040
evaporation removes fresh water and leaves extremely salty water.

244
00:16:05,040 --> 00:16:06,800
Where does the denser water go?

245
00:16:06,800 --> 00:16:10,400
The denser polar water sinks and creates the thermohaline circulation.

246
00:16:10,400 --> 00:16:11,680
Thermohaline?

247
00:16:11,680 --> 00:16:14,640
Yes, thermo for temperature and haline for salinity.

248
00:16:15,200 --> 00:16:19,600
The cold salty water masses that create this circulation form in only two places.

249
00:16:20,240 --> 00:16:25,520
The water mass sinking off Greenland is called the North Atlantic Deepwater or NADW.

250
00:16:26,160 --> 00:16:31,600
The water mass sinking off Antarctica is called the Antarctic Bottomwater or AABW.

251
00:16:31,600 --> 00:16:33,120
Where do these currents end up?

252
00:16:33,120 --> 00:16:37,280
They both sink down several kilometers while spreading out horizontally and

253
00:16:37,280 --> 00:16:39,280
moving along the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.

254
00:16:39,840 --> 00:16:42,560
They eventually mix while circulating around Antarctica.

255
00:16:43,360 --> 00:16:46,960
Then they move into the deep Indian Ocean and finally into the Pacific.

256
00:16:46,960 --> 00:16:50,720
So the water from the poles may one day end up on a beach in Hawaii?

257
00:16:50,720 --> 00:16:52,560
I guess you can look at it like that.

258
00:16:52,560 --> 00:16:54,000
What goes down must come up.

259
00:16:54,560 --> 00:16:58,560
It takes the average water molecule a thousand years to make the complete cycle.

260
00:16:58,560 --> 00:17:00,880
Wow, that's a long time.

261
00:17:00,880 --> 00:17:05,440
Yes, we call the cycle the global conveyor belt and it has a large impact on climate.

262
00:17:05,440 --> 00:17:08,640
I went swimming once and the water was really cold.

263
00:17:08,640 --> 00:17:11,600
My mom said it was an upwelling, but what's that?

264
00:17:11,600 --> 00:17:15,920
The coastal upwelling that you experienced is different from thermohaline circulation.

265
00:17:15,920 --> 00:17:18,880
It only brings up cold water from a few hundred meters deep.

266
00:17:18,880 --> 00:17:22,160
It's also not as cold as AABW or NADW.

267
00:17:22,720 --> 00:17:25,200
Coastal upwelling is generally caused by wind.

268
00:17:25,200 --> 00:17:26,800
Is upwelling important?

269
00:17:26,800 --> 00:17:27,440
Good question.

270
00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:31,120
Upwelling brings lots of nutrients up from deep water.

271
00:17:31,120 --> 00:17:35,920
We are researching the impact of nitrogen, a crucial nutrient, on Florida Keys reefs.

272
00:17:35,920 --> 00:17:37,760
How does upwelling affect the reef?

273
00:17:37,760 --> 00:17:40,160
It appears that there have been major changes in the health

274
00:17:40,160 --> 00:17:43,920
and community structure of coral reefs here in the Keys and throughout the world.

275
00:17:43,920 --> 00:17:46,560
By observing the nitrogen composition of sponges,

276
00:17:46,560 --> 00:17:49,680
we can determine the importance of different nitrogen sources.

277
00:17:49,680 --> 00:17:51,840
Wow, you've given us a lot to think about.

278
00:17:51,840 --> 00:17:53,120
Thanks, Dr. Martens.

279
00:17:53,120 --> 00:17:54,800
You're welcome. Good luck on your project.

280
00:17:55,600 --> 00:17:57,520
That was very interesting.

281
00:17:57,520 --> 00:18:00,640
Density currents might be the key to solving this mystery.

282
00:18:00,640 --> 00:18:04,640
Remember the longshore currents we learned about in the case of the disappearing dirt?

283
00:18:04,640 --> 00:18:07,680
They move large amounts of sand from one place to another.

284
00:18:07,680 --> 00:18:10,400
If they can move sand, they can surely move shoes.

285
00:18:10,400 --> 00:18:12,640
That sounds like our new hypothesis.

286
00:18:12,640 --> 00:18:15,360
If the container fell overboard and was caught in an upwelling,

287
00:18:15,360 --> 00:18:18,320
then the longshore currents brought the tennis shoes to the beach.

288
00:18:18,320 --> 00:18:21,280
That's true, and the container was lost not far from the beach.

289
00:18:22,560 --> 00:18:29,600
Hello, Dr. Textbook here.

290
00:18:29,600 --> 00:18:34,080
Did you know that the Gulf Stream once helped to solve a postal problem?

291
00:18:35,040 --> 00:18:37,920
Well, it seems that during colonial times,

292
00:18:37,920 --> 00:18:42,560
the colonists constantly complained of their snail mail taking two weeks longer

293
00:18:42,560 --> 00:18:45,840
coming from England than going to England.

294
00:18:45,840 --> 00:18:50,880
Well, the postal authorities in England contacted the Deputy Postmaster General,

295
00:18:50,880 --> 00:18:53,920
Benjamin Franklin, a man who I can greatly relate to.

296
00:18:54,800 --> 00:18:59,280
It seems that wily old Ben had a cousin who was a seafaring captain.

297
00:18:59,280 --> 00:19:02,400
His name was Timothy Folger, and Tim told cousin Ben

298
00:19:02,400 --> 00:19:08,480
about a strong surface current that comes from Florida up the east coast of America.

299
00:19:08,480 --> 00:19:12,800
When ships sailed to England, they went north and sailed in the stream.

300
00:19:12,800 --> 00:19:16,720
The swift current helped them sail faster and deliver the mail quicker.

301
00:19:16,720 --> 00:19:19,520
But ships sailing from England headed south.

302
00:19:19,520 --> 00:19:22,480
Sailing against the stream would slow them down.

303
00:19:22,480 --> 00:19:26,640
Now, Mr. Franklin decided to draw a more detailed map of the current

304
00:19:26,640 --> 00:19:30,800
and named it the Gulf Stream because it flowed out of the Gulf of Mexico.

305
00:19:31,360 --> 00:19:37,040
When settlers from here at Jamestown Settlement in 1607 would send mail to England,

306
00:19:37,040 --> 00:19:41,760
they would use ships much like this replica of the Susan Constant.

307
00:19:43,120 --> 00:19:44,800
Many of you have heard the saying,

308
00:19:44,880 --> 00:19:46,320
sending a message in a bottle.

309
00:19:46,320 --> 00:19:50,560
Well, I'm going to send my own message in a bottle to my aunt who lives in England.

310
00:19:50,560 --> 00:19:53,040
I have this $100 bill.

311
00:19:53,040 --> 00:19:54,960
I'm going to write her name on the front of it,

312
00:19:55,920 --> 00:19:58,640
and I'm going to place it into the bottle.

313
00:19:58,640 --> 00:20:01,120
If the wind currents and the ocean speeds are correct,

314
00:20:01,120 --> 00:20:06,480
she can expect her own Ben Franklin to arrive in time to buy me a gift for my birthday.

315
00:20:06,480 --> 00:20:07,040
Here we go!

316
00:20:15,520 --> 00:20:21,520
Not a very good idea.

317
00:20:25,680 --> 00:20:28,320
Dr. Check's book just mentioned surface currents.

318
00:20:28,320 --> 00:20:30,320
I think that's our next investigation.

319
00:20:30,320 --> 00:20:32,160
We need to open the problem board.

320
00:20:32,160 --> 00:20:33,040
Good idea.

321
00:20:33,040 --> 00:20:36,160
We need to update and be current with our information.

322
00:20:36,160 --> 00:20:40,800
Okay, we know that old shoes and oil globs have washed up on the beaches around our area.

323
00:20:41,360 --> 00:20:44,080
We know that tides don't carry items long distances.

324
00:20:44,800 --> 00:20:49,760
We know that density currents are cycles that cause global circulations of the ocean's water.

325
00:20:49,760 --> 00:20:51,440
So what do we need to know?

326
00:20:51,440 --> 00:20:55,600
Well, the last cargo fell overboard only a short distance from Virginia.

327
00:20:55,600 --> 00:20:58,080
And if the tides didn't carry the shoes to the beach,

328
00:20:58,080 --> 00:21:01,920
then maybe it was some other type of surface current, like a longshore current.

329
00:21:01,920 --> 00:21:04,400
I think we need to know more about surface currents.

330
00:21:04,400 --> 00:21:06,800
And we also need to know more about oil.

331
00:21:06,800 --> 00:21:08,560
Did I hear you say something about oil?

332
00:21:08,560 --> 00:21:10,160
How did you just pop in?

333
00:21:10,160 --> 00:21:11,360
Someone must have dialed me up.

334
00:21:12,160 --> 00:21:12,640
I agree.

335
00:21:12,640 --> 00:21:14,880
We need to learn more about black gold.

336
00:21:14,880 --> 00:21:16,640
Oh, I mean oil.

337
00:21:17,360 --> 00:21:19,200
And how you find it and get it out of the ground.

338
00:21:19,840 --> 00:21:22,960
I see that your mind is still focused on money.

339
00:21:23,520 --> 00:21:25,680
How's it going down there in your habitat?

340
00:21:25,680 --> 00:21:27,200
It's great down here, really.

341
00:21:27,200 --> 00:21:29,200
There's a lot of cool things to look at underwater.

342
00:21:29,200 --> 00:21:30,320
It's so different from land.

343
00:21:30,960 --> 00:21:31,760
I think we need to...

344
00:21:34,400 --> 00:21:35,280
Did you hear that noise?

345
00:21:36,320 --> 00:21:37,280
I've got to go check it out.

346
00:21:37,280 --> 00:21:38,160
See you later.

347
00:21:38,160 --> 00:21:39,120
Poor Tony.

348
00:21:39,120 --> 00:21:41,280
I think he's suffering from another IOI.

349
00:21:42,080 --> 00:21:46,640
My mom has a meeting with Dr. David Adamak at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

350
00:21:46,640 --> 00:21:48,000
He researches currents.

351
00:21:48,000 --> 00:21:49,840
She said I can go with her to meet him.

352
00:21:49,840 --> 00:21:51,040
Sounds like a plan.

353
00:21:51,040 --> 00:21:54,400
And Jacob Stanley's taking a vacation to Houston, Texas.

354
00:21:54,400 --> 00:21:57,200
I'll ask him to do some research in oil country.

355
00:21:57,200 --> 00:22:01,280
And don't forget to take a get up and go worksheet from the NASA SciFiles website with you.

356
00:22:04,320 --> 00:22:05,200
Hi, Bianca.

357
00:22:05,840 --> 00:22:07,200
Thanks for meeting me here.

358
00:22:07,200 --> 00:22:08,960
I had a taping earlier today.

359
00:22:08,960 --> 00:22:09,680
That's cool.

