Ocean

As the world looks for alternative fuel sources, tidal energy is starting to attract attention again. Following is an overview of tidal energy.

Overview of Tidal Energy

If you have ever lived near the ocean, you know about tides. Like clockwork, the tide rolls in and out moving massive amounts of water from here to there and back again. This massive movement of water also happens to contain a huge amount of energy. If the power of the tides could be converted to usable energy, many think tidal energy would be the answer to many of the energy problems in the world.

There are two basic theories on how to convert tides into power. The first involves converting the power of the horizontal movement of the water into electricity. The second involves producing energy from the rise and drop of water levels. With our vast knowledge of hydroelectricity production with dams, converting moving water is currently the favored technology.

With hydropower, energy is produced by passing moving water through turbines which spin and create electricity. While this may seem an obvious way to go after tidal power, there are some inherent problems. First, tidal water moves much slower. Second, the energy in tides are spread across great areas, to wit, the energy in the amount of water that would pass through even a large pipe is relatively small. This technological quagmire has never been solved, but a new approach is gaining adherents.

One new approach incorporates the dam principals in hydroelectric production. The idea is to let water come in when the tide is rising and then prevent it from leaving when the tide goes out. Doors are used to cut off the water. The water is then diverted into pipes with turbines and you essentially have hydroelectric power.

There are a few problems with this approach. First, the tidal area is devastated because the natural cycle is interrupted. Second, the volume of moving water is reduced because the dam can’t be built with a large enough opening to allow all water to enter. Third, the inherent corrosive nature of salt water leads too much higher maintenance costs or at least is forecast to do so.

The advantage of tidal energy is it is extremely reliable and predictable. Orbital issues involving the moon cause tides. Although the moon is slowly moving away from the Earth, the sun is expected to burn out before it gets very far away. Regardless, this means tides are highly predictable from both size and time aspects. In fact, you can go to any surf store and pick up a tide table.

The tidal energy platform has a lot of potential if technological issues can be overcome. To date, Japan and a few European countries are the only ones researching solutions.

Rick Chapo is with SolarCompanies.com, a directory of solar energy companies. Visit us to read more articles on solar power and facts about tidal energy.

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Poseidon is one of the more famous of the deities of ancient Greece. Here is an overview of who he was, what he did and his position the Pantheon.

The Role of Poseidon In Ancient Greece

The many gods and goddesses of the ancient Greek culture played important roles in every Greek’s life. From the family hearth, to the life-giving sun, to the water they bathed in, Greek gods were seen to govern all aspects of daily life. While some regions of the Greek realm were actual cults, which meant they worshiped one god or goddess above all others; others prayed to specific figures at different points in the year or for different strengths. If a mariner was about to go to sea, it is pretty certain that he would have prayed to Poseidon.

While Poseidon’s largest governance was the sea and ocean, he was also considered the god of horses, and the “Earth-Shaker”, creator of earthquakes. In Mycenaean culture, Poseidon was seen as the most powerful of all the gods, even above Zeus - he was the most frequently written about god in the entire pantheon. At this point, he was associated with “Two Queens”, Demeter and Persephone, although in later Hellenic Greece he was not at all related to these goddesses. He was also seen in this culture as the “Earth Father” with Demeter being the “Earth Mother”.

Poseidon was also a major patron god of several large cities within Greece. In Athens, he was second in line only to Athena, and in Corinth he was the main god of the city. Apollo was a close associate god, and while Poseidon’s realm was generally seen to be in the areas of the Earth and bodies of water, he also had another trait that was a bit more sinister. Poseidon was also blamed for causing mental disturbances, such as epilepsy. He shared this ability with both the god Dionysus, and the creatures known as the Maenads.

When sailors embarked on voyages, they prayed heavily to Poseidon. Occasionally, they would even sacrifice horses by drowning (as he was also known as the god of horses). It was said that when Poseidon was in his benevolent aspect, he created both calm seas and new islands. When the god was displeased or angered, however, he would cause earthquakes and shipwrecks by striking the ground with his trident. Poseidon was often pictured in a chariot being pulled by horses or sea horses, holding a trident, and associated with dolphins.

While Zeus was known as the originator god in later parts of Greek culture, Poseidon was the first “head god” of note. His later appearances as the duel god of water and earthquakes meant that he had the ability to affect many people at once, so he garnered many prayers, sacrifices and attention from all of Greece.

Richard Monk is with FactsMonk.com - a site with facts about Greece.

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Of all the interesting and odd creatures in the oceans, nothing is as amazing as the octopus. Here is a quick guide to this interesting creature to wrap yourself around.

A Quick Guide to the Octopus

The octopus is a mollusk. It belongs to the same group as chitons, abalone, snails, limpets, scallops, oysters, clams and mussels. The octopus also belongs to a sub-species of mollusks called the cephalopods. This means head to foot and is used as the name because an octopus’ “feet” are attached to its head.

Octopuses tend to be small in warm tropical waters and larger in colder waters. Octopi live in all the oceans, but are strictly salt water creatures. The Giant Pacific Octopus lives in the coastal waters of British Columbia and is the largest octopus in the world. The largest Giant Pacific Octopus ever caught weighed about 600 pounds, about the same weight as a Brown bear! The tentacles on the beast spanned upwards of 33 feet in length. Obviously, octopi are generally much smaller. For example, females rarely exceed 55 pounds and males average less than 90. The Giant Pacific Octopus is one of the longer lived species whereas most octopi live only one or two years. The male can live to approximately 4 years and the female can live to about 3.5 years.

An octopus has eight arms attached to its head around the mouth. These “arms” have rows of suckers along their length. They are covered with suckers on the surface and many nerves within, which means they are used to both grab and “taste” things. As an example, the Giant Pacific Octopus has two rows of suckers per arm with 1,600 suckers in all.

One of the more amazing things about an octopus is that it has absolutely no bones. The only stiff anatomical structure is the beak around the mouth, which is made of material similar to your fingernails. By the way, octopi bites are poisonous to their prey.

The octopus has an excellent eyesight and well-developed brain. It can instantly change the color and texture of its skin to match the surrounding area. This camouflage is a major method of protection.

The body of the octopus looks like a bag. It moves as the octopus breathes. Inside the mantle (the body) there are 3 hearts, the stomach and other organs. One heart pumps blood through each gill at the end of each of the two appendages while the third pumps blood through the body. Water flows over the gills and fills the mantle when the octopus breathes in. The water is forced out a tube call the siphon as the octopus breathes out. It can force water through the siphon rapidly and jet itself backwards if the octopus is trying to escape a predator. Using jet propulsion, octopi travel many kilometers. An octopus can protect itself temporarily blinding an attacker by squirting ink at it.

Richard Monk is with www.factsmonk.com - a site with facts about everything.

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