OEAS - Ocean and Earth Sciences
Introductory course emphasizing the geology, chemistry, physics and biology of the oceans. Laboratory emphasizes practice of basic scientific methods. Knowledge of the metric system, scientific notation, ratio and proportion, and graphing is required. Field trip required.
What is the science behind global climate change? How reliable are forecasts of future global warming? This course examines these questions to evaluate the likelihood and potential severity of anthropogenic climate change in the coming centuries. It includes an overview of the physics of the greenhouse effect, an overview of the global carbon cycle and its role as a global thermostat; an examination of predictions and reliability of model forecasts of future climate change; and examination of local impacts of global climate change (e.g., sea level rise in the Tidewater area).
This is an introductory course in geological sciences. The course relates the principles of natural science to Earth as a planet, its resources, and its environment. The effects of geologic processes on the environment are stressed. A student receiving credit for OEAS 110N cannot receive credit for OEAS 111N.
The evolution of the continents, ocean basins, mountain chains, and the major life forms throughout Earth's history are studied chronologically and are related to the physical and biological changes that have caused them.
Open only to students in the Honors College. Special honors section of OEAS 106N. In addition to broad coverage of the geology, chemistry, physics and biology of the ocean, students will read scientific papers with current environmental problems. There will be several field trips to nearby ecosystems.
This course is designed to introduce students to a range of research and information literacy skills necessary for natural scientists. The course will introduce students to the wide range of research being undertaken in the natural sciences (e.g., oceanography, geology, physics, biology, and chemistry). The course involves directed reading, exercises in information retrieval, and the synthesis of information from a range of sources into scientific essays and oral presentations.
Special topics in physical, geological, chemical or biological oceanography.
Student participation in a supervised, undergraduate research experience for which credit will not apply to the degree. Experience must be related to the student's major, minor or career area of interest.
This course is an introduction to the basic principles governing both day-to-day weather and the average of weather, or climate. Specific focus will be given to the tools used to measure weather and the ways in which these tools have impacted our understanding of weather in the past and present. Links will be made between the technology-based improvements of our understanding of weather and the impact on the lives of humans throughout recent history. Students will learn about how weather forecasts are made, and how the quality of these forecasts affects our lives.
This course introduces the science behind some of Earth's natural phenomena that can, and often do, result in major loss of life or catastrophic damage to property. It includes an overview, with relevant case studies, of earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, volcanic eruptions, tropical cyclones (hurricanes), tornadoes, floods, droughts, and space weather. The impact of global climate change and sea level rise on vulnerable populations is examined and current risk assessment and mitigation practices are discussed.
An investigation of a selected problem in physical, geological, chemical, or biological oceanography.
Geologic resources and processes that limit human activities and pose significant hazards. Does not satisfy OEAS major degree or minor requirements.
This course introduces the concepts of paleontology, focusing on the relationship between the evolution of life (particularly invertebrates) and the development of Earth. Field work will also include studies in paleoecology and sedimentary facies. Two field trips are recommended.
General survey of physical, geological, chemical and biological oceanography. The application of skills from mathematics, geology, physics, biology and chemistry for the solution of oceanographic problems.
In this course-based undergraduate research experience, students perform field and laboratory experiments designed to complement topics presented in the Oceanography lecture course, OEAS 306. Students taking OEAS 306 are strongly encouraged to take this laboratory class concurrently with OEAS 306. Ocean and Earth Science majors are required to take this class.
Core course for ocean and earth sciences majors that examines the processes linking the Earth's atmosphere, lithosphere, and hydrosphere into an interactive system.
The course introduces the main igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks and their mineral composition. Laboratory exercises include mineral identification by physical and microscopic optical properties, the identification of rocks in hand samples, and basic training with the Brunton compass. Field work includes training in introductary facies analysis, and the analysis of sedimentary rock structures, unconformities, volcanic, plutonic, and metamorphic rock units, clastics and carbonates.