360
00:22:09,680 --> 00:22:12,160
I've had a little bit of experience in front of cameras.

361
00:22:12,960 --> 00:22:18,720
Dr. Adamak, we learned about density currents, but we need to learn more about surface currents.

362
00:22:18,720 --> 00:22:20,560
So what exactly is a surface current?

363
00:22:20,560 --> 00:22:25,680
A surface current is water moving near the ocean surface above what we call the thermocline.

364
00:22:25,680 --> 00:22:26,480
Thermocline.

365
00:22:27,440 --> 00:22:30,080
I know that therm has something to do with temperature.

366
00:22:30,080 --> 00:22:30,640
Right.

367
00:22:30,640 --> 00:22:32,640
And cline means change.

368
00:22:32,640 --> 00:22:35,920
So the thermocline is a region of temperature change.

369
00:22:35,920 --> 00:22:37,440
Where is the thermocline?

370
00:22:37,440 --> 00:22:40,640
Typically between 50 and 150 meters deep.

371
00:22:41,200 --> 00:22:43,280
So how do surface currents form?

372
00:22:43,280 --> 00:22:47,120
Friction between the wind and the surface water causes that water to move.

373
00:22:47,760 --> 00:22:51,760
We learned in the case of the mysterious red light about global wind patterns.

374
00:22:51,760 --> 00:22:55,520
And the winds blow in a certain direction depending upon where they're located on Earth.

375
00:22:56,480 --> 00:22:56,800
Right.

376
00:22:57,760 --> 00:23:02,080
For example, the trade winds push the surface currents around in the tropics.

377
00:23:02,080 --> 00:23:03,840
But are there other factors?

378
00:23:03,840 --> 00:23:04,800
Oh, sure.

379
00:23:04,800 --> 00:23:08,640
Because the Earth rotates, there's turning due to the Coriolis effect.

380
00:23:08,640 --> 00:23:11,920
Isn't that when the wind is deflected to the right in the northern hemisphere

381
00:23:11,920 --> 00:23:13,840
and the left in the southern hemisphere?

382
00:23:13,840 --> 00:23:14,160
Yes.

383
00:23:14,800 --> 00:23:18,000
And another factor that steers currents is the topography.

384
00:23:18,000 --> 00:23:20,880
The hills and valleys on the ocean floor.

385
00:23:20,880 --> 00:23:24,640
How does the topography underwater affect the surface currents?

386
00:23:25,600 --> 00:23:26,240
I'll show you.

387
00:23:30,880 --> 00:23:31,760
Sit on the stool.

388
00:23:32,560 --> 00:23:34,400
Now, don't try this without an adult.

389
00:23:34,960 --> 00:23:37,360
But I want you to stick your arms and legs out.

390
00:23:37,360 --> 00:23:41,200
And once I spin you, I want you to bring your arms and legs in close to your body.

391
00:23:41,200 --> 00:23:41,680
OK?

392
00:23:42,240 --> 00:23:42,720
You ready?

393
00:23:51,440 --> 00:23:52,480
What happened?

394
00:23:52,480 --> 00:23:56,240
I spun slower when my arms and legs were out and faster when they were in.

395
00:23:56,480 --> 00:23:58,960
Topography does the same thing to currents.

396
00:23:59,520 --> 00:24:01,920
If a current flows over an underwater mountain,

397
00:24:02,480 --> 00:24:05,520
the water column gets flattened and compresses.

398
00:24:05,520 --> 00:24:06,800
That's you with your legs out.

399
00:24:07,600 --> 00:24:10,960
The water spins differently and the currents get deflected.

400
00:24:10,960 --> 00:24:14,640
Why are some surface currents cold and some others warm?

401
00:24:14,640 --> 00:24:17,120
It depends on where the water's coming from.

402
00:24:17,120 --> 00:24:20,080
If it's coming from the poles, it's cold.

403
00:24:20,080 --> 00:24:22,560
If it's from the tropics, it's warm.

404
00:24:22,560 --> 00:24:24,960
Do warming currents affect the surface currents?

405
00:24:25,600 --> 00:24:28,480
Do warm and cold currents affect the climate of an area?

406
00:24:28,480 --> 00:24:30,080
That's a good question, Bianca.

407
00:24:30,080 --> 00:24:30,800
Yes, they do.

408
00:24:31,520 --> 00:24:35,920
For example, Ireland is pretty far north and you might expect it to be cold there.

409
00:24:35,920 --> 00:24:40,000
But the Gulf Stream flows past Ireland and the warm water heats the air,

410
00:24:40,000 --> 00:24:42,480
which helps to create a surprisingly mild climate.

411
00:24:43,120 --> 00:24:45,120
They even have palm trees in Ireland.

412
00:24:45,840 --> 00:24:46,240
Really?

413
00:24:47,040 --> 00:24:49,040
With currents located in every ocean,

414
00:24:49,040 --> 00:24:52,960
I guess they could be responsible for bringing the tennis shoes and oil to our beach.

415
00:24:52,960 --> 00:24:55,840
It's possible, but you've got to be careful.

416
00:24:55,840 --> 00:24:58,880
The same current can transport things to different places.

417
00:24:59,440 --> 00:25:00,480
How does that happen?

418
00:25:10,960 --> 00:25:14,880
You drop the balls at the same time and all in about the same place.

419
00:25:15,440 --> 00:25:16,960
They ended up in different places.

420
00:25:17,920 --> 00:25:18,720
Why?

421
00:25:18,720 --> 00:25:21,280
Is it because there are so many different variables,

422
00:25:21,280 --> 00:25:24,080
such as the pits in the pavement or even the shape of the ball?

423
00:25:24,800 --> 00:25:26,080
Exactly.

424
00:25:26,080 --> 00:25:27,920
The same thing happens in the ocean.

425
00:25:28,480 --> 00:25:32,320
Tiny variations in the current can lead to large differences

426
00:25:32,320 --> 00:25:35,600
where the current might actually move things like your tennis shoes.

427
00:25:35,600 --> 00:25:37,040
Wow, that's amazing.

428
00:25:37,840 --> 00:25:39,120
I'm curious.

429
00:25:39,120 --> 00:25:40,800
Why does NASA study currents?

430
00:25:41,440 --> 00:25:44,480
Earth's oceans have the greatest influence on climate.

431
00:25:44,480 --> 00:25:48,800
And only from space can we monitor the vast oceans on a global scale

432
00:25:48,800 --> 00:25:53,040
and monitor critical changes in the currents and the heat storage.

433
00:25:53,040 --> 00:25:54,720
Why is that so important?

434
00:25:54,720 --> 00:25:57,440
Well, the oceans cover 70% of the Earth

435
00:25:57,440 --> 00:26:00,800
and the currents in the ocean are an important part of the water cycle.

436
00:26:01,760 --> 00:26:05,920
Any change in the water cycle can cause major consequences on our Earth.

437
00:26:05,920 --> 00:26:08,000
How does NASA monitor the ocean?

438
00:26:08,000 --> 00:26:11,040
We use different satellites to monitor things like currents,

439
00:26:11,600 --> 00:26:15,120
waves, temperature, and pretty soon even salinity.

440
00:26:15,120 --> 00:26:17,120
That's really interesting.

441
00:26:17,120 --> 00:26:21,040
I'm always amazed at all the research NASA does to help protect our Earth.

442
00:26:21,040 --> 00:26:22,240
Thanks, Dr. Adamek.

443
00:26:22,240 --> 00:26:24,560
This information has been very helpful.

444
00:26:24,560 --> 00:26:25,280
You're welcome.

445
00:26:26,000 --> 00:26:27,520
And call if you have any more questions.

446
00:26:33,920 --> 00:26:35,280
Are you ready for some research?

447
00:26:35,920 --> 00:26:37,840
I love doing research with Dr. D.

448
00:26:37,840 --> 00:26:39,680
Did you bring the items I requested?

449
00:26:39,680 --> 00:26:40,560
Of course.

450
00:26:40,560 --> 00:26:43,360
I brought some old tennis shoes and Catherine brought some soccer cones.

451
00:26:43,360 --> 00:26:44,080
Great.

452
00:26:44,080 --> 00:26:46,480
I wanted to meet you here at the Hubba Hubba Highway

453
00:26:46,480 --> 00:26:49,200
because the speed of its current is a lot like the Gulf Stream.

454
00:26:50,320 --> 00:26:52,480
It looks like it's moving pretty fast.

455
00:26:52,480 --> 00:26:54,400
Does the Gulf Stream move that fast?

456
00:26:54,400 --> 00:26:55,360
Let's find out.

457
00:26:55,360 --> 00:26:57,360
I brought a stopwatch and a measuring tape.

458
00:26:57,360 --> 00:26:59,120
We can find its velocity or speed.

459
00:26:59,120 --> 00:27:01,040
I know the formula for velocity.

460
00:27:01,040 --> 00:27:02,800
It's distance divided by time.

461
00:27:02,800 --> 00:27:05,600
So if we measure the distance between two points

462
00:27:05,600 --> 00:27:07,840
and then time a floating object between them,

463
00:27:07,840 --> 00:27:09,440
then we can find the velocity.

464
00:27:09,440 --> 00:27:10,240
Very good.

465
00:27:10,240 --> 00:27:11,680
We need to do five trials.

466
00:27:11,680 --> 00:27:14,080
You should always do more than one trial in an experiment

467
00:27:14,080 --> 00:27:15,600
and then find the average.

468
00:27:15,600 --> 00:27:16,400
Excellent.

469
00:27:16,400 --> 00:27:19,840
Next, we need to decide how far apart the two points should be

470
00:27:19,840 --> 00:27:21,760
and mark the distance with the cones.

471
00:27:21,760 --> 00:27:23,920
How about putting them 10 meters apart?

472
00:27:23,920 --> 00:27:24,720
Fine.

473
00:27:24,720 --> 00:27:26,320
What object should we time?

474
00:27:26,320 --> 00:27:27,120
Oh, I get it.

475
00:27:27,120 --> 00:27:28,800
That's why we brought these tennis shoes.

476
00:27:28,800 --> 00:27:29,520
That's correct.

477
00:27:29,520 --> 00:27:30,320
Let's get started.

478
00:27:41,680 --> 00:27:47,280
Let's see.

479
00:27:47,280 --> 00:27:55,600
Our five trials averaged 8.65 seconds.

480
00:27:56,160 --> 00:28:00,160
So if we use the formula and divide 10 by 8.65,

481
00:28:00,160 --> 00:28:04,880
that means that the velocity is about 1.2 meters per second.

482
00:28:04,880 --> 00:28:09,920
The Gulf Stream's velocity averages between about 1 and 1.5 meters per second.

483
00:28:09,920 --> 00:28:14,080
Wow, both the Hubba Hubba Highway and the Gulf Stream move really fast.

484
00:28:14,080 --> 00:28:17,440
Now it's time for you to experience the power of the Gulf Stream by

485
00:28:17,440 --> 00:28:18,880
swimming against the current.

