The Marine Environment (MARS 1010)

• Next offered: Fall Semester 2005

Course Summary:

This course covers the physical (waves, tides, ocean circulation, etc.), chemical (evolution of the Earth's atmosphere and ocean, chemical composition of the ocean, etc.), and geological (plate tectonics, sediment types, etc.) and biological (marine mammals, primary production, trophic levels and food webs) characteristics of the marine environment. Special topics include global warming, El Ni ñ o, human impacts on marine environments and resources, beach erosion, and extreme environments. This course is intended for non-science majors but general science concepts are presented and discussed.

Physical Processes of the Ocean (MARS 4100/6100)

• Next offered: Spring Semester 2006

Course Summary:

In this course we will learn about the physical forces on Earth that cause ocean motion and how their interactions with geologic forces have likely changed ocean circulation and climate over thousands to billions of years. We will examine the ocean and atmosphere as a coupled system driven by energy from the Sun. Atmospheric circulation creates the global ocean wind-driven surface currents and coupled atmosphere ocean processes create anomalies like El Niño. Deep ocean currents, driven by density, further regulate climate on Earth. We will also discover how waves are a mechanism to transport information from one point to another point on Earth. We will then examine how the Earth/Moon/Sun system causes large bodies of water to rise and fall as tides.

Once we understand the modern ocean, we combine this knowledge with basic principles of marine geology to infer ocean and climate changes over geologic time. We will specifically address the causes of ice ages, how plate movement influences ocean circulation and climate, explore long-term planetary evolution, and discuss the impacts of human activities on future oceans and climate.