The origin, transport, and deposition of sediments with emphasis on interpretation of sediment sequences, principles and methods of correlation. Laboratory exercises involve field sampling, textural analyses, and sedimentary structures. Field trip required.
Geologic processes that shape the earth's surface. Laboratory studies involve interpretation of topographic maps, soil maps, and aerial photographs. Field trip required. This is a writing intensive course.
This course is designed to introduce students to the highly productive ecosystems of estuaries that result from the interactions of fresh and oceanic waters. The course includes exploration, evaluation, and analysis of the factors that allow construction of realistic conceptual models of an important Earth system.
Available for pass/fail grading only. Student participation for credit based on the academic relevance of the work experience, criteria, and evaluative procedures as formally determined by the department and the Career Management program prior to the semester in which the experience is to take place.
Available for pass/fail grading only. Students gain on the job work experience related to their undergraduate curriculum.
Field experience in ocean, earth and atmospheric sciences. (qualifies as a CAP experience)
Lectures, field and laboratory studies. An investigation of a selected problem in physical, geological, chemical, or biological oceanography.
This course will present basic ecological principles relevant to water pollution and ecotoxicology. Topics will include runoff, eutrophication, water and sewage treatment, industrial waste, oil pollution, pesticides, and plastics in the sea. Case studies provide focal points for consideration of issues in making decisions and setting policy. This is a writing intensive course. Pre- or
Physics of the ocean: properties of seawater and their distribution; water mass formation; mass and energy flows; waves; tides; models; estuarine and coastal processes. An elective for science and engineering majors.
This course is designed to introduce students to Matlab programming and to develop skills utilizing this program for data analysis
Chemical composition of the ocean and the chemical, biological, geological and physical processes controlling it.
An examination of the development of the earth as a habitable planet, from its origin to human impacts on global biogeochemical cycles on land, and in the oceans and atmosphere.
This course examines geochemical processes at and near the Earth’s surface, focusing on the concentration, speciation and reactivity of elements in soils, waters, sediments and the atmosphere. The course examines both the thermodynamic and kinetic controls on these processes, and the role of biology as a mediator (or facilitator) of these processes. Anthropogenic impacts on natural geochemical processes are also examined.
Causes, nature, measurement and analysis of water waves and tides. Mathematical and graphical application to wave and tide problems.
The course will consist of brief lectures and hands-on laboratory exercises, in which students will learn to build, use, and debug electronic devices relevant to ocean and earth science applications. Topics covered will include circuit theory, power supplies and budgets, transducers and amplifiers, computerized data acquisition, instrument control, signal conditioning and resolution.
Chemical cycling in lakes and reservoirs, and interactions with biological and physical processes; quantitative modeling of lake geochemistry.
The course integrates remotely sensed and field techniques for scientific investigation and practical management of coastal environmental systems. Spatial modeling of coastal processes and management tools using geographic information system (GIS).
Topics covered will include the occurrence and movement of surface and subsurface water, the nature and distribution of permeable rocks and strata, field techniques used in ground-water studies, and the flow of ground-water to wells.
Survey of marine geology and geophysics; plate tectonics and basin formation; seafloor volcanic activity; marine sediments and sediment dynamics; coastal processes; geologic time in the marine record.
Introduction to the physics of the earth, including plate tectonics, volcanism, earthquakes and seismology, gravity, the Earth's magnetic field, geophysical remote sensing, and mantle convection.
Introduction to concepts and theories of numerical ocean circulation models and their applications in physical oceanography, computational fluid dynamics, environmental problems and ocean forecast systems.
Marine organisms and their relationship to physical and chemical processes in the ocean. Laboratory study of local marine organisms, marine ecosystem and sampling techniques. Includes identification, data analysis and field trips.
Interdisciplinary investigation of selected sites in Southeast Virginia that includes field sampling, sample analyses, data interpretation and integration, and group report preparation and presentations. Focuses on development of research questions and site selection, field sampling, sample analyses and interpretation. Oral presentations of results will be made by each student.
