How is oil formed under the sea?

How is oil formed under the sea?

Dead organic material accumulates on the bottom of oceans, seas, riverbeds or swamps, mixing with mud and sand. Over time, more sediment piles on. The resulting heat and pressure transform the organic layer into a dark and waxy substance known as kerogen. Kerogen eventually breaks up into either crude oil or natural gas.

How is oil formed in the seabed?

How is oil formed in the seabed?

Plant and bacteria remains from pre historic times fell to the ocean floor and were gradually covered by layers of mud. Under heat and pressure, this was converted to oil and gas, which moved up through porous rocks to be trapped by impermeable rocks.

How is energy produced form tides?

How is energy produced form tides?

Tidal power stations channel water through tunnels and past large blades. The force of water coming in and going out turns the blades, which drive turbines and spin a generator, which produces electricity.

How does the solar wind affect Earth?

How does the solar wind affect Earth?

Solar wind contains intense clouds of high energy particles which are produced by solar stroms. These clouds of particles affect Eart. These clouds are called coronal mass ejections. They reach the earth in three to four days.

The coronal mass ejections cause changes in the magnetic field of the earth when they collide with the field. They cause more changes to the magnetic field at times even at lower altitudes close to the ground when they leak through the field especially near the north ans south Poles. These changes can produce many problems with electrical equipment.

Not much light has been thrown on the way in which solar wind" plasma" invades the Earth's magnetic field and seeps into the inner regions where the Van Allen radiation belts are located. Also, in the direction opposite the Sun, the Earth's magnetic field is pulled way out into interplanetary space making it look like a comet. Many different electrical disturbances take place in this "geotail" region. These can accelerate partiles to high speeds and energies. All of this is made much more violent by the solar wind, especially the strom clouds that the Sun launches our way very often.

How does the sea form landscapes on the shore?

How does the sea form landscapes on the shore?

Mighty waves strike like hammers against the cliffs on the seashore, loosening chunks of rock that fall into the water. The churning waves smash broken rocks against the cliff and one another, breaking up the bigger boulders into stones. The action of the waves smoothes the stones into rounded pebbles and grinds the pebbles into grains of sand. Rain and frost also weaken cliffs and send them tumbling into the sea, which starts breaking them up and grinding them down.

How does the camel walk in the desert easily?

How does the camel walk in the desert easily?
The camel is dubbed the `ship of the desert'. It can adapt itself easily to the hot conditions due to various reasons. Its special adaptation features are its hump, long legs, long hair and special eyelids.

The hump enables it to store food. Long hair on its body helps it keep warm in the cold desert nights.

The long legs of the camel are strong and have powerful muscles allowing it to carry heavy loads for long distances. It walks at a medium speed. It has two toes on each foot. A hoof that looks like a toenail grows at the front of each toe. The camel walks on a broad pad that connects its two toes. This cushion like pad spreads when the camel places its foot on the ground.

The pad supports the animal on loose sand in much the same way that a snowshoe helps a person walk on snow. The pad enables the animal to firmly grasp the earth. The toenails protect the feet from damages resulting from a bump. In the camel both legs on the same side rise and fall together. This leg action produces a swaying, rocking motion. Taller animals like the camel snap into a rotary walk more often than short animals.

This helps them to shift the balance on one side of a body while the long legs on the other side are in a suspended phase. In the rotary motion on one side they put both legs forward and on the other side they are both back. Thick, broad sole pads and thick callosities on the joints of the legs and on the chest, upon which it rests in a kneeling position, enable it to withstand the heat of the desert sand. It is also able to close its nostrils against flying dust and its eyes are shielded by eyelashes.

The camel has three eyelids and two layers of eyelashes to protect itself from dust and sun. To protect their eyes, camels have long eyelashes that catch most of the sand when desert winds blow sand on to their eyes.

If sand gets into an eye a camel has a third eyelid to get it out. The extra eyelid moves from side to side and wipes the sand away. As the eyelid is very thin the camel can see through it. So a camel can find its way through a sandstorm with its eyes closed.

How does remote control in TV work?

How does remote control in TV work?
In earlier days, remote controls wre based on ultrasonics (sound frequency above the audible range of frequencies). The controlling circuitry included a hand held transmitter 9that transmits ultrasound) and a TV-based receiver circuit. Electronic filter and stepper motors were used to allow/select certain frequencies and perform various functions depending on the key pressed.

But the recent remote controls use infra-red(IR) rays and a special binary (0 and 1) coding mechanism. The code, intensity and wavelength of the IR wave, help to select different functions. Depending on the key pressed, a signal is sent out by IR source say, an injetion laser diode(ILD). It generates a code in parallel format. This is converted to a series format by s shift register. This signal is received by photo-sensitive devices such as an avalanche photo diode at the receiver.