486
00:28:18,880 --> 00:28:20,160
This should be easy.

487
00:28:20,160 --> 00:28:23,520
Let's see which one of you is a stronger swimmer.

488
00:28:23,520 --> 00:28:25,280
I predict no contest.

489
00:28:25,280 --> 00:28:26,800
That's right. I'll be the champ.

490
00:28:26,800 --> 00:28:40,880
Wow, that was a lot harder than I expected.

491
00:28:40,880 --> 00:28:44,480
I can certainly see why it took two weeks longer to get mail in colonial days

492
00:28:44,480 --> 00:28:46,560
when the ships were sailing against the current.

493
00:28:46,560 --> 00:28:48,800
Okay, there's still more research to do.

494
00:28:49,440 --> 00:28:53,760
Let's float around the Hubba Hubba Highway and see if we all float at the same speed.

495
00:28:53,760 --> 00:28:55,440
This sounds like my kind of research.

496
00:28:56,800 --> 00:29:12,080
So what's up?

497
00:29:12,080 --> 00:29:14,960
Did a surface or density current bring the tennis shoes onto the beach?

498
00:29:15,600 --> 00:29:18,480
Why is the velocity of a current important to solving this case?

499
00:29:19,200 --> 00:29:21,280
Will the treehouse detectives discover oil?

500
00:29:21,920 --> 00:29:23,040
Don't go away.

501
00:29:23,040 --> 00:29:26,880
Stay tuned to learn what happens next in the Case of the Ocean Odyssey.

502
00:29:31,280 --> 00:29:32,640
Answer the following questions.

503
00:29:33,280 --> 00:29:35,920
What condition must exist for oil and gas to form?

504
00:29:36,880 --> 00:29:39,760
In North America, where does most oil pollution come from?

505
00:29:40,480 --> 00:29:42,000
What does the ocean floor look like?

506
00:29:44,640 --> 00:29:47,440
Mr. Bernhard works here at the Houston Museum of Natural Science.

507
00:29:47,440 --> 00:29:50,560
I asked him if he could tell me more about oil and especially where to find it.

508
00:29:50,560 --> 00:29:52,880
Welcome to the Houston Museum of Natural Science.

509
00:29:52,880 --> 00:29:55,280
You've come to the right place if you want to learn about oil.

510
00:29:55,280 --> 00:29:58,240
I learned in school that oil, gas, and coal are called fossil fuels

511
00:29:58,240 --> 00:30:00,960
because they're made from plants and animals that lived millions of years ago.

512
00:30:00,960 --> 00:30:03,440
That's correct, but we actually have to start further back than that

513
00:30:03,440 --> 00:30:04,960
when the Earth was first formed.

514
00:30:04,960 --> 00:30:05,520
Really?

515
00:30:05,520 --> 00:30:08,320
Billions of years ago, the Earth's crust began to move around

516
00:30:08,320 --> 00:30:10,240
on top of the Earth's hot liquid center.

517
00:30:10,240 --> 00:30:14,240
This movement created spaces between the land known as sedimentary basins.

518
00:30:14,240 --> 00:30:14,880
Let me show you.

519
00:30:15,600 --> 00:30:17,200
That's what I call research.

520
00:30:17,200 --> 00:30:22,320
Just imagine that the chocolate is the land and the chewy caramel is the Earth's liquid center.

521
00:30:22,320 --> 00:30:24,480
You see the sunken spaces opening?

522
00:30:24,480 --> 00:30:27,760
These basins made the perfect places for oil and gas to form.

523
00:30:27,760 --> 00:30:30,880
Cool. So what happened after the basins formed?

524
00:30:30,880 --> 00:30:35,120
These basins fill with water, forming oceans, seas, and large lakes.

525
00:30:35,120 --> 00:30:38,640
Billions of microscopic plants and animals thrived in these basins.

526
00:30:38,640 --> 00:30:40,800
How did the plants and animals become oil?

527
00:30:40,800 --> 00:30:44,880
The plants and animals died and their remains piled up on the basin floor.

528
00:30:44,880 --> 00:30:48,240
This organic matter eventually transformed into oil and gas.

529
00:30:48,240 --> 00:30:51,280
Wouldn't the dead plants and animals just decay and decompose?

530
00:30:51,280 --> 00:30:52,800
Under normal conditions, yes.

531
00:30:52,800 --> 00:30:56,560
But for oil and gas to form, anaerobic conditions must exist.

532
00:30:56,560 --> 00:30:58,480
What are anaerobic conditions?

533
00:30:58,480 --> 00:31:00,720
Those are just places where there's no oxygen present.

534
00:31:01,280 --> 00:31:03,520
The organic material was then covered by sediment,

535
00:31:03,520 --> 00:31:06,160
forming distinct layers of sedimentary rock.

536
00:31:06,160 --> 00:31:06,880
Have a look at this.

537
00:31:12,720 --> 00:31:13,760
That's cool.

538
00:31:13,760 --> 00:31:17,920
So once the organic matter is covered with sediment, how does it become oil?

539
00:31:17,920 --> 00:31:22,320
The weight of the layers of mud and sand, combined with heat from inside the earth,

540
00:31:22,320 --> 00:31:24,400
turn the mud and sand into layers of rock.

541
00:31:24,400 --> 00:31:27,120
We learned that the deeper you go into the earth, the hotter it gets.

542
00:31:27,120 --> 00:31:31,040
That's right. And as the organic source rock was buried deeper and deeper,

543
00:31:31,040 --> 00:31:34,560
temperatures reached 100 to 150 degrees Celsius,

544
00:31:34,560 --> 00:31:40,160
cooking the organic matter into a gooey black soup that became black gold or Texas tea.

545
00:31:40,160 --> 00:31:42,160
Tony would like to hear about black gold.

546
00:31:42,160 --> 00:31:44,400
The rock above the oil may look solid,

547
00:31:44,400 --> 00:31:48,480
but it actually is very porous and contains millions of tiny holes.

548
00:31:48,480 --> 00:31:50,400
You see this flask of oil and water?

549
00:31:50,400 --> 00:31:52,240
Can you tell which layer is on top?

550
00:31:52,240 --> 00:31:53,920
It's definitely the oil.

551
00:31:53,920 --> 00:31:54,800
You're correct.

552
00:31:54,800 --> 00:31:58,960
Oil is lighter than water, so it keeps floating up through the spaces in the rock above it.

553
00:31:58,960 --> 00:32:03,440
It will eventually either reach the surface or be trapped by an impermeable layer of rock.

554
00:32:03,440 --> 00:32:05,040
You mean rock without holes.

555
00:32:05,040 --> 00:32:05,600
Yes.

556
00:32:05,600 --> 00:32:08,960
This layer traps the oil and it begins to build a reservoir.

557
00:32:08,960 --> 00:32:10,800
This information is really helpful.

558
00:32:10,800 --> 00:32:13,040
Now I just need to find out how you get the oil out of the ground.

559
00:32:13,040 --> 00:32:15,920
We've got some great exhibits here to help you learn how oil is extracted.

560
00:32:15,920 --> 00:32:16,960
Feel free to look around.

561
00:32:16,960 --> 00:32:18,080
Thanks, Mr. Bernhard.

562
00:32:18,080 --> 00:32:20,000
You might also want to talk to Mr. Wells.

563
00:32:20,000 --> 00:32:22,080
He's at the Ocean Star Museum in Galveston.

564
00:32:22,080 --> 00:32:23,680
It used to be a working oil rig.

565
00:32:23,680 --> 00:32:24,480
That would be great.

566
00:32:28,640 --> 00:32:29,520
Hi, Jacob.

567
00:32:29,520 --> 00:32:30,720
How can I help you?

568
00:32:30,720 --> 00:32:33,840
Can you research any recent oil spills from oil rigs?

569
00:32:33,840 --> 00:32:34,880
Of course I can.

570
00:32:34,880 --> 00:32:36,560
We're here doing research right now.

571
00:32:37,520 --> 00:32:40,160
For some great tools to help you evaluate the content of websites,

572
00:32:40,160 --> 00:32:41,760
visit the NASA SciFiles website.

573
00:32:45,920 --> 00:32:46,800
Hi, Mr. Wells.

574
00:32:46,800 --> 00:32:47,520
I'm Jacob.

575
00:32:47,520 --> 00:32:48,320
Hello, Jacob.

576
00:32:49,120 --> 00:32:52,560
Can you tell me more about offshore oil exploration and production?

577
00:32:52,560 --> 00:32:53,280
Sure.

578
00:32:53,280 --> 00:32:54,720
This is the perfect spot.

579
00:32:54,720 --> 00:32:57,120
We are standing on the drill floor of the Ocean Star.

580
00:32:58,160 --> 00:32:58,560
Wow.

581
00:32:59,360 --> 00:33:00,640
This looks very interesting.

582
00:33:01,440 --> 00:33:02,880
What's the tower for?

583
00:33:02,880 --> 00:33:04,320
It's called a derrick.

584
00:33:04,320 --> 00:33:08,720
It has a pulley system for raising and lowering lengths of casing and drill pipe.

585
00:33:08,720 --> 00:33:09,600
Casings?

586
00:33:09,600 --> 00:33:10,240
Yes.

587
00:33:10,240 --> 00:33:13,280
Casing is steel pipe that forms the wall of the wellbore

588
00:33:13,280 --> 00:33:15,440
to ensure the stability of the well we've drilled.

589
00:33:15,440 --> 00:33:16,640
What happens next?

590
00:33:16,640 --> 00:33:19,200
Next, a drill bit is attached to the drill pipe

591
00:33:19,200 --> 00:33:22,560
and the whole assembly rotates like a hand drill to cut the hole.

592
00:33:22,560 --> 00:33:23,840
I read about drill bits.

593
00:33:23,840 --> 00:33:24,880
They can cut through rock.

594
00:33:24,880 --> 00:33:25,520
That's right.

595
00:33:25,520 --> 00:33:27,840
Actually, they're specifically designed to just do that.

596
00:33:27,840 --> 00:33:31,120
As we rotate the drill pipe and the drill bit, it cuts up the rock

597
00:33:31,120 --> 00:33:34,320
and we pump mud down the drill pipe to help bring the cuttings back to surface.

598
00:33:34,960 --> 00:33:35,280
Mud?

599
00:33:35,920 --> 00:33:38,000
You mean like water and dirt?

600
00:33:38,000 --> 00:33:38,960
Well, not exactly.

601
00:33:38,960 --> 00:33:42,320
This is a specialized drilling fluid we use to help cool the bit

602
00:33:42,320 --> 00:33:44,320
and bring the cuttings back to the surface.

603
00:33:44,320 --> 00:33:46,080
Do you always find oil when you drill?

604
00:33:46,080 --> 00:33:47,600
Unfortunately, not always.

605
00:33:47,600 --> 00:33:52,320
But through new technology, NASA satellite imaging and seismic techniques,

606
00:33:52,320 --> 00:33:54,880
we've actually greatly increased our chances of finding oil.