Interdisciplinary investigation of selected sites in Southeast Virginia that includes field sampling, sample analyses, data interpretation and integration, and group report preparation and presentations. Focuses on site selection and evaluation mapping, sampling, and sample analyses. Oral presentations of results will be made by each student. This is a writing intensive course.
Communicating Science to Informal Audiences (CoSIA) is designed for students interested in improving their ability to communicate scientific knowledge by presenting information and activities in an informal learning environment. The course combines instruction in inquiry-based science teaching with practical experience presenting to guests of all ages at the Virginia Aquarium. Students will practice communicating knowledge and receive mentoring on how to improve their presentations. CoSIA provides future scientists and educators with a background in current learning theory and applies it through practical experiences to empower them to meet communication challenges they will encounter in their careers.
This course introduces students to the basic numerical tools used to obtain and analyze information in the ocean and earth sciences. The students will use various oceanographic instruments to obtain data at different locations of the Chesapeake Bay. Data obtained with those instruments will be processed and analyzed using data analysis techniques discussed in class. The data will then be used to answer a particular question related to the temporal and spatial variability in a natural system. This is a writing intensive class.
Marine microbes thrive in all oceanic habitats including what would be considered extreme environmental conditions. This course studies the role that these microbes play in biogeochemical cycling and food web dynamics in the oceans (the microbial loop). Throughout the course, students will learn about different microbial functional groups and the processes they mediate in marine systems, which include virtually all geochemical reactions occurring in the oceans. Students will learn through lectures, readings written by experts in the field, and class discussions.
This course will explore the ecology of marine organisms using molecular techniques and data. Molecular ecology covers a wide variety of sub-disciplines, including genetics, physiology, ecology, and evolution. The course will explore basic theory in population genetics, ecology, and evolution and cover nucleic acid techniques and their applications. This is a writing intensive course.
Students will be introduced to the science underpinning mitigation of human-induced changes in the Earth system, including but not limited to climate change and sea level rise, and adaptation to the impacts of these changes. The course will cover the environmental hazards and the opportunities and limitations for conservation, mitigation and adaptation. This is a writing intensive course. Cross listed with BIOL 466W and IDS 466W.
In this class, students will discover what makes a leader for sustainability. They will consider a range of global and local crises from a leadership point of view in the context of sustainability science, which addresses the development of communities in a rapidly changing social, economic, and environmental system-of-systems environment. The course will be based on taking a problem-motivated and solution-focused approach to the challenges considered. The course includes a service learning project focusing on a leadership experience in solving a real-world environmental problem.
Emphasizes the tools and techniques used to solve scientific problems. Topics include use and design of experiments, use of statistics to interpret experimental results, mathematical modeling of scientific phenomena, and oral and written presentation of results. Students will perform four independent inquiries, combining skills from mathematics and science to solve research problems. This is a writing intensive course.
Supervised study in a field of individual interest. Research results are reported in a public oral presentation and a thesis.
This course will provide an overview of how marine sediments are used to reconstruct Earth's climate history over the past 600 million years. Students will discuss the factors that control modern climate and explore how these variables led to cycles of Greenhouse and Icehouse worlds in the past. Finally, students will discuss how past and modern climate records can be used to predict future climate change.
Lectures, field and laboratory studies. An investigation of a selected problem in physical, geological, chemical, or biological oceanography.
Independent reading and study on a topic to be selected with the direction of an instructor.
This course will present basic ecological principles relevant to water pollution and ecotoxicology. Topics will include runoff, eutrophication, water and sewage treatment, industrial waste, oil pollution, pesticides, and plastics in the sea. Case studies provide focal points for consideration of issues in making decisions and setting policy. This is a writing intensive course.
Physics of the ocean: properties of seawater and their distribution; water mass formation; mass and energy flows; waves; tides; models; estuarine and coastal processes. An elective for science and engineering majors.
This course is designed to introduce students to Matlab programming and to develop skills utilizing this program for data analysis.
Chemical composition of the ocean and the chemical, biological, geological and physical processes controlling it.
An examination of the development of the earth as a habitable planet, from its origin to human impacts on global biogeochemical cycles on land, and in the oceans and atmosphere.