Here another shift register is used to convert the code back to a parallel form. This operates a one-of-n decoder, which selects one function from a set of "n" predefined functions and executes it.

How does one control the movement of hot air balloons?

How does one control the movement of hot air balloons?
Hot air balloons rise ito the sky because of the fundamental property of the hot air filled in them; air when heated becomes lighter (less denser) than the surrounding cold air. The balloon does not have controls such as accelerator, steering or brake. It is driven by breeze and so there is no control over the flight path. Ascending is by heating the air with the help of burners suspended beneath it. As a result, the balloon rises to find its equilibrium with the surrounding air. Descending is by releasing the hot air from the balloon. Hot air balloon enthusiasts venture out after studying the weather and making sure there are no strong winds.

How does lightning affect TVs?

How does lightning affect TVs?
Lightning is actually a sudden discharge of high voltage and high current arisiing out of large viltage(potential) differences between charged clouds. These surges, in their path towards the earth, can strike power lines and antennae and pass through the wires to the terminal equipment such as TV. The huge currents and voltages, even though of short life, can damage the electrical components and electronic circuits which are usually designed for low power. The surges are so powerful that they can destroy the equipment even if they are off but connected to the mains/antenna

How does a lighthouse work?

How does a lighthouse work?
The beams from the lighthouse guide ships and prevent them from being wrecked on the rocks. A lighthouse beam is created by a big powerful electric lamp which sends a flash of light to sea at fixed intervals of a few seconds.

How does a hurricane begin?

How does a hurricane begin?
Hurricanes begin as thunder storms caused by the moist air rising over the ocean. If the water is warm enough, the moist air piles up and starts to spiral over the ocean, growing bigger all the time. By the time it has crossed ocean, it has developed into a hurricane with howling winds and blinding rain that batters and flattens everything in its path.

How does a coral reef grow?

How does a coral reef grow?

Coral reefs are made by millions of small sea animals. They make hard skeletons around their soft bodies. When they die, the skeletons are left behind and this slowly builds up to form the reef.

How do you measure a wave?

How do you measure a wave?

To measure a wave, you hove to take the distance between its highest point, which is called its crest and its lowest point or trough. Ocean waves are very difficult to measure, since you can’t just climb on a wave and measure it! You need a satellite or a high flying airplane and complicated instruments to measure waves over a large area.

How do whales breathe?

How do whales breathe?

A whale’s “nostrils” are called blowholes, and are on the top of its head. Some whales have one blowhole, and others have two. Whales cannot breathe underwater. But their lungs are simply enormous, and they can take huge quantities of air before they dive. They come to surface every few minutes to blow out a mixture of water and air, and take in breathe of fresh air.

How do whales and dolphins use sound to see?

How do whales and dolphins use sound to see?

Strange as it may sound, whales and dolphins use their ears, not eyes, to ‘see’. They are very intelligent animals and have their own ‘languages’. They make clicking and whistling noises, which travel through the water. When the noise hits against something solid, the echo bounces back, and warns the animal of what lies ahead.

How do we keep the sea and oceans clean?

How do we keep the sea and oceans clean?

Nations today are waking up to the dangers of sea and ocean pollution, and governments are passing laws to clean up the sea. Many nations have agreed to stop releasing pesticides, fertilizers, petroleum products and sewage into the sea. Oil companies have invented new ways of dealing wit oil spills, and even use bacteria to eat up the oil as food!

How do waves move?

How do waves move?

The water in a wave moves up and down. This up and down movement is transferred along the ocean, like a baton in a relay race, or the rollers in the conveyor belt you see at airports.

How do the oceans control our climate?

How do the oceans control our climate?

Oceans control the Earth’s weather as they heat and cool the land, humidify and dry the air, and control wind speed and direction. The water from the oceans evaporates to form the clouds that bring us rain. Warm currents can make winters milder, cool currents can make summers more pleasant. These are just some ways in which oceans have a direct effect on our climate.

How squid and octopuses hide from their enemies?

How do squid and octopuses hide from their enemies?

Squid and octopuses shoot out a cloud of ink to hide themselves from their enemies.

How do ships sail safely along the oceans?

How do ships sail safely along the oceans?

Ships use several navigation aids to find their way in the pathless oceans. In the olden days ships’ captains used the magnetic compass to find the direction, the sextant to workout the north south position and a block called the chronometer to determine the east-west position.

Today they have the support of electronic and other modern equipments. The ships’ positions can be plotted by means of radio signals from transmitters and satellites and gyro-compasses.Radar and sonar systems warn the ships of rocks and approaching vessels. Light-houses and buoys mark the paths for the ship approaching harbour.

How do ships pollute the sea?

How do ships pollute the sea?