607
00:33:54,880 --> 00:33:57,600
Once you find oil, how do you get it out of the ground?

608
00:33:57,600 --> 00:34:01,760
After removing the drill pipe and bit, production tubing is put into the wellbore.

609
00:34:01,760 --> 00:34:04,880
Then a perforating gun is used to make holes through the cement and casing

610
00:34:04,880 --> 00:34:06,560
so the oil can flow into the well.

611
00:34:06,560 --> 00:34:08,880
We're looking for a source of oil pollution in the ocean.

612
00:34:09,040 --> 00:34:12,080
Are there offshore oil rigs on the east coast of the United States?

613
00:34:12,080 --> 00:34:13,440
Actually, there aren't any.

614
00:34:13,440 --> 00:34:15,440
Most of them are in the Gulf of Mexico.

615
00:34:15,440 --> 00:34:20,000
Did you know on a worldwide basis, less than 3% of the oil pollution

616
00:34:20,000 --> 00:34:23,280
comes from offshore exploration and production operations?

617
00:34:23,280 --> 00:34:26,640
In fact, the ones that I've been involved in, it's little if any.

618
00:34:26,640 --> 00:34:28,560
Wow, that's not very much.

619
00:34:28,560 --> 00:34:30,480
Where does most of the oil pollution come from?

620
00:34:30,480 --> 00:34:34,480
Actually, in North American waters, greater than 60% comes from natural seepage.

621
00:34:34,480 --> 00:34:37,200
You mean it just bubbles up from the floor of the ocean?

622
00:34:37,200 --> 00:34:37,920
That's right.

623
00:34:37,920 --> 00:34:41,920
Once the oil moves up through the earth to the ocean floor, it just rises to the surface.

624
00:34:41,920 --> 00:34:43,840
Because oil is less dense than water.

625
00:34:43,840 --> 00:34:44,400
Very good.

626
00:34:45,040 --> 00:34:50,240
And the Gulf of Mexico is one of the largest natural sources of oil seepage in North America.

627
00:34:50,240 --> 00:34:52,560
It sounds like we need to learn more about oil seepage.

628
00:34:52,560 --> 00:34:53,680
That's a good idea.

629
00:34:53,680 --> 00:34:58,080
A marine geologist can help you learn more about the geology and topography of the ocean floor.

630
00:34:58,080 --> 00:34:59,200
Thanks, Mr. Wells.

631
00:34:59,200 --> 00:35:00,160
You're welcome.

632
00:35:00,160 --> 00:35:02,160
While you're here, let me show you more of the drilling rig.

633
00:35:05,040 --> 00:35:05,920
Hi, Jacob.

634
00:35:05,920 --> 00:35:06,480
Welcome back.

635
00:35:07,920 --> 00:35:11,440
Did you find out if there have been any reported oil spills from oil rigs?

636
00:35:11,440 --> 00:35:12,400
I have.

637
00:35:12,400 --> 00:35:17,040
And there hasn't been a single report of an oil spill or oil rig accident.

638
00:35:17,040 --> 00:35:18,000
That's good.

639
00:35:18,000 --> 00:35:21,600
Mr. Wells mentioned that oil sometimes just naturally seeps from the ocean floor.

640
00:35:22,320 --> 00:35:23,680
Maybe that's a lead.

641
00:35:23,680 --> 00:35:27,360
I also did some research on the tennis shoes with the calculations from Water Country.

642
00:35:27,360 --> 00:35:28,080
What did you find?

643
00:35:28,640 --> 00:35:32,000
Even if the surface current travels as fast as the Gulf Stream,

644
00:35:32,000 --> 00:35:34,960
the shoes from the container couldn't get here as quickly as they did.

645
00:35:34,960 --> 00:35:36,640
Guess it wasn't surface currents.

646
00:35:37,120 --> 00:35:39,360
This investigation is getting interesting.

647
00:35:39,360 --> 00:35:41,200
I think we need to go to the problem board.

648
00:35:41,920 --> 00:35:42,640
OK.

649
00:35:42,640 --> 00:35:46,800
We know that tennis shoes and what we believe to be oil gloves washed up on the beach.

650
00:35:46,800 --> 00:35:49,760
We know that currents travel long distances around the world

651
00:35:49,760 --> 00:35:52,080
and could have brought the shoes in from far away.

652
00:35:52,080 --> 00:35:55,600
And oil reserves formed millions of years ago in sedimentary basins.

653
00:35:56,160 --> 00:35:57,920
And that's some oil seeps out naturally.

654
00:35:57,920 --> 00:36:03,120
We also know now that there are no reported oil spills from offshore rigs or oil tankers.

655
00:36:03,120 --> 00:36:07,360
I think we need to verify what was in the containment that fell overboard last week.

656
00:36:07,360 --> 00:36:09,840
You know IM is good at jumping to conclusions.

657
00:36:09,840 --> 00:36:13,360
We also need to know if natural seepage caused our oil globs.

658
00:36:13,360 --> 00:36:17,440
We better not tell Tony or he'll be looking for oil in his spare time.

659
00:36:17,440 --> 00:36:18,640
I'm serious.

660
00:36:18,640 --> 00:36:21,440
I think that needs to be our new hypothesis for the oil globs.

661
00:36:21,440 --> 00:36:24,320
If oil is seeping naturally from somewhere along the East Coast,

662
00:36:24,320 --> 00:36:25,920
then it will wash up on our beach.

663
00:36:25,920 --> 00:36:29,520
I wouldn't be too quick to make this seeping possibility our hypothesis.

664
00:36:30,080 --> 00:36:31,440
Remember in your report,

665
00:36:31,440 --> 00:36:35,840
Mr. Wells said that the Gulf of Mexico is the largest natural seepage area.

666
00:36:35,840 --> 00:36:37,840
But Jacob could be on to something.

667
00:36:37,840 --> 00:36:41,680
Maybe we need to learn more about seeping oils and the topography of the ocean floor.

668
00:36:41,680 --> 00:36:44,720
Mr. Wells did suggest that we talk to a marine geologist.

669
00:36:44,720 --> 00:36:47,360
We need to find a marine geologist to help us out.

670
00:36:47,360 --> 00:36:49,120
I remember Mr. McNinch.

671
00:36:49,120 --> 00:36:52,880
He told us about hot spots on the ocean floor in the case of the disappearing dirt.

672
00:36:52,880 --> 00:36:55,200
I think he might be just the person to talk to.

673
00:36:55,200 --> 00:36:56,240
Good idea.

674
00:36:56,240 --> 00:36:59,040
He's from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science.

675
00:36:59,040 --> 00:37:00,320
Or VIMS for short.

676
00:37:00,320 --> 00:37:02,720
We need to see if Cayley can meet up with him.

677
00:37:02,720 --> 00:37:07,760
Oh, by the way, Jacob, Tony told us that the lack of noise is starting to get to him.

678
00:37:07,760 --> 00:37:10,160
But I'll ask him about natural oil seepage.

679
00:37:10,160 --> 00:37:12,160
Cayley said she would be able to meet with him.

680
00:37:12,160 --> 00:37:14,880
But Dr. McNinch referred us to Miss Jennifer Macellus.

681
00:37:15,840 --> 00:37:17,920
I'm here at VIMS with Miss Macellus.

682
00:37:17,920 --> 00:37:21,600
She's showing me the vessels they use to map and take core samples.

683
00:37:21,600 --> 00:37:24,480
We learned that there are mountains and valleys on the ocean floor

684
00:37:24,480 --> 00:37:26,480
and that there's natural oil seepage.

685
00:37:26,560 --> 00:37:29,120
We need to know more about the topography of the ocean.

686
00:37:29,120 --> 00:37:31,280
Can you tell me exactly what the floor looks like?

687
00:37:31,280 --> 00:37:32,320
It's magnificent.

688
00:37:32,320 --> 00:37:34,400
Under the ocean you can find the tallest mountains,

689
00:37:34,400 --> 00:37:35,520
the deepest valleys,

690
00:37:35,520 --> 00:37:37,120
and the flattest plains on Earth.

691
00:37:37,120 --> 00:37:38,480
Sounds fascinating.

692
00:37:38,480 --> 00:37:41,360
But I don't see any mountains or valleys when I swim.

693
00:37:41,360 --> 00:37:44,080
That's because where you swim is actually the continental shelf.

694
00:37:44,080 --> 00:37:46,400
This area is located along the edge of the continent

695
00:37:46,400 --> 00:37:49,280
and can extend 10 to 200 kilometers offshore.

696
00:37:49,280 --> 00:37:51,200
So are mountains the next area?

697
00:37:51,200 --> 00:37:51,600
No.

698
00:37:51,600 --> 00:37:53,200
Next comes the continental slope.

699
00:37:53,200 --> 00:37:54,640
It starts at the edge of the shelf

700
00:37:54,640 --> 00:37:57,040
and dips steeply until you reach the abyssal plain,

701
00:37:57,040 --> 00:37:59,200
which is one of the flattest areas on Earth.

702
00:37:59,200 --> 00:38:02,160
And the next area is where the tallest mountains are, right?

703
00:38:02,160 --> 00:38:02,800
Right.

704
00:38:02,800 --> 00:38:03,920
In the middle of the ocean,

705
00:38:03,920 --> 00:38:06,560
there are mountain ridges called mid-ocean ridges.

706
00:38:06,560 --> 00:38:08,480
This is where the seafloor is spreading apart,

707
00:38:08,480 --> 00:38:10,720
making new seafloor and building mountains.

708
00:38:10,720 --> 00:38:12,720
I learned about the seafloor spreading apart

709
00:38:12,720 --> 00:38:14,320
in the case of the shaky quake

710
00:38:14,320 --> 00:38:16,240
when we learned about plate tectonics.

711
00:38:16,240 --> 00:38:17,040
Very good.

712
00:38:17,040 --> 00:38:19,840
You'll also find volcanoes over those ridges

713
00:38:19,840 --> 00:38:21,840
and over hot spots in the Earth's crust.

714
00:38:21,840 --> 00:38:24,880
If a volcano grows tall enough to rise above sea level,

715
00:38:24,880 --> 00:38:25,920
they form islands.

716
00:38:25,920 --> 00:38:27,360
Just like the Hawaiian Islands,

717
00:38:27,360 --> 00:38:29,200
didn't they form over a hot spot?

718
00:38:29,200 --> 00:38:29,920
That's right.

719
00:38:29,920 --> 00:38:32,080
And if a volcano doesn't break the surface of the water,

720
00:38:32,080 --> 00:38:33,280
then it's called a seamount.

721
00:38:33,280 --> 00:38:34,800
There are also deep ocean trenches.

722
00:38:34,800 --> 00:38:36,720
I always thought of the ocean as sandy.

723
00:38:36,720 --> 00:38:37,920
Under the ocean is a whole world

724
00:38:37,920 --> 00:38:39,200
just waiting to be discovered.