This course examines geochemical processes at and near the Earth’s surface, focusing on the concentration, speciation and reactivity of elements in soils, waters, sediments and the atmosphere. The course examines both the thermodynamic and kinetic controls on these processes, and the role of biology as a mediator (or facilitator) of these processes. Anthropogenic impacts on natural geochemical processes are also examined.
Causes, nature, measurement and analysis of water waves and tides. Mathematical and graphical application to wave and tide problems.
The course will consist of brief lectures and hands-on laboratory exercises, in which students will learn to build, use, and debug electronic devices relevant to ocean and earth science applications. Topics covered will include circuit theory, power supplies and budgets, transducers and amplifiers, computerized data acquisition, instrument control, signal conditioning and resolution.
Chemical cycling in lakes and reservoirs, and interactions with biological and physical processes; quantitative modeling of lake geochemistry.
The course integrates remotely sensed and field techniques for scientific investigation and practical management of coastal environmental systems. Spatial modeling of coastal processes and management tools using geographic information system (GIS).
Topics covered will include the occurrence and movement of surface and subsurface water, the nature and distribution of permeable rocks and strata, field techniques used in ground-water studies, and the flow of ground-water to wells.
Introduction to the physics of the earth, including plate tectonics, volcanism, earthquakes and seismology, gravity, the earth's magnetic field, geophysical remote sensing, and mantle convection.
Marine organisms and their relationship to physical and chemical processes in the ocean. Laboratory study of local marine organisms, marine ecosystem and sampling techniques. Includes identification, data analysis and field trips.
This course introduces students to the basic oceanographic instruments used to obtain and analyze information by investigating different locations in the Chesapeake Bay. Data obtained with these instruments will be processed and analyzed using the data analysis techniques discussed in class. The data will then be used to answer a particular question related to the temporal and spatial variability in a natural system.
This course will explore the ecology of marine organisms using molecular techniques and data. Molecular ecology covers a wide variety of sub-disciplines, including genetics, physiology, ecology, and evolution. The course will explore basic theory in population genetics, ecology, and evolution and cover nucleic acid techniques and their applications.
Students will be introduced to the science underpinning mitigation of human-induced changes in the Earth system, including but not limited to climate change and sea level rise, and adaptation to the impacts of these changes. The course will cover the environmental hazards and the opportunities and limitations for conservation, mitigation and adaptation. Cross listed with BIOL 566.
In this class, students will discover what makes a leader for sustainability. They will consider a range of global and local crises from a leadership point of view in the context of sustainability science, which addresses the development of communities in a rapidly changing social, economic, and environmental system-of-systems environment. The course will be based on taking a problem-motivated and solution-focused approach to the challenges considered. The course includes a service learning project focusing on a leadership experience in solving a real-world environmental problem.
Lectures, field and laboratory studies. An investigation of a selected problem in physical, geological, chemical, or biological oceanography.
Geobiology and the associated field of biosedimentology reflect the interdisciplinary approach to environmental problems, questions related to Earth history, and the exploration of extraterrestrial worlds. The course elaborates our understanding of geobiology and biosedimentology by conducting a study on benthic cyanobacteria and their influences on sedimentary processes in marine environments. Study area is Fisherman’s Island, located close to Norfolk, VA. The course includes aspects of astrobiology (the “sister of geobiology”), and discusses the evolution of life on Earth.
Introduction to descriptive and dynamical physical oceanography. Properties of sea water; distribution of temperature, salinity and density; water, salt, and heat budgets; techniques for describing the ocean; circulation and water masses of the world's oceans and coastal waters.
Instructor approval required. Introduction to concepts and theories of numerical ocean models and their applications in physical oceanography, computational fluid dynamics, environmental problems and ocean forecast systems.
Provides basic knowledge for conducting field experiments in physical oceanography. Fundamentals of experimental design and sampling theory. Standard methods of data reduction, analysis, and reporting.
