| CODE | GSC3200 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | Fundamentals of Chemical and Biological Oceanography | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 03 - Years 2, 3, 4 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 6 | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Geosciences | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | The proposed study-unit will introduce students to the physical properties (eg light, temperature, bathymetry, currents) and chemical properties (such as salinity, oxygen content, dissolved salts) of oceans, and how these affect the living and non-living components of the oceans. Aspects of marine pollution will also be covered. The proposed study-unit will cover the following aspects of biological oceanography: Influence of physical forcings (light, temperature, salinity) and nutrients (nitrates, phosphates, silicates, iron) on the pelagic domain through an assessment of the requirements and adaptations of different pelagic groups; variability within the oceans of such parameters to explain anomalies (e.g. HNLC regions) and the role played by physical phenomena (e.g. fronts, gyres, eddies, upwelling) on the productivity of the oceans; different methods of measuring productivity; appreciation of the implications for the pelagic domain of the photic zone, critical depth, compensation point and the Sverdrup model. Analysis of the different stages of a phytoplankton bloom. Introduction to phytoplankton and zooplankton systems, including planktonic size classes, life strategies and vertical migrations; Assessment of trophic relationships within the pelagic domain and nutrient regeneration via microbial loop. Evaluation of the major nutrient cycles (N,P,S). Critical assessment of the methodologies for determining chlorophyll a in surface waters (fluorimetry, spectrometry, satellite) and monitoring planktonic populations through classic (e.g. nets) and automated (e.g. Continuous Plankton Recorder, FlowCam, ZooScan, ZooProcess systems) means and handling bias within automated systems the following aspects of chemical oceanography: Salinity: its components and different determination methodologies; Residence times of different seawater components and degree of under-saturation; Variability in trace element vertical profiles; Dissolved gases and the oxygen minimum zone; REDOX considerations for sediments and water column (RPD position); Tracers in oceanography, from radioisotopes to non-radioactive ones (e.g. CFCs), and their applications; The marine carbon cycle in terms of carbonate chemistry and ocean pH, aragonite and calcite horizons and ocean acidication; Marine sediment ooze Fluxes in the mercury cycle as an example of a marine pollutant. Study-unit Aims: This unit aims to: (i) introduce students to the tenets of biological and chemical oceanography; (ii) illustrate the linkages between these two fields of oceanography; and (iii) demonstrate the relevance of biological and chemical oceanography within the broader scope of oceanographic studies. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: (i) define the major tenets of biological and chemical oceanography; (ii) list the major scientific data-acquisition methodologies deployed within these two disciplines; (iii) name the major hypotheses governing the theoretical baseline of the same two disciplines; (iv) recall the salient chemical processes and species operating within the water column of ocean worldwide; (v) discuss the role of biota in the pelagic domain in the cycling of organic material and in the settlement of benthic deposits. 2. Skills By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: (i) interpret maps of ocean colour and their significance for pelagic communities in terms of productivity; (ii) classify the global ocean in terms of productivity by assessing prevailing hydrodynamic phenomena such as gyres and upwelling; (iii) identify anomalies in the global ocean in terms of the biological and/or chemical properties of its waters e.g. identify HNLC areas or areas of high productivity associated with shelf-breaks; (iv) propose the most adequate oceanography tracer for hypothetical applications; (v) evaluate the impact on the redox potential of a benthic sediment of changes in nutrient loads. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main recommended texts: (1) Carol M. Lalli & Timothy Richard Parsons, (Open University) (1995). Biological Oceanography: An Introduction. Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd; 2nd edition, 320pp. Available online from: http://www.sisal.unam.mx/labeco/LAB_ECOLOGIA/OF_files/54210854-Biological-Oceanography-an-Introduction.pdf (2) Simpson, J. & Sharples, J. (2012). Introduction to the Physical & Biological Oceanography of Shelf Seas, Cambridge University Press, 448pp. (3) Miller, C. & Wheeler, P. (2012). Biological Oceanography, 2nd edition, Wiley-Blackwell, 480pp. (4) Pilson, M.E.Q. (2012). An introduction to the chemistry of the sea. 2nd edition. Cambridge University Press, 524pp. Supplementary reading: (1) Mann, K. & Lazier, J. (2005). Dynamics of Marine Ecosystems: Biological-Physical Interactions in the Oceans, 3rd edition, Wiley-Blackwell, 512pp. (2) Emerson, S. & Hedges, J. (2008). Chemical Oceanography and the Marine Carbon Cycle. Cambridge University Press,450pp. (3) Millero, F.J. (2013) Chemical Oceanography. CRC Press. 4th edition, 591pp. |
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| ADDITIONAL NOTES | Pre-Requisite qualifications: O Level In Biology or Chemistry Pre-Requisite Study-units: GSC ones on Introductory Chemistry |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | ||||||||||||
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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