Geosciences 190BH - Biological Oceanography

The oceans cover about 71% of Earth's surface and host a diverse array of life. Biological oceanography is the study of marine organisms, and is an interdisciplinary subject that integrates biology with chemistry, physics and geology. The goal of this course is to understand the factors controlling the quantitative abundance and distributions of marine organisms in space and time and their interactions with each other and the surrounding environment. This course examines marine organisms, from phytoplankton and zooplankton to nekton and large marine mammals, and life in all realms of the ocean from surface waters to the deep sea, including hydrothermal vent systems. The biotic and abiotic factors that contribute to the distribution of the organisms is investigated. This course also examines the important role that primary productivity in the oceans plays in regulating global nutrient cycles and Earth's climate, and how climate change and pollution are currently affecting the different ocean ecosystems. A significant part of this course is based on field observations and experiments and on laboratory experimentation with individual species or isolated parts of the system being studied. (BS)

Open to Commonwealth Honors College Students only.