The goal of this class is to introduce students to the Python programming language, and to equip them with basic coding, data management and version control skills that will allow them to get more research done in less time and with less pain (computationally-speaking).
Chemical properties of seawater; chemical composition of the ocean including major and trace elements, dissolved gases, micronutrient elements, and organic compounds; processes controlling this composition.
Basic analytical chemistry of seawater; field work in chemical oceanography.
An introduction to the geochemistry of marine sediments, with an emphasis on nutrient (C,N,P,S) and trace element cycling in marine sediments.
Chemical dynamics within water and sediments of estuaries, salt marshes, and the continental shelf; river-sea, air-sea, and sediment-water interactions; modeling techniques.
Survey of marine and terrestrial geology and geophysics; plate tectonics and basin formation; marine sediments and sediment dynamics; marine depositional environments and depositional systems; marine stratigraphy dynamics and the formation of marine basins.
Techniques used to calculate components of water budgets and groundwater fluxes in coastal systems, including wetlands, tidal rivers, estuaries, and shelf waters. Hydrologic criteria used to delineate wetlands. Many lab exercises will require field work in local wetlands and coastal systems.
Attributes of marine sediments; main sedimentary facies zones in marine and coastal environments (deep sea, shelf, tidal flats, lagoons, barrier islands); modern depositional systems versus ancient depositional systems; reefs (brachiopoda, corals, sponges, foraminifers, etc); traces and trace fossils.
Dynamics of rotating, stratified fluids, geostrophic adjustment, potential vorticity, Ekman layers, gravity waves, and large scale ocean circulation.
Marine organisms and their interactions with the physical and chemical environments of the sea; primary production, population ecology, nutrition, reproduction, and marine biogeography; related laboratory exercises.
This course considers the physical oceanography of estuaries. In particular, it explores how circulation and mixing in estuaries are influenced by atmospheric forcing, tidal forcing, coastal influences and bathymetric variability. Topics to be treated include classification of estuaries, typical steady dynamical balances, transport of salt and other quantities, mixing, and time-space scales of variability.
Many societal challenges are “wicked problems,” i.e., social or cultural problems that are difficult or impossible to solve. The class will introduce the students to the theory of wicked problems, engage them in transdisciplinary approaches to address such problems using collaborative strategies such as participatory modeling combined with conceptual and agent-based models. Scenario-based simulations and visualizations will be used to explore possible futures and to create foresight related to wicked problems.
Available for pass/fail grading only. May be repeated for credit. Student participation for credit based on the academic relevance of the work experience, criteria, and evaluative procedures as formally determined by the department prior to the semester in which the work experience is to take place.
1-3 credits.
An advanced investigation in a selected problem in physical, geological, chemical, or biological oceanography under the direction of the faculty of the Department of Ocean, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences.
An advanced investigation in a selected problem in physical, geological, chemical, or biological oceanography under the direction of the faculty of the Department of Ocean, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences.
Any semester; hours to be arranged; variable credit. 1-9 credits per semester. M.S.-level research.
Any semester; hours to be arranged; variable credit. 1-9 credits per semester. M.S.-level work primarily devoted to the writing of the thesis.
This graduate course provides students with a foundation in remote sensing and scientific computing for environmental data analysis. Emphasis is placed on satellite and geospatial data workflows, including image preprocessing, algorithm application, and visualization using open-source tools such as Python and high-performance computing resources. Students gain hands-on experience processing large remote sensing datasets for applications in coastal and environmental systems. Core skills include reproducible research practices, data visualization, and scalable computing approaches applicable across environmental science fields.
A study of the basic techniques used to model and analyze time series of oceanographic data. These include temporal spatial and frequency/wave number domain techniques.
This is an advanced computational analysis course designed to introduce students to data management and analysis methods commonly used in data science applications. The data analysis portion of the course will be primarily based on machine learning methods. The course will also give an overview of a selection of scientific databases which host freely available oceanographic data and output from numerical model simulations. This course is not discipline specific and will be useful for any students who want to work with data efficiently and gain experience in data management, proper techniques in developing analytical pipelines and applying machine learning to their research.
