Biological Oceanography

Prerequisites: Graduate student status in one of the physical or biological sciences departments. Special considerations to other students may be granted with the instructor’s and the student’s departmental chairperson.

Biological oceanography is an ’earth science’ that focuses on patterns and processes that are of consequence to the interaction of organisms and the sea. Biological oceanography encompasses both pelagic and benthic environments, however, some specialized shallow marine environments are beyond the usual scope of oceanographic study (e.g., littoral zone and coral reefs). In this course, the student will be introduced to not only our current understanding of biological oceanographic processes, but to the historical perspective of how this understanding came to be. This will be accomplished through weekly reading assignments of the primary literature - discussion of these papers will be integrated into the lecture. Students will participate in basic experimental and descriptive biological oceanography - these exercises are intended to provide the student with some of the fundamental tools and procedures in use by biological oceanographers. These tools cut across other disciplines such as chemistry, physics and geology.