725
00:38:39,200 --> 00:38:40,640
And that's where the core samples come in.

726
00:38:40,640 --> 00:38:43,440
Why do you take core samples of the ocean floor?

727
00:38:43,440 --> 00:38:46,560
Seismic reflection images show buried ancient river channels

728
00:38:46,560 --> 00:38:48,880
located near here during the last ice age.

729
00:38:48,880 --> 00:38:50,960
Coring helps us to verify that they exist.

730
00:38:50,960 --> 00:38:52,720
It seems like we have another mystery,

731
00:38:52,720 --> 00:38:53,760
and we need your help.

732
00:38:53,760 --> 00:38:54,240
Sure thing.

733
00:38:54,240 --> 00:38:55,040
What can I do?

734
00:38:55,040 --> 00:38:56,560
Right now, we're trying to find out

735
00:38:56,560 --> 00:38:58,960
where the oil globs on our beach came from.

736
00:38:58,960 --> 00:39:01,440
Mr. Wells said that oil sometimes seeps out

737
00:39:01,440 --> 00:39:02,800
naturally from the ocean,

738
00:39:02,800 --> 00:39:04,880
so we need to learn more about oil seeps.

739
00:39:04,880 --> 00:39:08,080
Oil and gas can seep directly onto the surface of the Earth

740
00:39:08,080 --> 00:39:09,280
or into the oceans.

741
00:39:09,280 --> 00:39:10,800
Are seeps very common?

742
00:39:10,800 --> 00:39:12,160
Yes, they're quite common.

743
00:39:12,160 --> 00:39:13,520
Did you know in California,

744
00:39:13,520 --> 00:39:16,400
every oil and gas field discovered between 1860

745
00:39:16,400 --> 00:39:17,920
and the early 1900s

746
00:39:17,920 --> 00:39:21,040
was actually found by people seeing it seep up from the Earth?

747
00:39:21,040 --> 00:39:22,880
So how does oil and gas seep out?

748
00:39:22,880 --> 00:39:24,240
Seeps can come from a single point

749
00:39:24,240 --> 00:39:26,960
or from as many as 30,000 individual little holes.

750
00:39:26,960 --> 00:39:29,040
Divers describe high seepage areas

751
00:39:29,040 --> 00:39:31,440
as looking like a whole bunch of gopher holes.

752
00:39:31,440 --> 00:39:33,280
How much oil and gas seeps out?

753
00:39:33,280 --> 00:39:34,640
It varies from place to place

754
00:39:34,640 --> 00:39:37,120
and can range from nearly impossible to detect

755
00:39:37,120 --> 00:39:40,480
to thick oil films with globular deposits called tarballs.

756
00:39:40,480 --> 00:39:42,320
That sounds like what's on our beach.

757
00:39:42,320 --> 00:39:44,160
We learned that most of the oil seepage

758
00:39:44,160 --> 00:39:46,160
occurs along the Gulf of Mexico,

759
00:39:46,160 --> 00:39:47,200
so we thought that a current

760
00:39:47,200 --> 00:39:49,680
could be carrying the oil globs to our beach.

761
00:39:49,680 --> 00:39:51,360
But we learned that there aren't any currents

762
00:39:51,360 --> 00:39:54,080
that carry things to Virginia from the Gulf of Mexico.

763
00:39:54,080 --> 00:39:55,200
What about the Gulf Stream?

764
00:39:55,200 --> 00:39:56,400
We know that the Gulf Stream

765
00:39:56,400 --> 00:39:59,280
flows northward from the central part of the Atlantic Ocean

766
00:39:59,280 --> 00:40:02,000
and turns back towards Europe up around Canada.

767
00:40:02,000 --> 00:40:03,680
So I don't think that's the answer.

768
00:40:03,680 --> 00:40:05,360
You might want to learn more about the Gulf Stream.

769
00:40:05,360 --> 00:40:06,400
You're right.

770
00:40:06,400 --> 00:40:08,000
Maybe it is the Gulf Stream.

771
00:40:08,000 --> 00:40:09,200
Thanks, Ms. Macellus.

772
00:40:09,200 --> 00:40:09,760
You're welcome.

773
00:40:09,760 --> 00:40:11,680
It's my pleasure to help out the treehouse detectives.

774
00:40:12,320 --> 00:40:13,360
Let me show you something else.

775
00:40:46,160 --> 00:41:02,400
Hi, Tony.

776
00:41:02,400 --> 00:41:04,560
Welcome to the underwater research lab.

777
00:41:04,560 --> 00:41:05,760
Your place, Dr. D.

778
00:41:05,760 --> 00:41:06,640
Thanks for inviting me.

779
00:41:07,200 --> 00:41:09,520
I understand that you have some exploration in mind.

780
00:41:09,520 --> 00:41:10,560
I certainly do.

781
00:41:10,560 --> 00:41:13,040
I was amazed to find out how much scuba divers can accomplish

782
00:41:13,040 --> 00:41:15,680
when they stay in an underwater habitat like the Aquarius.

783
00:41:16,160 --> 00:41:19,360
Scuba divers generally have a maximum depth of 40 meters

784
00:41:19,360 --> 00:41:22,080
and with special equipment, maybe up to 600 meters.

785
00:41:22,800 --> 00:41:24,080
Why can't they go deeper?

786
00:41:24,080 --> 00:41:25,680
Well, the real problem is pressure.

787
00:41:25,680 --> 00:41:28,480
The deeper you go in the ocean, the greater the pressure.

788
00:41:28,480 --> 00:41:29,840
Why is pressure a problem?

789
00:41:29,840 --> 00:41:31,600
Well, look at this bottle.

790
00:41:31,600 --> 00:41:33,520
How did you crush the bottle, Dr. D?

791
00:41:33,520 --> 00:41:34,080
I didn't.

792
00:41:34,080 --> 00:41:36,080
The pressure crushed the bottle as I brought it down

793
00:41:36,080 --> 00:41:37,360
to the lab from the surface.

794
00:41:37,360 --> 00:41:38,880
Every 10 meters out in the ocean,

795
00:41:38,880 --> 00:41:40,880
the pressure increases by one atmosphere.

796
00:41:41,760 --> 00:41:47,920
So what if my treasure is, say, theoretically deeper than 600 meters?

797
00:41:47,920 --> 00:41:50,160
You can use a submersible or mini submarine.

798
00:41:50,160 --> 00:41:53,120
They have thick reinforced walls instead of increased air pressure.

799
00:41:53,120 --> 00:41:56,080
It can go as deep as 6,500 meters.

800
00:41:56,080 --> 00:41:58,720
So you're saying if I brought a glass bottle down to the Aquarius,

801
00:41:58,720 --> 00:42:01,440
it wouldn't collapse because it's stronger than the plastic bottle?

802
00:42:01,440 --> 00:42:02,000
Very good.

803
00:42:02,000 --> 00:42:05,840
Another type of submersible is an ROV or remotely operated vehicle.

804
00:42:05,840 --> 00:42:07,200
In fact, I have one right here.

805
00:42:08,400 --> 00:42:08,960
You're kidding.

806
00:42:09,680 --> 00:42:12,240
Well, mine is a lot smaller than a research vessel,

807
00:42:12,240 --> 00:42:15,040
and it uses radio control instead of a cable.

808
00:42:15,040 --> 00:42:17,280
Maybe I could use an ROV to help with my treasure hunt.

809
00:42:17,280 --> 00:42:18,080
Good idea.

810
00:42:18,080 --> 00:42:19,840
Besides locating lodged treasure ships,

811
00:42:19,840 --> 00:42:23,280
we can also use these vehicles to inspect oil rigs and pipelines

812
00:42:23,280 --> 00:42:25,920
and to investigate ocean ridges and geothermal vents.

813
00:42:26,640 --> 00:42:27,360
What are these?

814
00:42:27,360 --> 00:42:31,040
These are my two other submersibles called RBUVs.

815
00:42:31,040 --> 00:42:31,920
Let me guess.

816
00:42:31,920 --> 00:42:33,760
Rubber band underwater vehicles.

817
00:42:33,760 --> 00:42:35,040
You're really on the ball.

818
00:42:35,040 --> 00:42:37,440
Let's go outside and have an RBUV race.

819
00:42:39,120 --> 00:42:52,720
So what's up?

820
00:42:52,720 --> 00:42:55,360
Will the treehouse detectives figure out how to clean up the oil?

821
00:42:56,000 --> 00:42:58,000
Where do those tennis shoes really come from?

822
00:42:58,720 --> 00:43:02,480
Join us for the final chapter of The Case of the Ocean Odyssey.

823
00:43:04,400 --> 00:43:06,960
In the finale of The Case of the Ocean Odyssey,

824
00:43:06,960 --> 00:43:09,200
you need to look for the answers to the following questions.

825
00:43:09,760 --> 00:43:10,880
What are absorbents?

826
00:43:11,520 --> 00:43:13,120
How is an oil spill cleaned up?

827
00:43:13,920 --> 00:43:14,720
What is dispersion?

828
00:43:25,120 --> 00:43:26,960
Are you still examining those shoes?

829
00:43:27,520 --> 00:43:30,800
I believe now that these shoes have traveled a long way.

830
00:43:30,800 --> 00:43:32,000
Why do you think that?

831
00:43:32,000 --> 00:43:36,480
I was just reading about a cargo ship that lost a container near Japan years ago.

832
00:43:37,040 --> 00:43:38,880
Yes, I remember that.

833
00:43:38,880 --> 00:43:42,320
And about 10 years later, the shoes washed up on the shoreline of Seattle, Washington.

834
00:43:44,400 --> 00:43:48,640
I am listening here, bringing you this report live from Virginia Beach.

835
00:43:48,640 --> 00:43:53,600
Recently, I reported that a container of shoes fell overboard near the coastline.

836
00:43:53,600 --> 00:43:58,720
I would now like to retract that report because we have new information

837
00:43:58,720 --> 00:44:02,880
which reveals that the container actually held rubber ducks.

838
00:44:03,680 --> 00:44:07,680
I apologize for the misinformation and for jumping to conclusions.

839
00:44:09,600 --> 00:44:11,920
I thought my calculations were correct.

840
00:44:11,920 --> 00:44:14,640
I knew those shoes couldn't have come from that container.

841
00:44:14,640 --> 00:44:16,240
They got to the beach too quickly, right?

842
00:44:16,800 --> 00:44:18,240
So what do we do now?

843
00:44:18,240 --> 00:44:19,360
Problem board, Jacob.

844
00:44:19,920 --> 00:44:23,120
Okay, we know that the shoes can travel a very long distance.

845
00:44:23,120 --> 00:44:25,600
We know that currents can move objects long distances,

846
00:44:25,600 --> 00:44:28,720
so they probably got to the Virginia coast through the Gulf Stream.

