"For my part I consider the Earth very noble and admirable precisely because of the diverse alterations, changes, generations etc. that occur in it incessantly. If, not being subject to any changes, it were a vast desert of sand..., or if at the time of the flood the waters which covered it had frozen, and it had remained an enormous globe of ice where nothing was ever born or ever altered or changed, I should deem it a useless lump in the universe..." [Galileo Galilei, quoted in Dava Sobel, Galileo's Daughter]
These are questions that students have asked, and my replies. This section will grow as I receive more questions!
| Questions | Replies |
| OEL
With reference to the calculation of d13C (OEL p. 57, Equation 3.1), how is the standard ratio of 13C/12C in the inorganic carbon pool determined? |
The standard ratio of 13C/12C is set using the ratio in the calcium carbonate in the bullet-shaped tests of belemnites, squid-like cephalopods whose fossils are common in Jurassic rocks (approx. 150 Ma). [Stephen Drury, Stepping Stones, the making of our home world (Oxford University Press 1999), p. 199] |
| TDE
With reference to p. 51, how do cyclonic winds create the conditions for upwelling, and anticyclonic winds create the conditions for downwelling. |
The reason is partially explained in S269, but is fully
explained in S330, Ocean Circulation, p. 59 (Figure 3.23).
The Coriolis force deflects objects, including water, moving over the
surface of the Earth. Deflection is to the right in the Northern
Hemisphere. So in the Northern Hemisphere a low pressure (cyclonic)
weather system sets up a stress field on the ocean surface in which water
is deflected to the right, i.e. outward from the direction of wind
motion. Outward movement of surface waters creates upwelling.
High pressure (anticyclonic) winds deflect surface water inward (but still
to the right), creating the conditions for downwelling.
In the Southern Hemisphere the Coriolis force deflects to the left. But although the sense of movement is opposite to that in the Northern Hemisphere, low pressure still creates upwelling, and high pressure downwelling. |
If you enjoy making your brain hurt (and who would take an OU degree who doesn't?), try to answer the following questions:
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In one sentence, can you define what is meant by the "Earth System"? (Suggestion: Try this at the beginning of the course, and again at the end.) |
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Is there a "Moon System"? |
| S269 explores the many ways in which geological processes have influenced the evolution of life. Has the presence of life influenced the way the Earth works? |
| Tutorial venues and dates | 03 March, Bulmershe School, Reading
07 April, Bulmershe School, Reading 12 May, Bulmershe School, Reading 09 June, Bulmershe School, Reading 01 September, Reading College of Arts and Technology 22 September, Bulmershe School, Reading |
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I welcome your feedback on any aspect of my presentation of S269, including:
Or you can send me feedback about the course itself, and I will forward your comments to the Course Team. To email your feedback to me, please use the hotlink to my email address below. Alternatively, you can write to me, or telephone me, or speak to me after tutorials. |
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| Telephone | 0118-986-7530 | ||||||||||||
| Email address | david_scarboro@hotmail.com | ||||||||||||
