Re: [Obo-envo] Is an ocean current a continuant or an occurrent?

[Smith, B. <phi...@bu...>]

At 04:33 PM 11/21/2007, Michael Ashburner wrote:
>Pankaj
>
>Two comments.
>
>As BS says they MOST CERTAINLY do not belong in ENVO, though the class
>"ocean current" does as indeed is in ENVO:
>
>id: ENVO:00000147
>name: ocean current
>def: "Any more or less continuous, directed movement of ocean water
>that flows in one of the Earth's oceans. Ocean Currents are rivers of
>hot or cold water within the ocean. The currents are generated from
>the forces acting upon the water like the earth's rotation, the wind,
>the temperature and salinity differences and the gravitation of the
>moon. The depth contours, the shoreline and other currents influence
>the current's direction and strength." 
>[wiki:http\://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Ocean_current]
>
>I would argue very strongly for them to be in gaz. ocean biologists
>use these, they know when they are 'in' a current and they
>sample from currents.

If 'current' and like terms are to fit in the structure of EnvO, then 
they must, like all other EnvO terms, be understood as designating continuants.
(EnvO does not have processes, and neither does GAZ.) Similarly the 
counterpart instance-terms in GAZ must be understood as designating 
continuants (indeed as regions, or as what would be in this case 
modified regions (we might think of them as timeshare regions) since 
they exist only for part of the year (as it were).

To view an ocean current as a modified type of region sounds odd, at 
first, but is in fact implied by Michael's conviction to the effect 
that "ocean biologists  use these, they know when they are 'in' a 
current and they sample from currents".

If this is accepted, then we would need to change the definition of 
ocean current as follows:

>id: ENVO:00000147
>name: ocean current
>def: "The REGION OCCUPIED BY any more or less continuous, directed 
>movement of ocean water
>that flows in one of the Earth's oceans. Ocean Currents are rivers of
>hot or cold water within the ocean [NOTE THAT THIS SENTENCE IS 
>ALREADY CORRECT; RIVERS ARE NOT MOVEMENTS.] THIS MOVEMENT IS generated from
>the forces acting upon the water like the earth's rotation, the wind,
>the temperature and salinity differences and the gravitation of the
>moon. The depth contours, the shoreline and other MOVEMENTS influence
>the direction and strength OF THE MOVEMENT OF WATER THAT FORMS A 
>GIVEN CURRENT."

If it is not accepted, then Aaron will need to build a 
hydrology-and-meteorology process ontology (storms, and such), and 
'current' will have to go in there.
BS