This course provides practical insight into characteristics and mechanisms of climate variability from regional to global scale in the modern world with applications to past and future climates. Major emphasis is placed on the salient features of the mean climate system and their dominant modes of natural variability (e.g., seasonality, El Niño–Southern Oscillation, North Atlantic Oscillation, Indian Ocean Dipole, Southern Annular Mode, Pacific Decadal Oscillation), as well as observed and projected manifestations of anthropogenic climate change. Learning is driven by exploration of data and supplemented by lectures, textbook, and published literature. Students gain hands–on experience in MATLAB accessing, analyzing, and visualizing a wide range of gridded data including instrumental, satellite, and reanalysis products, as well as Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) global climate model simulations.
Emphasis is on the construction of working ocean models, both vorticity-stream function and primitive equation models analyzed, mostly finite difference techniques, implicit and explicit schemes, staggered grids, discussion of ocean general circulation models.
The regional oceanography of the major ocean basins, marginal seas, and coastal oceans. Seasonal and interannual variability. Heat and salt cycles.
Dynamics of rotating stratified fluids. Inertial waves, equatorial dynamics, coastal dynamics, dynamic instability.
The course covers the distribution, abundance, and biogeochemical activities of microorganisms in the oceans, with emphasis on prokaryotic microbes and viruses. Symbioses with higher organisms, and applied aspects of marine microbiology, including biofouling and corrosion, invasive species, and marine biotechnology are also addressed.
This course focuses on the causes (forcings) of climate change; natural response time of the climate system; interactions and feedbacks; and the geologic record in climate change.
This course is focused on the theory and techniques of mathematical model development for marine ecosystems. The course is designed to provide an understanding of how to parameterize interaction among components of marine food webs and interaction of food web components with physical environments.
This course examines current concepts of how selected marine ecosystems function, the present status of understanding of ecosystem processes that regulate interactions between organisms and their environment, and how these combine to structure marine ecosystems. The status of current and future states of selected marine ecosystems is evaluated through analysis of coupled physical-biological models
Sedimentary processes in different coastal zones will be described: carbonate, evaporitic, and clastic depositional systems. We will conduct a small research project along the coast of Virginia. Field trip required.
This class will focus on biologically mediated elemental cycling in aquatic systems. Assimilatory and dissimilatory biological processes involving auto- and heterotrophic organisms frequently mediate elemental cycling of these elements. Inorganic compounds and dissolved and particulate organic material will be discussed in terms of their biological reactivity and turnover times in aquatic systems and their contribution to elemental cycling on a variety of temporal and spatial scales. Also included is the issue of how community structure and function alter biogeochemical cycles.
This course examines the physics, chemistry, biology and ecology of photosynthesis by aquatic organisms. Topics include light harvesting, energy transfer, carbon metabolism and biosynthesis and their ecological consequences.
The course covers the physics of light transmission through the aquatic medium as affected by scattering and absorption, the optical properties of seawater, suspended particles of living cells, underwater vision and ocean color.
Techniques for presenting scientific data at professional meetings and seminars. Practical experience and feedback from discussions with visiting speakers.
An advanced investigation of a selected problem in physical, geological, chemical, or biological oceanography under the direction of the faculty of the Department of Ocean, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences.
This graduate course provides students with a foundation in remote sensing and scientific computing for environmental data analysis. Emphasis is placed on satellite and geospatial data workflows, including image preprocessing, algorithm application, and visualization using open-source tools such as Python and high-performance computing resources. Students gain hands-on experience processing large remote sensing datasets for applications in coastal and environmental systems. Core skills include reproducible research practices, data visualization, and scalable computing approaches applicable across environmental science fields.
A study of the basic techniques used to model and analyze time series of oceanographic data. These include temporal spatial and frequency/wave number domain techniques.