847
00:44:28,720 --> 00:44:31,680
And we still need to know how the shoes got from the Gulf Stream to the beach

848
00:44:31,680 --> 00:44:33,360
and where they originally came from.

849
00:44:33,360 --> 00:44:35,520
We now know that oil seeps out naturally.

850
00:44:36,080 --> 00:44:39,120
Right now, that seems to be the only answer to the oil glob mystery.

851
00:44:39,120 --> 00:44:42,640
Even though the oil seeped out naturally, it still made a mess of the beach.

852
00:44:42,640 --> 00:44:44,880
I think we need to learn how the oil can be cleaned up.

853
00:44:46,080 --> 00:44:51,280
The NASA Sci-Files Kids Club website has a posting about cleaning up oil spills.

854
00:44:51,280 --> 00:44:54,160
It's with the Key Largo School in Key Largo, Florida.

855
00:44:54,160 --> 00:44:57,120
They're working with mentors from the Society of Women Engineers.

856
00:44:57,840 --> 00:45:00,880
Teachers, to learn more about getting a classroom mentor,

857
00:45:00,880 --> 00:45:02,800
visit the NASA Sci-Files website.

858
00:45:03,440 --> 00:45:04,320
Let's dial them up.

859
00:45:05,040 --> 00:45:06,480
Hi, I'm Wobble.

860
00:45:06,480 --> 00:45:08,560
I'm Jacqueline, and this is Devin.

861
00:45:08,560 --> 00:45:10,800
We're in Mrs. Dunn's fourth grade class.

862
00:45:11,360 --> 00:45:14,160
Hi, we saw on the NASA Sci-Files Kids Club website

863
00:45:14,160 --> 00:45:16,720
that you're working on an experiment to clean up an oil spill.

864
00:45:16,720 --> 00:45:18,080
What kind of oil did you spill?

865
00:45:18,080 --> 00:45:20,880
It's not a real oil spill, but a simulated one.

866
00:45:20,880 --> 00:45:23,120
We used vegetable oil and cocoa powder

867
00:45:23,120 --> 00:45:26,640
and mixed it together to make an environmentally friendly oil.

868
00:45:26,720 --> 00:45:27,680
That's a good idea.

869
00:45:28,240 --> 00:45:31,760
Crude oils, such as motor oil, can be damaging to the environment,

870
00:45:31,760 --> 00:45:33,440
even on a small scale.

871
00:45:33,440 --> 00:45:34,480
Exactly.

872
00:45:34,480 --> 00:45:38,000
Next, we made our own mini ocean by pouring five milliliters of salt

873
00:45:38,000 --> 00:45:40,960
into a shallow aluminum pan full of water.

874
00:45:40,960 --> 00:45:44,880
Then we slowly poured our oil on top of the water in the pan.

875
00:45:44,880 --> 00:45:45,600
What happened?

876
00:45:46,160 --> 00:45:49,440
Because oil is lighter than water, it spreads out and floats on top.

877
00:45:50,240 --> 00:45:52,480
It looks kind of pretty with rainbow colors,

878
00:45:52,480 --> 00:45:55,200
but it isn't so pretty when we try to clean it up.

879
00:45:55,200 --> 00:45:56,720
What do you use to clean it up?

880
00:45:56,720 --> 00:45:58,480
We are trying a variety of things,

881
00:45:58,480 --> 00:46:01,840
such as absorbents, skimmers, and detergents.

882
00:46:01,840 --> 00:46:03,200
What are absorbents?

883
00:46:03,200 --> 00:46:07,120
Absorbents are materials such as straw, sawdust, and peat moss

884
00:46:07,120 --> 00:46:09,840
used to absorb the oil off the top of the water.

885
00:46:09,840 --> 00:46:11,840
So did the absorbents help clean up the oil?

886
00:46:11,840 --> 00:46:12,560
Not very well.

887
00:46:12,560 --> 00:46:15,200
We still have a lot of oil left, and it's very messy.

888
00:46:15,200 --> 00:46:18,960
Next, we are trying spoons to simulate skimmers,

889
00:46:18,960 --> 00:46:23,920
which are bowl-shaped devices used to skim the oil off the top of the water.

890
00:46:24,640 --> 00:46:26,880
Does that work better than the absorbents?

891
00:46:26,880 --> 00:46:28,960
No, and we didn't get much oil either.

892
00:46:28,960 --> 00:46:30,480
Last, we are trying detergent.

893
00:46:30,480 --> 00:46:32,000
That works much better.

894
00:46:32,000 --> 00:46:34,640
The oil immediately moves and forms gobs,

895
00:46:34,640 --> 00:46:37,840
but a lot of detergent wouldn't be good for the environment.

896
00:46:37,840 --> 00:46:39,840
That would turn into one big bubble bath.

897
00:46:40,400 --> 00:46:42,240
So what did you conclude with your experiment?

898
00:46:42,240 --> 00:46:46,640
We concluded that there is no easy way to clean up an oil spill,

899
00:46:46,640 --> 00:46:49,680
but the best thing is to prevent them from ever happening.

900
00:46:49,680 --> 00:46:50,640
I agree.

901
00:46:50,640 --> 00:46:52,720
Thanks for sharing your experiment with us.

902
00:46:52,720 --> 00:46:53,360
You're welcome.

903
00:46:54,000 --> 00:47:02,000
Goodbye from Mrs. Dunn's class at Key Largo School in Key Largo, Florida.

904
00:47:05,200 --> 00:47:09,280
Wow, cleaning up oil is complicated and not so easy.

905
00:47:09,280 --> 00:47:11,760
It seems like it would take years to get the job done.

906
00:47:11,760 --> 00:47:13,520
I spilled oil on my mom's kitchen floor,

907
00:47:13,520 --> 00:47:15,920
and it took forever just to clean a small amount up.

908
00:47:15,920 --> 00:47:18,320
I know that oil spills are not good for the environment,

909
00:47:18,320 --> 00:47:21,840
especially for all the plants and wildlife in the ocean and along the coastline.

910
00:47:21,840 --> 00:47:24,560
We need to learn more about cleaning up oil spills

911
00:47:24,560 --> 00:47:27,120
and what the impact to our environment might be.

912
00:47:27,120 --> 00:47:30,720
I'll email Kaylee and ask her if she can help us find someone to talk to.

913
00:47:30,720 --> 00:47:32,640
I've been looking at Kaylee's IOI report,

914
00:47:32,640 --> 00:47:35,200
and I wonder how Tony's doing living in the underwater habitat.

915
00:47:35,200 --> 00:47:36,000
Can you dial him up?

916
00:47:43,200 --> 00:47:44,880
Hi, Tony. How's it going?

917
00:47:47,760 --> 00:47:49,440
Have you guys been watching me the whole time?

918
00:47:50,400 --> 00:47:53,920
Tony, Kaylee's been keeping an IOI report on you, and you know what?

919
00:47:53,920 --> 00:47:55,840
We think it's time for you to come home to dry land.

920
00:47:57,440 --> 00:47:59,520
I hate to admit it, but I think you're right.

921
00:48:00,080 --> 00:48:01,440
I guess the stretch is not in a lot to wait.

922
00:48:02,080 --> 00:48:03,520
Thanks. I'll see you soon.

923
00:48:04,640 --> 00:48:05,280
Hurry back.

924
00:48:06,400 --> 00:48:08,880
I'm proud of Tony. I know that was hard to do.

925
00:48:10,720 --> 00:48:13,120
There's breaking news in the oil glob mystery.

926
00:48:13,120 --> 00:48:15,360
I Am Listening is reporting from Florida.

927
00:48:15,440 --> 00:48:18,960
Ted, we now have reports that oil globs and tar balls

928
00:48:18,960 --> 00:48:21,600
have washed up all along the East Coast.

929
00:48:21,600 --> 00:48:24,960
It looks like it's all coming from here in the Gulf of Mexico.

930
00:48:24,960 --> 00:48:26,560
That's a pretty big place.

931
00:48:26,560 --> 00:48:28,880
How did they find the location of the seepage?

932
00:48:28,880 --> 00:48:30,400
Satellites did the trick.

933
00:48:30,400 --> 00:48:32,240
What? Did you say something about lights?

934
00:48:32,800 --> 00:48:37,600
No, Ted. NASA satellites revealed the presence of this seepage.

935
00:48:37,600 --> 00:48:40,560
Oh, yes. Of course. NASA is always on the job.

936
00:48:41,440 --> 00:48:45,040
Okay, it appears that the oil is coming from the Gulf of Mexico,

937
00:48:45,040 --> 00:48:47,600
but we still need to find out how it got to Virginia.

938
00:48:47,600 --> 00:48:51,200
Remember, Ms. Macellus told Cayley to do some more research on the Gulf Stream.

939
00:48:51,200 --> 00:48:54,080
Didn't Dr. Textbook say something about the Gulf Stream

940
00:48:54,080 --> 00:48:56,240
being named after the Gulf of Mexico?

941
00:48:56,240 --> 00:48:58,960
You're right, Bianca. We need to do some more research.

942
00:48:58,960 --> 00:49:00,240
And what about those shoes?

943
00:49:00,240 --> 00:49:03,120
I guess NASA satellites can't see shoes from space.

944
00:49:03,120 --> 00:49:03,920
Wait a minute.

945
00:49:05,760 --> 00:49:07,920
Cayley found an environmental engineer

946
00:49:07,920 --> 00:49:10,000
at NASA Wallops Flight Facility.

947
00:49:10,800 --> 00:49:12,880
Who can tell us the impact of an oil spill.

948
00:49:13,440 --> 00:49:15,920
And she says RJ is there to meet with her now.

949
00:49:15,920 --> 00:49:18,000
That's great, but we still need to solve the mystery

950
00:49:18,000 --> 00:49:20,080
of where the tennis shoes and oil globs came from.

951
00:49:20,080 --> 00:49:22,800
We're getting closer. Let's not get discouraged.

952
00:49:23,520 --> 00:49:26,560
Dr. D also emailed and said that Dr. Moisen

953
00:49:26,560 --> 00:49:28,240
at NASA Wallops Flight Facility

954
00:49:28,240 --> 00:49:30,640
could help us learn more about coastal currents.

955
00:49:30,640 --> 00:49:32,320
Let's ask RJ to talk to him, too.

956
00:49:32,320 --> 00:49:34,160
And be sure to have him ask about the Gulf Stream.

957
00:49:34,320 --> 00:49:36,640
Ms. Fields is an environmental engineer

958
00:49:36,640 --> 00:49:38,160
here at NASA Wallops Flight Facility

959
00:49:38,160 --> 00:49:39,760
on the eastern shore of Virginia.

960
00:49:39,760 --> 00:49:40,960
She has agreed to meet with me.

961
00:49:42,160 --> 00:49:44,640
Hi, RJ. I read Cayley's email

962
00:49:44,640 --> 00:49:47,120
and I checked out your research on the internet.

