Marine Science

Dates Offered: January 28-March 24, 2008

Costs: $290.00

Grade Levels: 9-12

Credits: .5

To register, click here and choose the course title from the drop down menu. Once your registratoin form has been processed the business office will email you an e-bill for your tuition invoice which may be paid online and full course details will follow once payment has been processed.

COURSE OVERVIEW : ~This course is the study of the ocean environment; the life and physical properties of the oceans. We start with the different life zones of the ocean and what differentiates them. We then explore the different life forms that inhabit the oceans of the world. Next, we explore the physical make-up of the oceans, from their geology to the energy in them. Lastly, we will investigate the ecology of the oceans and what can be done to our increasingly endangered oceans.

Students will attend class aboard the R/V 3D Atlantis and the dive down for more indepth studies aboard 3D Sealab.

COURSE CONTENT :The following is a list of topics that students will be learning in marine science:

• Introduction to the nature of scientific inquiry and the scientific method
• Kingdom of life in the seas
• marine invertebrates; Cnidarians, worms, mollusks, crustaceans, and echinoderms
• Marine vertebrates; fishes, marine reptiles and birds, and marine mammals
• The geology of the Oceans.
• Energy in the Oceans; temperature and pressure, light and sound in the ocean, and tides, waves and currents
• Marine ecology; interdependence in the ocean, pollution, and conservation of resources
  

Course Outline

1. Introductory Concepts
   1. The Ocean as a Habitat
      1. Ocean continents and basins
      2. Properties of water
      3. Properties of seawater
      4. Ocean as a two layered system
      5. Benthic and pelagic divisions
   2. Ecological and Biological Concepts
      1. Prokaryotes and eukaryotes and the processing of energy
      2. Special adaptations to salt water
      3. Trophic relationships in marine communities
      4. Fluid environment relationships vs terrestrial environment relationship
2. Marine Primary Producers
   1. Phytoplankton
      1. Need to classify
      2. Cyanobacteria
      3. Chrysophyta
      4. Dinophyta
      5. General characteristics
   2. Marine Plants
      1. Benthic plants as compared to phytoplankton
      2. Green algae (Chlorophyta)
      3. Brown algae (Phaeophyta)
      4. Red algae (Rhotophyta)
      5. Flowering plants (Anthophyta)
   3. Primary Production in the Sea
      1. Rates of photosynthesis of phytoplankton and marine plants
      2. Marine autotrophs that complement the light absorption of chlorophyll
      3. Spatial separation of light and nutrient requirements of primary producers
3. Diversity of Marine Animals
   1. Protozoans and Invertebrates
      1. Phyla represented
      2. Major evolutionary trends
      3. Most abundant species
         1. Protozoans
         2. Porifera
         3. Echinodermata
         4. Coelenterata
         5. Arthropoda - Crustaceans
         6. Mollusca
   2. Marine Vertebrates
      1. Structural features common to vertebrates
      2. Fish are the most abundant group
         1. Agnatha
         2. Chondrichthyes
         3. Osteichthyes
      3. Marine tetrapods-reptiles, birds, and mammals
      4. Special adaptations of marine mammals and birds
4. Benthic Communities
   1. The intertidal zone
      1. The sea bottom as a habitat
      2. Environmental complexity caused by tides
      3. Regions of the intertidal zone
      4. Sandy beaches and muddy shores
   2. Estuaries
      1. Types
      2. Circulation and salinity
      3. Sediments and habitats
      4. Wetlands
         1. temperate wetlands-salt marshes
         2. tropical wetlands-mangrove swamps
         3. mudflats
      5. Economic uses of estuaries
   3. Coral Reefs-rainforests in the sea
      1. Coral anatomy, reproduction, and growth
      2. Distribution and ecology of corals
      3. Formation and types of coral reefs
      4. Zonation in coral reefs
      5. Fish associated with coral reefs
      6. Symbiotic relationships in reef communities
      7. Catastrophic mortality of coral reefs-natural and anthropogenic
   4. Below the tides
      1. Factors that influence living conditions of the bottom
      2. Continental shelves
      3. The abyss
      4. Energy transfer from the sea surface to the sea floor
      5. Inhabitants of the deep sea floor
      6. Deep sea hot springs
5. The Pelagic Realm
   1. Zooplankton
   2. Nekton-(fish)
   3. Nekton-Migration, Sensory Reception, and Reproduction
6. Human Intervention in the Sea
   1. Food from the Sea
      1. Marine food species
      2. Major world fishing areas
      3. Mariculture
      4. Problems of overexploitation
      5. International regulation
   2. Ocean Pollution
      1. Sewage
      2. Toxic pollutants
      3. Research in progress
      4. Oil on water
      5. Marine debris
      6. Our responsibility-developing a sense of stewardship