explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

2859: Oceanography Gift

2023-11-25T13:21:14Z

OceanOle: Added info about Antarctic Circumpolar Current

{{comic
| number = 2859
| date = November 24, 2023
| title = Oceanography Gift
| image = oceanography_gift_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x272px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Shipping times vary. Same-ocean delivery may only take a few years, but delivery from the Weddell Sea in Antarctica may take multiple decades, and molecules meant for inland seas like the Mediterranean may be returned as undeliverable by surface currents.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created ten years ago by a WATER CURRENT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
In this comic, [[Randall]] seems inspired by the timing of {{w|ocean current}}s, much as he has previously been with [[2805: Global Atmospheric Circulation|air currents]], although he may even have already considered some of the technicalities [[1675: Message in a Bottle|prior to that]].

The DOI Jönsson & Watson reference is to a 2016 open-access article in Nature Communications '[https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms11239 The timescales of global surface-ocean connectivity]'.

The idea here is that water dumped into the ocean today will take ten years to circulate round to the next coastline (wherever that is). So you can plan ahead before posting water to someone...

The title text mentions that if it is "Same-ocean delivery" it may only take a few years as the coast lines are in the same general body of water, and doesn't have to pass around large obstacles like continents or through small gaps.

But if you wish delivery from {{w|Weddell Sea}} it may take decades. This is not only because it lies near the {{w|Antarctic Peninsula}}. You might wish delivery to a nearby oceans coast... But also because it contains the {{w|Weddell Gyre}} one of the two gyres that exist within the {{w|Southern Ocean}}. An {{w|Ocean gyre}} is any large system of circulating ocean surface currents. So any water dropped there would likely end up circling there for much longer than water dropped in any particular other part of an ocean where there is no gyre nearby. For certain it has been [[Randall|Randall's]] intention that we should all end up reading about Ocean gyre. Additonally, the Weddell Sea is surrounded by one more circular current, the {{w|Antarctic Circumpolar Current}}, which increases residence time even further.

The title text also mentions {{w|Inland seas}}, which is bodies of water that are very large in area but is either completely surrounded by dry land or connected to an ocean only by a river or a strait. He mentions the {{w|Mediterranean Sea}} which is only connected to the {{w|Atlantic Ocean}} through the narrow {{w|Strait of Gibraltar}}; therefore, water molecules dumped in one ocean would not get to those oceans (except perhaps by {{w|evaporation}} and {{w|precipitation}}). And thus they are returned to sender as undeliverable.

The Mediterranean Sea is not completely cut off from the main oceans and the surface current is actually going into the Mediterranean Sea, as the heavier and more salty water in the inland sea causes the water to sink below the water of the Atlantic sea. So the {{w|Strait_of_Gibraltar#Inflow_and_outflow|outflow}} from the sea is far beneath the surface. So actually it would be water dumped in the Mediterranean Sea that would never leave the ocean as surface water!

The {{w|Caspian Sea}} is a real inland sea that has no outlet to any oceans and only inlet from rivers.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.|Probably still improvable}}

:[Cueball and Megan are standing thigh deep, at either edge of a stretch of water between two steep but walkable shorelines.]

:[Cueball, at the left, is apparently opening bottles of water and pouring them into the sea while recording himself.]
:Cueball: Happy birthday!
:Cueball: I got you these water molecules.
:[Sound effects:] (click) (pour)

:[The water between has a morass of short swirling arrows indicating movement. In the air above this there is a square-bracketted 'label']
:[Label:] 10 years pass 

:[Megan, at the right, is dipping bottles into the water to fill them]
:Megan: Aww, thank you!
:[Sound effect:] (scoop)

:[Text below comic:]
: Global surface ocean connectivity times are ≤10 years (Jönsson & Watson, 2016, DOI:10.1038/ncomms11239), so if you're willing to plan ahead, you can pour water into the ocean while wishing someone a happy birthday, and then in 10 years let them know they can pick up their gift at the nearest coastline.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics with lowercase text]]

Talk:2729: Planet Killer Comet Margarita

2023-01-26T11:18:26Z

OceanOle:

A standard LR1 oil tanker holds, at most, [https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=17991#:~:text=These%20ships%20can%20access%20most,of%20light%20sweet%20crude%20oil 25.8 million] gallons of gasoline. At an IBA specification of 50ml of tequila per margarita, Randall's ratio would make 1.95 billion margaritas, or around 6 for every resident of the United States assuming they could all be assembled at the base of Lake Mead. {{unsigned ip|172.68.70.120|21:41, 25 January 2023}}
:Of course they could be. "Free margaritas (only ''slightly'' contaminated by radioactive fall-out)" will surely attract all but the most sober and serious types... [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.32|172.70.85.32]] 00:25, 26 January 2023 (UTC)

:25.8 * 10^6 litre times 4000 tankers divided by 50ml gives 2.064 x 10^12 cocktails. Divided by 332 million residents of the US results in more like 6216 cocktails per person. [[User:OceanOle|OceanOle]] ([[User talk:OceanOle|talk]]) 11:17, 26 January 2023 (UTC)

It's also a riff on Stan Freberg's routine about turning Lake Michigan into a giant chocolate Sundae. {{unsigned ip|162.158.186.21|23:42, 25 January 2023}}

2022's record-breaking tequila production could fill about [https://mexicodailypost.com/2022/12/21/tequila-breaks-record-in-production-and-exports/ about seven oil tankers]. Since tequila production in any significant quantity started less than 500 years ago, 4000 tankers of tequila would be more tequila than has ever existed. -[[Special:Contributions/172.69.68.216|172.69.68.216]] 04:08, 26 January 2023 (UTC)

I interpreted "on the rocks" in this case to refer to the terrain downstream of Lake Mead, rather than the rocky material of the comet. Though either one seems reasonable. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.82.68|172.71.82.68]] 04:35, 26 January 2023 (UTC)

According to Wikipedia, Lake Mead contains a volume of up to 34.82 km^3. Assuming 2 cocktails of 0.3 litre per person, Lake Mead can store enough margarita for 5.8 x 10^13 people or around 7250 times the current world population. So you don't have to feel any guilt for getting a third cocktail. [[User:OceanOle|OceanOle]] ([[User talk:OceanOle|talk]]) 11:04, 26 January 2023 (UTC)

Well, that'll give the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster a run for its money... [[User:IByte|IByte]] ([[User talk:IByte|talk]]) 11:09, 26 January 2023 (UTC)

Talk:2729: Planet Killer Comet Margarita

2023-01-26T11:17:47Z

OceanOle:

A standard LR1 oil tanker holds, at most, [https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=17991#:~:text=These%20ships%20can%20access%20most,of%20light%20sweet%20crude%20oil 25.8 million] gallons of gasoline. At an IBA specification of 50ml of tequila per margarita, Randall's ratio would make 1.95 billion margaritas, or around 6 for every resident of the United States assuming they could all be assembled at the base of Lake Mead. {{unsigned ip|172.68.70.120|21:41, 25 January 2023}}
:Of course they could be. "Free margaritas (only ''slightly'' contaminated by radioactive fall-out)" will surely attract all but the most sober and serious types... [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.32|172.70.85.32]] 00:25, 26 January 2023 (UTC)
:25.8 * 10^6 litre times 4000 tanker divided by 50ml gives 2.064 x 10^12 cocktails. Divided by 332 million residents of the US results in more like 6216 cocktails per person. [[User:OceanOle|OceanOle]] ([[User talk:OceanOle|talk]]) 11:17, 26 January 2023 (UTC)

It's also a riff on Stan Freberg's routine about turning Lake Michigan into a giant chocolate Sundae. {{unsigned ip|162.158.186.21|23:42, 25 January 2023}}

2022's record-breaking tequila production could fill about [https://mexicodailypost.com/2022/12/21/tequila-breaks-record-in-production-and-exports/ about seven oil tankers]. Since tequila production in any significant quantity started less than 500 years ago, 4000 tankers of tequila would be more tequila than has ever existed. -[[Special:Contributions/172.69.68.216|172.69.68.216]] 04:08, 26 January 2023 (UTC)

I interpreted "on the rocks" in this case to refer to the terrain downstream of Lake Mead, rather than the rocky material of the comet. Though either one seems reasonable. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.82.68|172.71.82.68]] 04:35, 26 January 2023 (UTC)

According to Wikipedia, Lake Mead contains a volume of up to 34.82 km^3. Assuming 2 cocktails of 0.3 litre per person, Lake Mead can store enough margarita for 5.8 x 10^13 people or around 7250 times the current world population. So you don't have to feel any guilt for getting a third cocktail. [[User:OceanOle|OceanOle]] ([[User talk:OceanOle|talk]]) 11:04, 26 January 2023 (UTC)

