Earth’s Oceans and Coastlines

In this course we explore our planet’s oceans and coastlines through the interdisciplinary study of marine geology, physics, biology, and chemistry. We use these fields as lenses through which we examine our reliance on the oceans for climate stability, food, economic resources, and waste dispersal, among a host of other ecosystem services. In parallel, we explore how humans are fundamentally altering coastal and marine ecosystems, posing unequally distributed, but increasingly severe threats to ocean and human health. In labs, we make use of the college’s research vessel, the R/V Folger, and learn quantitative data visualization and analysis techniques. 3 hrs. lect., 3 hrs. lab/field trips