963
00:49:47,120 --> 00:49:48,800
I understand that you want to learn more

964
00:49:48,800 --> 00:49:51,920
about the impact of oil spills and how to clean them up.

965
00:49:51,920 --> 00:49:54,720
Yes. We have lots of oil globs on the beach.

966
00:49:54,720 --> 00:49:56,720
And we're all worried about the plants and animals.

967
00:49:56,720 --> 00:49:58,480
Well, you have good reason to worry.

968
00:49:58,480 --> 00:50:00,720
The toxic properties of the oil spill

969
00:50:01,120 --> 00:50:02,960
Well, you have good reason to worry.

970
00:50:02,960 --> 00:50:05,520
The toxic properties of oil can damage

971
00:50:05,520 --> 00:50:07,360
or destroy plants and animals.

972
00:50:07,360 --> 00:50:10,720
I mean, just a dime-sized blotch of oil on a bird

973
00:50:10,720 --> 00:50:12,720
can impair its insulating ability,

974
00:50:12,720 --> 00:50:14,640
resulting in hypothermia and death.

975
00:50:15,360 --> 00:50:16,400
That's really serious.

976
00:50:17,040 --> 00:50:18,720
How do you clean up oil spills?

977
00:50:18,720 --> 00:50:21,440
Well, the typical cleanup method for ocean spills

978
00:50:21,440 --> 00:50:23,920
is to contain the oil with floating booms

979
00:50:23,920 --> 00:50:26,000
and then pump it back into recovery tanks.

980
00:50:26,800 --> 00:50:28,720
Now, sometimes we do apply chemicals

981
00:50:28,720 --> 00:50:30,400
to help disperse the oil slick.

982
00:50:30,400 --> 00:50:32,160
Oil has made a mess of our beach.

983
00:50:32,160 --> 00:50:33,600
I can only imagine.

984
00:50:33,600 --> 00:50:35,040
And people don't want to go to a beach

985
00:50:35,040 --> 00:50:36,320
that's full of oil globs.

986
00:50:36,960 --> 00:50:38,640
Watch how a little oil spreads out,

987
00:50:38,640 --> 00:50:40,000
creating a slick on the water.

988
00:50:46,160 --> 00:50:48,160
Wow. It really spread out.

989
00:50:49,360 --> 00:50:52,560
Yes. And a small amount of oil can cause a lot of damage.

990
00:50:53,280 --> 00:50:55,520
Look at how the oil clings to the feather.

991
00:50:55,520 --> 00:50:58,160
The oil coats the surface of plants and animals,

992
00:50:58,160 --> 00:50:59,760
effectively smothering them.

993
00:50:59,760 --> 00:51:01,280
Our area depends on tourism,

994
00:51:01,840 --> 00:51:04,240
so I'm sure that the oil on the beach is hurting businesses.

995
00:51:04,800 --> 00:51:07,200
Who's responsible for cleaning up the oil from a spill?

996
00:51:07,200 --> 00:51:08,480
Well, whoever spilled the oil

997
00:51:08,480 --> 00:51:10,640
is responsible for getting it cleaned up.

998
00:51:10,640 --> 00:51:12,640
Who makes sure they clean up all the oil?

999
00:51:12,640 --> 00:51:14,000
Well, in the United States,

1000
00:51:14,000 --> 00:51:16,640
it's the Environmental Protection Agency or the Coast Guard.

1001
00:51:17,200 --> 00:51:18,880
We learned about cleaning up oil spills

1002
00:51:18,880 --> 00:51:20,480
from a NASA Sci-Files Kids Club.

1003
00:51:21,040 --> 00:51:22,880
But aren't there other ways that can be done?

1004
00:51:22,880 --> 00:51:24,320
Well, during an oil spill,

1005
00:51:24,320 --> 00:51:26,160
it's critical to try to clean it up

1006
00:51:26,160 --> 00:51:28,800
before it reaches land and affects the shoreline.

1007
00:51:28,800 --> 00:51:30,720
So we need to be able to predict where it's headed.

1008
00:51:30,720 --> 00:51:33,360
The paper dots simulate our oil slick.

1009
00:51:33,360 --> 00:51:35,440
The slick moves with the water current,

1010
00:51:35,440 --> 00:51:37,840
and then it's reversed by the wind and wave action.

1011
00:51:38,560 --> 00:51:41,520
The waves also act to break up and disperse the slick.

1012
00:51:41,520 --> 00:51:43,440
So how do you predict where it's headed?

1013
00:51:43,440 --> 00:51:46,000
Well, we use planes to fly over the oil slick

1014
00:51:46,000 --> 00:51:47,280
and we map its location.

1015
00:51:48,080 --> 00:51:50,960
Then we use current weather and ocean forecast

1016
00:51:50,960 --> 00:51:52,640
to create a computer model

1017
00:51:52,640 --> 00:51:54,640
to predict where it is headed to next.

1018
00:51:55,360 --> 00:51:57,120
We also use satellites to track

1019
00:51:57,120 --> 00:51:58,960
which way the oil spill is going to go.

1020
00:51:58,960 --> 00:52:00,080
If the oil is at sea,

1021
00:52:00,080 --> 00:52:01,840
why don't you just let nature take its course

1022
00:52:01,840 --> 00:52:02,560
and clean it up?

1023
00:52:02,560 --> 00:52:04,720
Well, waves will gradually disperse the oil,

1024
00:52:04,720 --> 00:52:06,080
but it can take a long time

1025
00:52:06,080 --> 00:52:07,440
depending on the amount spilled.

1026
00:52:08,000 --> 00:52:10,000
If we act quickly to recover the oil,

1027
00:52:10,000 --> 00:52:11,440
we can protect the environment.

1028
00:52:11,440 --> 00:52:12,800
How long does it take the environment

1029
00:52:12,800 --> 00:52:14,720
to recover from an oil spill?

1030
00:52:14,720 --> 00:52:16,720
It can take years for natural environments

1031
00:52:16,720 --> 00:52:17,600
to fully recover.

1032
00:52:18,160 --> 00:52:20,400
That's why it's so important for people to realize

1033
00:52:20,400 --> 00:52:22,400
that oil spilled in large accidents

1034
00:52:22,400 --> 00:52:24,880
is not the only way to contaminate the ocean.

1035
00:52:24,880 --> 00:52:26,000
What do you mean?

1036
00:52:26,000 --> 00:52:29,040
Well, the everyday buildup of small spills and debris

1037
00:52:29,040 --> 00:52:30,480
can have a significant impact.

1038
00:52:31,120 --> 00:52:34,640
Stormwater flows over parking lots and streets

1039
00:52:34,640 --> 00:52:37,120
and it carries the oil into rivers and streams

1040
00:52:37,120 --> 00:52:39,040
when it ends up eventually in the ocean.

1041
00:52:39,040 --> 00:52:40,080
I never thought of that.

1042
00:52:40,640 --> 00:52:42,640
I guess that's why it's so important to recycle

1043
00:52:42,640 --> 00:52:44,560
after you change the motor oil in your car.

1044
00:52:44,560 --> 00:52:46,400
Yes, and it's also helpful

1045
00:52:46,400 --> 00:52:48,320
if there's a buffer zone of vegetation

1046
00:52:48,320 --> 00:52:50,160
that can trap some of the pollutants.

1047
00:52:50,160 --> 00:52:52,240
Looks like we have our work cut out for us.

1048
00:52:52,240 --> 00:52:54,560
The oil that's on the beach is from natural seepage,

1049
00:52:54,560 --> 00:52:56,800
so I guess each city will have to clean its own beach.

1050
00:52:56,800 --> 00:52:58,880
I'm sure they'll be looking for some good volunteers.

1051
00:52:59,440 --> 00:53:01,280
Yes, and I know of six volunteers

1052
00:53:01,280 --> 00:53:02,800
who can help in the beach cleanup.

1053
00:53:02,800 --> 00:53:03,920
Thanks, Ms. Fields.

1054
00:53:03,920 --> 00:53:04,800
You're welcome.

1055
00:53:04,800 --> 00:53:06,800
Do you know where I can find Dr. Moisen?

1056
00:53:06,800 --> 00:53:07,920
I sure do. Come on.

1057
00:53:11,120 --> 00:53:12,000
Hi, RJ.

1058
00:53:12,000 --> 00:53:12,960
I'm glad you found me.

1059
00:53:12,960 --> 00:53:14,640
Dr. D said you'd be coming by.

1060
00:53:14,640 --> 00:53:15,840
Hi, Dr. Moisen.

1061
00:53:15,840 --> 00:53:18,000
We're trying to figure out the final pieces to our mystery.

1062
00:53:18,640 --> 00:53:20,720
Well, we had some tennis shoes wash up on the beach

1063
00:53:20,720 --> 00:53:22,000
and we don't know where they came from.

1064
00:53:22,000 --> 00:53:23,680
Well, that sounds like a real mystery.

1065
00:53:23,680 --> 00:53:24,400
It really is.

1066
00:53:24,960 --> 00:53:27,520
We think that the shoes came from someplace far away,

1067
00:53:27,520 --> 00:53:29,440
that the ocean currents brought them to Virginia.

1068
00:53:29,440 --> 00:53:30,640
That's very possible.

1069
00:53:30,640 --> 00:53:33,440
We know that the Gulf Stream flows along the coast of Virginia.

1070
00:53:33,440 --> 00:53:36,880
We're not sure how the shoes got from the Gulf Stream onto the shore.

1071
00:53:36,880 --> 00:53:39,920
Dr. D suggests that we come learn more about coastal currents.

1072
00:53:39,920 --> 00:53:41,280
Are coastal currents different?

1073
00:53:41,280 --> 00:53:42,000
Yes, they are.

1074
00:53:42,000 --> 00:53:44,160
Coastal currents can be located on the surface

1075
00:53:44,160 --> 00:53:45,680
or on the bottom of the ocean

1076
00:53:45,680 --> 00:53:49,040
and they can be formed by density differences or tidal processes

1077
00:53:49,040 --> 00:53:51,200
that they always found near the shoreline.

1078
00:53:51,200 --> 00:53:53,280
Well, it doesn't sound like they're the answer.

1079
00:53:53,280 --> 00:53:55,680
They could be, but first let's talk about dispersion.

1080
00:53:55,680 --> 00:53:56,880
What's dispersion?

1081
00:53:56,880 --> 00:53:59,680
Suppose you placed 100 yellow ducks in the center of a pool,

1082
00:53:59,680 --> 00:54:02,320
turned off the pumps, and went away for 24 hours.

1083
00:54:02,320 --> 00:54:04,560
Where do you suppose the ducks would be when you came back?

1084
00:54:04,560 --> 00:54:05,840
Probably in the center of the pool

1085
00:54:05,840 --> 00:54:07,920
because there aren't any currents to move them around.

1086
00:54:07,920 --> 00:54:10,160
Actually, you would find them randomly distributed

1087
00:54:10,160 --> 00:54:11,840
or dispersed throughout the pool.