A ship’s engine pollutes the water with chemicals that it releases while it is running. These chemicals poison the water, and kill fish and sea animals.

How do sharks find animals that are hiding from them?

How do sharks find animals that are hiding from them?

All living things produce some degree of electricity. Sharks can find animals hiding from them because the bodies of these animals produce this electricity, which sharks have the ability to sense

How do scientists study the depths of the ocean?

How do scientists study the depths of the ocean?

Underwater craft like submersible submarines and bathyscaphes are used to study the depths of the ocean. They are specially designed to protect the people inside from high underwater pressure. Scientists can work in them for fairly long periods without having to return to the surface.

How do puffer fish make themselves bigger?

How do puffer fish make themselves bigger?

Puffer fish use air or water to puff themselves up into a ball when they are angry or scared. They can do this because they have no ribs, and their skin is very elastic. Some of them also have spines, which stick straight out when the fish puffs itself up, and they poke the enemy with these spines.

Do you know that though puffer fish are extremely poisonous, they are considered a delicacy in Japan? Specially trained chefs removed the poisonous parts… but many Japanese still die of poisoning after eating this fish. So it would be safer not to eat any puffer fish!

How do petroleum products harm the sea?

How do petroleum products harm the sea?

Oil and gasoline, can poison fish and other marine organisms. Many of the petroleum pollutants float on the surface of the water. They are eventually blown by the wind onto the shore. Here, they cover plants and small animals, harming them and sometimes killing them too.

How do oil spills harm sea animals?

How do oil spills harm sea animals?

Oil spills contain poisonous chemicals which are readily absorbed through the skin of sea animals like seals may react to oil spills by not eating, so that they starve to death. Sea otters can easily be harmed by oil, since their ability to stay warm depends on their fur remaining clean. Fish and shell fish may be tainted and unsuitable for eating for a year or more after an oil spill.

During most oil spills, seabirds are harmed and killed in greater numbers than other kinds of creatures. If oil remains on a beach for a while, other creatures such as snails and clams may suffer

How do oceans control the climate?

How do oceans control the climate?

Oceans soak up heat from the sun during the day, and release it slowly at night. So they help to cool the land when it is hot, and warm the land when it is cold. Ocean currents also warm and cool the land, while water from the ocean evaporates to form clouds which in turn, bring rain. The rain falls back into the sea. Even when rain falls on land, rain water is carried into the sea by rivers and streams. So, oceans are an important part of the water cycle too

How do mosquito repellents work?

How do mosquito repellents work?

Repellents, strictly speaking are substances used to repel insects away from a source. Repellents play a major role in Integrated Pest Management. They are volatile chemicals and have low toxicity. A strong repellent repels the insect, which is fairly away from the source, but a mild repellent requires direct contact with the insect.

Insect repellents are mostly natural substances such as smoke, oils of citronella, lavender, eucalyptus and lemon. These natural repellents have now been replaced by synthetic repellents, which are most effective.

Most of the repellents used, are in the form of aerosols, creams, lotions, grease and oils. Evaporation, absorption by skin, dilution by perspiration, abrogation by clothing makes them less effective against the insects.

Carbon dioxide, excretory products and lactic acid present in sweat in warm- blooded animals act as an attractive substance for female mosquitoes.

The perception of the odour is through chemo-receptors present in the antennae of mosquitoes. The repellents block the lactic acid receptors thus destroying upwind flight and as a result the mosquitoe loses its contact with the host

How do modern sailors navigate today?

How do modern sailors navigate today?

Sailors navigate with the help of computers, radios, radar and satellite links. The modern technology available today thus makes navigation much more easy and accurate.

How do icebergs form?

How do icebergs form?

Icebergs are blocks of fresh-water ice that break off from glaciers and float out to sea. Glaciers are formed in polar regions where snowfall lasts for centuries, or even millennia, without entirely melting, and is eventually compressed into ice.

In the North Altantic, most icebergs originate from the tidewater glaciers of Western Greenland. Compressed snow becomes firm, a granular snow, transformed eventually by pressure into a dense ice. The weight of the icecap builds, causing the ice to flow as much as 60 feet a day through openings in the coastal mountains. Rising and falling tides cause slabs of ice to break off and form moving "rivers of ice".

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How do fertilizers and pesticides harm the sea?

How do fertilizers and pesticides harm the sea?

Fertilizers cause tiny sea creatures called plankton to grow rapidly. This plankton can be poisonous, and when it is present in large numbers, it covers the surface of the sea like a slimy blanket. The blanket of slime bocks the light needed for the growth of sea plants. Pesticides can poison fish and cause grave damage to other forms of sea life too.

How do dolphins and whales communicate?

How do dolphins and whales communicate?

