General survey of geological, physical, chemical, and biological oceanography. Includes history of oceanography, origin of ocean basins, plate tectonics, sea floor, waves, tides, currents, properties of water, composition of seawater, ocean productivity, pelagic environment, benthic environment, coastal processes, marine resources, and pollution. This class may include students from multiple sections. (Formerly OCEA& 101, Natural Sciences, Elective)
Course Outcomes
- Applied an understanding of fundamental ocean processes to explain how the ocean is structured and how ocean characteristics shape life.
- Described at least one major finding about the oceans developed via an application of the scientific method.
- Identified at least one major relationship between oceans and human communities.
- Considered career/education opportunities in ocean sciences, technology or education.
- Extracted and manipulated subsets of ocean data from online databases, or field collected data, in order to answer a research question.
- Communicated concepts in ocean science via writing and speaking.
- Extract the main concepts from a variety or readings in ocean science, including primary, secondary, and tertiary sources, demonstrating strong reading comprehension skills.