1088
00:54:11,840 --> 00:54:14,160
Why wouldn't the ducks all be in the same place?

1089
00:54:14,160 --> 00:54:16,640
Small-scale circulation patterns in the pool

1090
00:54:16,640 --> 00:54:18,160
that move the water around

1091
00:54:18,160 --> 00:54:20,880
will actually affect where these objects in the pool go.

1092
00:54:20,880 --> 00:54:23,120
It could be something as small as a gust of air.

1093
00:54:23,120 --> 00:54:25,280
But if the tennis shoes came from far away,

1094
00:54:25,280 --> 00:54:27,440
they floated in currents that were already moving.

1095
00:54:27,440 --> 00:54:30,880
Yes, but major currents have lots of eddies, filaments, swirls,

1096
00:54:30,880 --> 00:54:33,600
and even jets that interact with and move objects.

1097
00:54:33,600 --> 00:54:35,120
Where do eddies and filaments?

1098
00:54:35,120 --> 00:54:39,040
Eddies are formed when a current doubles back to form a small whirl

1099
00:54:39,040 --> 00:54:42,240
and filaments are meanders that come off from the current.

1100
00:54:42,240 --> 00:54:43,840
So maybe the eddies or filaments

1101
00:54:43,840 --> 00:54:45,520
brought the tennis shoes into the shore.

1102
00:54:45,520 --> 00:54:48,000
That's possible because shoes caught in these small currents

1103
00:54:48,000 --> 00:54:50,080
could travel across these major currents.

1104
00:54:50,080 --> 00:54:52,400
Does the Gulf Stream have any eddies or filaments?

1105
00:54:52,400 --> 00:54:53,360
Yes, lots of them.

1106
00:54:53,360 --> 00:54:55,280
There are even large circulation eddies

1107
00:54:55,280 --> 00:54:56,720
that break off from the Gulf Stream.

1108
00:54:56,720 --> 00:54:58,880
I think that's the answer to our oil glob mystery.

1109
00:54:59,440 --> 00:55:01,200
The loop current in the Gulf of Mexico.

1110
00:55:01,760 --> 00:55:03,360
Now for the shoe mystery.

1111
00:55:03,360 --> 00:55:05,120
Do coastal currents complete the process

1112
00:55:05,120 --> 00:55:06,800
of bringing the shoes on shore?

1113
00:55:06,800 --> 00:55:09,120
Yes, they can, but most of the shoes would not make it.

1114
00:55:09,120 --> 00:55:11,600
If they float, won't they eventually end up on shore?

1115
00:55:11,600 --> 00:55:13,520
No, most will end up in the Sargasso Sea.

1116
00:55:14,080 --> 00:55:16,720
That's the place in the Atlantic Ocean with a lot of seaweed.

1117
00:55:17,440 --> 00:55:18,240
Why there?

1118
00:55:18,240 --> 00:55:21,200
Large circulation gyres in the North Atlantic Ocean

1119
00:55:21,200 --> 00:55:23,040
move in circular clockwise pattern.

1120
00:55:23,600 --> 00:55:25,440
Floating objects within these waters

1121
00:55:25,440 --> 00:55:27,200
tend to move towards the center of rotation.

1122
00:55:27,760 --> 00:55:30,160
I guess if the coastal currents could bring the shoes on shore,

1123
00:55:30,880 --> 00:55:32,000
now all you have to do is find out

1124
00:55:32,000 --> 00:55:33,520
where the container fell off the ship.

1125
00:55:33,520 --> 00:55:34,800
Sounds like a good idea.

1126
00:55:34,800 --> 00:55:36,320
And if the location's right,

1127
00:55:36,320 --> 00:55:38,640
we will then know if it's possible that the currents,

1128
00:55:38,640 --> 00:55:41,600
dispersions, and coastal currents brought them on shore.

1129
00:55:41,600 --> 00:55:42,640
Thanks, Dr. Moisen.

1130
00:55:42,640 --> 00:55:43,200
You're welcome.

1131
00:55:43,200 --> 00:55:43,920
Glad I could help.

1132
00:55:43,920 --> 00:55:44,640
Keep me posted.

1133
00:55:48,320 --> 00:55:50,560
Dr. D., we think we're close to solving the mystery.

1134
00:55:50,560 --> 00:55:51,280
That's great.

1135
00:55:51,280 --> 00:55:52,240
What's the solution?

1136
00:55:52,240 --> 00:55:55,360
KSNN reported that the oil came from the Gulf of Mexico.

1137
00:55:55,360 --> 00:55:57,120
It was natural seepage.

1138
00:55:57,120 --> 00:55:59,040
But we talked to Dr. Moisen and did some research

1139
00:55:59,040 --> 00:56:01,040
and found out that the loop current,

1140
00:56:01,040 --> 00:56:02,240
then the Florida current,

1141
00:56:02,240 --> 00:56:03,440
and finally the Gulf Stream

1142
00:56:03,440 --> 00:56:04,800
might have brought it up to the East Coast.

1143
00:56:05,680 --> 00:56:07,680
But we're still investigating the shoes.

1144
00:56:07,680 --> 00:56:09,680
I sent an email to the Very Good Shoe Company

1145
00:56:10,240 --> 00:56:11,920
and they said that 26 months ago,

1146
00:56:11,920 --> 00:56:13,920
a container filled with their shoes fell overboard

1147
00:56:13,920 --> 00:56:15,120
off the coast of North Africa.

1148
00:56:15,680 --> 00:56:17,280
We learned that on the eastern edge

1149
00:56:17,280 --> 00:56:19,920
of the North Atlantic Ocean by North Africa,

1150
00:56:19,920 --> 00:56:21,120
the current flows south.

1151
00:56:21,680 --> 00:56:23,920
Then the current flows west across the Atlantic

1152
00:56:23,920 --> 00:56:26,080
before turning north into the Gulf Stream.

1153
00:56:26,080 --> 00:56:27,440
We learned at Water Country USA

1154
00:56:27,440 --> 00:56:29,440
that the Gulf Stream moves pretty fast.

1155
00:56:29,440 --> 00:56:31,440
So we think that the shoes are probably the same ones

1156
00:56:31,440 --> 00:56:33,520
that fell overboard off the coast of North Africa.

1157
00:56:34,160 --> 00:56:35,200
But a little over two years

1158
00:56:35,200 --> 00:56:37,280
seems like a long time to get to Virginia.

1159
00:56:37,280 --> 00:56:37,840
I know.

1160
00:56:37,840 --> 00:56:39,120
I'll call Dr. Adamek.

1161
00:56:39,120 --> 00:56:40,480
I'm sure he can help.

1162
00:56:40,480 --> 00:56:41,520
Good idea.

1163
00:56:41,520 --> 00:56:43,600
If he confirms that it could take 26 months,

1164
00:56:43,600 --> 00:56:45,440
then maybe the shoes and oil just happened to meet

1165
00:56:45,440 --> 00:56:46,960
right here in Florida where I was.

1166
00:56:46,960 --> 00:56:49,840
And the shoes and the oil floated up the coast of Virginia?

1167
00:56:50,000 --> 00:56:51,280
That's our hypothesis.

1168
00:56:51,280 --> 00:56:52,880
Hi, Dr. Adamek.

1169
00:56:52,880 --> 00:56:54,000
We have another question.

1170
00:56:54,640 --> 00:56:56,640
How long does it take a floating object,

1171
00:56:56,640 --> 00:56:57,680
like a shoe,

1172
00:56:57,680 --> 00:56:58,960
to be carried by the currents

1173
00:56:58,960 --> 00:57:01,680
from the coast of North Africa to Virginia?

1174
00:57:01,680 --> 00:57:03,840
It's impossible to give you an exact time.

1175
00:57:04,640 --> 00:57:06,480
But given average currents,

1176
00:57:07,360 --> 00:57:09,600
the winds and the recent storm tracks,

1177
00:57:09,600 --> 00:57:11,920
I would estimate about two years.

1178
00:57:11,920 --> 00:57:13,200
Thanks, Dr. Adamek.

1179
00:57:13,200 --> 00:57:14,800
I think our case is solved.

1180
00:57:14,800 --> 00:57:15,360
You're welcome.

1181
00:57:16,000 --> 00:57:16,880
I'm glad I could help.

1182
00:57:18,080 --> 00:57:18,880
I have an idea.

1183
00:57:19,360 --> 00:57:20,800
Maybe these numbers on the shoe label

1184
00:57:20,800 --> 00:57:22,080
can be used to track the shoes.

1185
00:57:22,880 --> 00:57:24,560
Let's email the Very Good Shoe Company.

1186
00:57:25,280 --> 00:57:26,560
And let's see if they can confirm

1187
00:57:26,560 --> 00:57:28,400
that these are the shoes that were on the last shipment.

1188
00:57:29,040 --> 00:57:30,080
Good idea, RJ.

1189
00:57:30,080 --> 00:57:32,800
Doesn't hurt to continue to test your hypothesis,

1190
00:57:32,800 --> 00:57:34,000
just to make sure.

1191
00:57:34,000 --> 00:57:35,440
I wonder what happened to those rubber duckies

1192
00:57:35,440 --> 00:57:36,800
that I Am Listening said fell overboard

1193
00:57:36,800 --> 00:57:37,920
off the coast of Virginia.

1194
00:57:37,920 --> 00:57:40,320
Well, maybe some NASA Sci-Foz Kids Club members

1195
00:57:40,320 --> 00:57:43,280
in North Africa will find them some years in the future.

1196
00:57:43,280 --> 00:57:44,560
Wouldn't that be interesting.

1197
00:57:45,520 --> 00:57:47,040
Tony, have you given up your search

1198
00:57:47,040 --> 00:57:48,240
for a sunken treasure?

1199
00:57:48,240 --> 00:57:49,600
I'm glad you asked.

1200
00:57:49,600 --> 00:57:52,720
Actually, I'm looking for someone financially gifted,

1201
00:57:52,720 --> 00:57:54,480
like yourself, to help fund my project.

1202
00:57:55,280 --> 00:57:57,440
Well, I can't commit financially.

1203
00:57:57,440 --> 00:57:59,440
But if you need a diving partner...

1204
00:57:59,440 --> 00:58:01,200
Right, remember the buddy system,

1205
00:58:01,200 --> 00:58:02,720
critical for diving.

1206
00:58:02,720 --> 00:58:04,080
And it also helps you avoid

1207
00:58:04,080 --> 00:58:06,160
the Grumpy Treehouse Detective Syndrome.

1208
00:58:06,880 --> 00:58:07,380
Grumpy?

1209
00:58:09,440 --> 00:58:10,720
Me? I'm not grumpy.

1210
00:58:12,960 --> 00:58:14,320
I'm the perfect picture of composure.

1211
00:58:18,240 --> 00:58:20,800
I mean, the stock market and fluctuations

1212
00:58:20,800 --> 00:58:22,320
have you going once in a while, but...