Dolphins and whales have their own languages, just as we do. Dolphins “talk” to each other using whistles, clicks and squawks. Whales have several different ways of communicating. Humpback whales sing… sometimes a song can last for ten minutes! Baleen whales make a loud noise…. may be the loudest noise any animal can make. This noise can travel for thousands of kilometres, as baleen whales greet each other, and call their mates. Wouldn’t it be fun if we could learn their language and understand what they were saying?

How do deep-sea creatures see?

How do deep-sea creatures see?

Some of the animals that live in the depths of the ocean produce their own light known as bioluminescence. This light has many purposes-it helps them see where they are going, trap prey and find a mate.

How do creatures of the ocean help each other?

How do creatures of the ocean help each other?

Many creatures of the ocean often form close relationships. The reason for this is that they benefit from each other. This type of relationship is called ‘symbiosis’. Here are some very interesting relationships:

The clownfish seeks shelter in the stinging tentacles of the sea anemone. The sea anemone’s stings paralyses other attacking fish, but the clownfish is immune to it because of the mucus in its body. In return, the sea anemone benefits from the tidbits that are left over from its guest’s meal and catching the creatures that come to attack the clownfish.

The squids move around in big groups. They use their large eyes to look for prey-mostly a large school of fish. They also move together to look for a mate.

A remora often goes hitchhiking on larger fish. It has a sucker on top of its head with which it attaches itself to the other fish-especially shark. The remora detaches itself to feed on the left-overs of the shark’s kill.

The hermit crab lives in the abandoned shells of other animals. On the shell, it places sea anemones, whose stinging tentacles serve as a protection against predators. In return, the sea anemones get to eat the remains of the crab’s meal.

Many creatures like shrimps, crabs, slugs and anemones use the Sargassum weed as a camouflage. They use this cover to hide from predators and at the same time, make themselves invisible to their prey.

How do beaches grow?

How do beaches grow?

Do you know that beaches grow? The sea builds beaches from the smashed remains of rocks that the waves have broken from a rocky shore. Boulder beaches are made entirely of massive blocks of rock that have been broken by the waves from the surrounding cliffs. Of course, it is not too comfortable to lie on a boulder beach! Waves also carry sand and sediment to the beach, and if there are a few years of good winds, few storms and plentiful sunshine, the sand accumulates and dries out, so that the beach grows.

How do baleen whales catch their prey?

How do baleen whales catch their prey?

Baleen whales swim slowly along the ocean bottom with their huge mouths wide open. A tremendous amount of sea water flows through their open mouths, and is forced out through the sides. On each side of a baleen whale’s mouth are strainers that hang like curtains. These strainers are called baleens. The water that is forced out through the sides of the mouth has to pass through these strainers. When this happens, krill and other small fish swimming in the water are caught by the baleens.

The whale wipes the baleen clean with its tongue from time to time. The krill are then pushed by the tongue to the back of the throat, and swallowed. In this manner, a baleen whale can feed on enormous amounts of krill.

How did the Pacific Ocean get its name?

How did the Pacific Ocean get its name?
The name “Pacific” means “peaceful”. The first explorers who discovered this new ocean thought it looked very calm and peaceful and christened it “Pacific”. Actually, this ocean has some of the most violent sea conditions in the world!

How did the Caribbean Sea get its name?

How did the Caribbean Sea get its name?

When Spanish explorers arrived in America from Europe, they called the sea in which they discovered the islands “Mar Caribe” after the North American people called the Caribes, who lived there. This is how the Caribbean Sea got its name.

How did sperm whales get their name?

How did sperm whales get their name?

The sperm whale gets its name from the word “spermaceti”. Do you know what spermaceti is? Spermaceti is found in an extraordinary storage tank in the whale’s huge square-shaped head. It is believed that spermaceti helps the whale to come to the surface quickly and easily after a deep dive.

How deep is the ocean?

How deep is the ocean?

Around the edges of the continents, the oceans and seas are never deeper than 200 metres. However, the seabed slopes to depths of up to 4000 metres which is very very deep indeed. In once place in the Pacific Ocean, the Marianas Trench, the sea is more than 11 kms deep.

How can you prevent the sea pollution?

How can you prevent the sea pollution?

You must be very careful about throwing away waste. Avoid buying plastic wrapped foods, because plastic cannot be recycled. As far as possible, walk or cycle and avoid taking the car, to cut down on the use of petrol, which releases poisonous fumes into the air. Use electricity carefully, and take paper, cans, bottles and cloths to be recycled, if possible. These are small ways which together can help in a big way to cut down on pollution.

How can the ocean pollution be prevented?

How can the ocean pollution be prevented?

We can prevent the poisoning of the oceans by passing laws that will stop nations from dumping toxic wasted into the sea, whether it is lead, mercury, radioactive waste, or any other harmful chemical.