MARS 4100 (Meile/Di Iorio)
"Physical Processes in the Ocean"

Tue/Thu, 9.30-10.45

In this course we will learn about the physical forces on Earth that cause ocean motion and the geological forces that determine the ocean basin and coastal morphologies. This course will provide the student with the necessary skills to carry out mathematical calculations while understanding their limitations, and thus giving a physical interpretation of the solutions obtained. Students will use ocean observatory data, that can be obtained from a number of sources, to examine a specific feature of interest and present their results to the class and in a project report 

Syllabus

MARS 1010H (Meile)
"The Marine Environment "

Tue/Thu, 11-12.15

In this introductory course, we explore the physical, geological, and chemical processes that define the ocean environment covering over 70% of the earth surface, discover the role of the oceans in climate and weather, their importance to our natural resources, and how apparently land-based processes (like earthquakes, volcanoes, and the shape of our coastlines) relate to the ocean system, and decipher how human activities are changing the ocean.  

Syllabus

MARS 4810/6810 (Joye/Meile)
"Microbial Biogeochemistry"

Tue/Thu, 3.30-4.45

This course focuses on the study of the microbial processes important in modifying the earth's lithosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere. It provides a detailed overview of Microbial Biogeochemistry in a variety of aquatic habitats and covers both qualitative and quantitative aspects. Students will be introduced to research on biogeochemistry and elemental cycling over time scales ranging from modern to the early Earth.  

Syllabus

MARS 8510 (Burd/Meile)
"Ecological Modeling"

Mon/Wed/Fr, 2.30-3.20

This course is an introduction to mathematical modeling in marine sciences, focusing on ecological,
biological and chemical models. It will include aspects of data analysis and involve considerable mathematics. Computational techniques and computer programming will be covered using Matlab. 

Syllabus

FRES 1010: Freshmen seminar "Water: The elixir of life"

Wed, 12.20 - 1.10pm, Marine Sciences Bldg, Room 261

Topic: Water is central to life on Earth and potentially elsewhere. In this seminar, we will cover chemical and physical properties of water and study its global cycle. We will discuss its importance for the development of life and adaptations of aquatic organisms to their environments. Topics will also include the impact of water on society in the past, current issues related to its role as resource as drinking water, water pollution, water scarcity, coastal water usage and the impact of global climate change.

MARS 8130: Seminar in Hydrobiology "Introduction to Reactive Transport Modeling"

Thu, 2-3.15pm, Marine Sciences Bldg, Room 110

Topic: This seminar course is based on a weekly discussion of papers and/or book chapters covering a variety of aspects in reactive transport modeling in aqueous systems. Readings will be presented and critically analyzed in classroom meetings, with one of the students leading the discussion. An overview and brief introduction into numerical methods will be given.

Objectives:
1. Improve skills on critical paper assessment and presentation.
2. Learn fundamentals, possibilities and limitations of biogeochemical modeling.
3. For students singing up for additional credits, the development of research question, implementation and discussion of reactive transport models provides an opportunity to learn the power and potential pitfalls of numerical modeling. Software tools available (MATLAB, FEMLAB) also make it possible to explore complex physical phenomena within the allotted time frame.