Oceanographyhasbeendefinedas"Theapplicationofallsciencestothestudyofthesea"Beforethenineteenthcentury,scientistswithaninterestintheseawerefewandfarbetween.CertainlyNewtonconsideredsometheoreticalaspectsofitinhiswritings,buthewasreluctanttogotoseatofurtherhiswork.
Formostpeopletheseawasremote,andwiththeexceptionofearlyintercontinentaltravelersorothers,whoearnedalivingfromthesea,therewaslittlereasontoaskmanyquestionsaboutit,letalonetowhatlaybeneaththesurface,Thefirsttimethatthequestion"Whatisatthebottomofoceans"?hadtobeansweredwithanycommercialconsequencewaswhenthelayingofatelegraphcablefromEuropetoAmericawasproposed.Theengineershadtoknowthedepthprofile(轮廓)oftheroutetoestimatethelengthofcablethathadtobemanufactured.
ItwastoMauryofUSNavythattheAtlanticTelegraphCompanyturned,in1853,forinformationonthismatter.Inthe1840s,Mauryhadbeenresponsibleforencouragingvoyagesduringwhichsoundings(试探)weretakeninvestigatethedepthsoftheNorthAtlanticandPacificOceans.Later,someofhisfindingsarousedmuchpopularinterestinhisbookThePhysicalGeographyoftheSea.
Thecablewaslaid,butnotuntil1866wastheconnectionmadepermanentandreliable.Attheearlyattempts,thecablefailedandwhenitwastakenoutforrepairsitwasfoundtobecoveredinlivinggrowths,afactwhichdefiedcontemporaryscientificopinionthattherewasnolifeinthedeeperpartsofthesea.
Withinafewyearsoceanographywasunderway.In1872Thomsonledascientificexpedition,whichlastedforfouryearsandbroughthomethousandsofsamplesformthesea.Theirclassificationandanalysisoccupiedscientistsforyearsandledtoafive-volumereport,thelastvolumebeingpublishedin1895.
Thispassageismainlyabout_____________.
A)thebeginningsofoceanography
B)thelayingofthefirstunderseacable
C)theinvestigationofoceandepths
D)theearlyintercontinentalcommunications
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