This is an advanced computational analysis course designed to introduce students to data management and analysis methods commonly used in data science applications. The data analysis portion of the course will be primarily based on machine learning methods. The course will also give an overview of a selection of scientific databases which host freely available oceanographic data and output from numerical model simulations. This course is not discipline specific and will be useful for any students who want to work with data efficiently and gain experience in data management, proper techniques in developing analytical pipelines and applying machine learning to their research.
This course provides practical insight into characteristics and mechanisms of climate variability from regional to global scale in the modern world with applications to past and future climates. Major emphasis is placed on the salient features of the mean climate system and their dominant modes of natural variability (e.g., seasonality, El Niño–Southern Oscillation, North Atlantic Oscillation, Indian Ocean Dipole, Southern Annular Mode, Pacific Decadal Oscillation), as well as observed and projected manifestations of anthropogenic climate change. Learning is driven by exploration of data and supplemented by lectures, textbook, and published literature. Students gain hands–on experience in MATLAB accessing, analyzing, and visualizing a wide range of gridded data including instrumental, satellite, and reanalysis products, as well as Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) global climate model simulations.
Emphasis is on the construction of working ocean models, both vorticity-stream function and primitive equation models analyzed, mostly finite difference techniques, implicit and explicit schemes, staggered grids, discussion of ocean general circulation models.
The regional oceanography of the major ocean basins, marginal seas, and coastal oceans. Seasonal and interannual variability. Heat and salt cycles.
Dynamics of rotating stratified fluids. Inertial waves, equatorial dynamics, coastal dynamics, dynamic instability.
The course covers the distribution, abundance, and biogeochemical activities of microorganisms in the oceans, with emphasis on prokaryotic microbes and viruses. Symbioses with higher organisms, and applied aspects of marine microbiology, including biofouling and corrosion, invasive species, and marine biotechnology are also addressed.
This course emphasizes the ecology of heterotrophic plankton from bacteria to protists, from metazoan invertebrate plankton to fish larvae. Students will explore the role of plankton groups and species in the context of pelagic ecosystems. Planktonic processes are not only relevant for the ocean ecosystem but also for fisheries, aquaculture, environmental and human health, and global climate. The course consists of lectures, discussion groups on selected reading material, and laboratory demonstrations.
This course is focused on the theory and techniques of mathematical model development for marine ecosystems. The course is designed to provide an understanding of how to parameterize interaction among components of marine food webs and interaction of food web components with physical environments.
This course examines current concepts of how selected marine ecosystems function, the present status of understanding of ecosystem processes that regulate interactions between organisms and their environment, and how these combine to structure marine ecosystems. The status of current and future states of selected marine ecosystems is evaluated through analysis of coupled physical-biological models.
Sedimentary processes in different coastal zones will be described: carbonate, evaporitic, and clastic depositional systems. We will conduct a small research project along the coast of Virginia. Field trip required.
This class will focus on biologically mediated elemental cycling in aquatic systems. Assimilatory and dissimilatory biological processes involving auto- and heterotrophic organisms frequently mediate elemental cycling of these elements. Inorganic compounds and dissolved and particulate organic material will be discussed in terms of their biological reactivity and turnover times in aquatic systems and their contribution to elemental cycling on a variety of temporal and spatial scales. Also included is the issue of how community structure and function alter biogeochemical cycles.
This course examines the physics, chemistry, biology and ecology of photosynthesis by aquatic organisms. Topics include light harvesting, energy transfer, carbon metabolism and biosynthesis and their ecological consequences.
The course covers the physics of light transmission through the aquatic medium as affected by scattering and absorption, the optical properties of seawater, suspended particles of living cells, underwater vision and ocean color.
Techniques for presenting scientific data at professional meetings and seminars. Practical experience and feedback from discussions with visiting speakers.
An advanced investigation of a selected problem in physical, geological, chemical, or biological oceanography under the direction of the faculty of the Department of Ocean and Earth Sciences.
Any semester; hours to be arranged; variable credit, 1-9 credits per semester. Ph.D.-level research.
Any semester; hours to be arranged; variable credit, 1-9 credits per semester.Ph.D.-level work primarily devoted to the writing of the dissertation.