Well, that'll give the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster a run for its money... [[User:IByte|IByte]] ([[User talk:IByte|talk]]) 11:09, 26 January 2023 (UTC)

Talk:2729: Planet Killer Comet Margarita

2023-01-26T11:06:43Z

OceanOle:

A standard LR1 oil tanker holds, at most, [https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=17991#:~:text=These%20ships%20can%20access%20most,of%20light%20sweet%20crude%20oil 25.8 million] gallons of gasoline. At an IBA specification of 50ml of tequila per margarita, Randall's ratio would make 1.95 billion margaritas, or around 6 for every resident of the United States assuming they could all be assembled at the base of Lake Mead. {{unsigned ip|172.68.70.120|21:41, 25 January 2023}}
:Of course they could be. "Free margaritas (only ''slightly'' contaminated by radioactive fall-out)" will surely attract all but the most sober and serious types... [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.32|172.70.85.32]] 00:25, 26 January 2023 (UTC)

It's also a riff on Stan Freberg's routine about turning Lake Michigan into a giant chocolate Sundae. {{unsigned ip|162.158.186.21|23:42, 25 January 2023}}

2022's record-breaking tequila production could fill about [https://mexicodailypost.com/2022/12/21/tequila-breaks-record-in-production-and-exports/ about seven oil tankers]. Since tequila production in any significant quantity started less than 500 years ago, 4000 tankers of tequila would be more tequila than has ever existed. -[[Special:Contributions/172.69.68.216|172.69.68.216]] 04:08, 26 January 2023 (UTC)

I interpreted "on the rocks" in this case to refer to the terrain downstream of Lake Mead, rather than the rocky material of the comet. Though either one seems reasonable. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.82.68|172.71.82.68]] 04:35, 26 January 2023 (UTC)

According to Wikipedia, Lake Mead contains a volume of up to 34.82 km^3. Assuming 2 cocktails of 0.3 litre per person, Lake Mead can store enough margarita for 5.8 x 10^13 people or around 7250 times the current world population. So you don't have to feel any guilt for getting a third cocktail. [[User:OceanOle|OceanOle]] ([[User talk:OceanOle|talk]]) 11:04, 26 January 2023 (UTC)

Talk:2729: Planet Killer Comet Margarita

2023-01-26T11:04:31Z

OceanOle:

A standard LR1 oil tanker holds, at most, [https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=17991#:~:text=These%20ships%20can%20access%20most,of%20light%20sweet%20crude%20oil 25.8 million] gallons of gasoline. At an IBA specification of 50ml of tequila per margarita, Randall's ratio would make 1.95 billion margaritas, or around 6 for every resident of the United States assuming they could all be assembled at the base of Lake Mead. {{unsigned ip|172.68.70.120|21:41, 25 January 2023}}
:Of course they could be. "Free margaritas (only ''slightly'' contaminated by radioactive fall-out)" will surely attract all but the most sober and serious types... [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.32|172.70.85.32]] 00:25, 26 January 2023 (UTC)

According to Wikipedia, Lake Mead contains a volume of up to 34.82 km^3. Assuming 2 cocktails of 0.3 litre per person, Lake Mead can store enough margarita for 5.8 x 10^13 people or around 7250 times the current world population. So you don't have to feel any guilt for getting a third cocktail. [[User:OceanOle|OceanOle]] ([[User talk:OceanOle|talk]]) 11:04, 26 January 2023 (UTC)

It's also a riff on Stan Freberg's routine about turning Lake Michigan into a giant chocolate Sundae. {{unsigned ip|162.158.186.21|23:42, 25 January 2023}}

2022's record-breaking tequila production could fill about [https://mexicodailypost.com/2022/12/21/tequila-breaks-record-in-production-and-exports/ about seven oil tankers]. Since tequila production in any significant quantity started less than 500 years ago, 4000 tankers of tequila would be more tequila than has ever existed. -[[Special:Contributions/172.69.68.216|172.69.68.216]] 04:08, 26 January 2023 (UTC)

I interpreted "on the rocks" in this case to refer to the terrain downstream of Lake Mead, rather than the rocky material of the comet. Though either one seems reasonable. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.82.68|172.71.82.68]] 04:35, 26 January 2023 (UTC)