Narrative: This course is designed as an introduction to ocean basins and other large bodies of water (such as Lake Superior). Waves, tides, currents, coastal processes, marine resources, marine pollution, and air-sea interaction and its effect on climate will be covered in the course.

Instructor: Dr. Jackie Huntoon, 626 DOW, 7-2412, jeh@mtu.edu. Office hours will be announced during the first week of classes.

Textbook: Sverdrup, K.A., Duxbury, A.C., and Duxbury, A.B., 2003, An Introduction to the World's Oceans, 7th Edition, McGraw Hill, 521 p.

Laboratory Manual: Rowell, B.F., Ryan, W.L., 1996, Methods in Introductory Oceanography: William C. Brown Publishers, 170 p.

Scheduled Meeting Times: Two lectures, and one three-hour laboratory per week.
 

Lecture Number	Chapter in Textbook	Topic
1	Prologue	Technological advances in the study of oceanography
2	1	Origin of the oceans
Lab 1		Maps and Charts: Hands-On Exercise #1
3	1	Maps and charts - finding out where you are and where you are going on a spherical planet
4	1	Water - links between the oceans, the atmosphere, and the continents
Lab 2		Bathymetry: Hands-On Exercise #2
5	2	Plate tectonics - what is it, and how do we know?
6	3	Seafloor sediments - mineral resources in the sea
Lab 3		Navigation Charts: Hands-On Exercise #3
7	3	Seafloor mining - laws and treaties
8	4	Water density - how it controls vertical movement of water in the oceans
Lab 4		Latitude and longitude - life on a spherical planet: Hands-On Exercise #4
9	4	How heat, light, and sound move through the ocean. How these properties impact climate, and measurement of climate change.
10		MIDTERM I
Lab 5		Ocean floor - age, depth, and spreading rates: Hands-On Exercise 5.
11	5	Seawater chemistry: salinity and the world's growing need for fresh water
12	5	Seawater chemistry: carbon dioxide absorption by the oceans
Lab 6		Coastal Morphology: Hands-On Exercise #6
13	5	The "Greenhouse Effect" and the oceans' role in greenhouse gas regulation
14	6	Solar Radiation - the source of energy to move the oceans and atmosphere
Lab 7		Biogenic Sediments - the creatures at the base of the food chain: Hands-On Exercise #7
15	6	Evaporation, precipitation, storms and hurricanes
16	7	The atmosphere, winds, and global circulation patterns
Lab 8		Measurement of density: Hands-On Exercise #8
17	7	El Nino, upwelling, and downwelling
18	8	Currents - driving forces, patterns, and their effect on climate
Lab 9		Measurement of salinity: Hands-On Exercise #9
19	8	Currents, bottom water, deep water, and the "global superconveyor"
20		MIDTERM II
Lab 10		Gases in Seawater: Hands-On Exercise #10
21	8	Oceanic circulation and ice ages
22	9	Waves
Lab 11		Atmospheric Circulation and Currents: Hands-On Exercise #11
23	9	Energy from waves, hazards due to giant waves
24	10	Tides - the moon's influence on the Earth's water
Lab 12		Waves: Hands-On Exercise #12
25	10	Tides: Environmental effects and potential energy source
26	11	Coasts: Environmental threats to estuaries and bays
Lab 13		Tides and Seiches: Hands-On Exercise #13
27	11	Coasts: Natural hazards and policy issues
28	12	Marine pollution and legal issues: Garbage
Lab 14		Specific Heat - An Investigation of the Concept: Hands-On Exercise #14
29	12	Marine pollution and legal issues II: Oil Spills
30	12	Marine pollution and legal issues III: Overfishing.
Lab 15		Global warming - what are the causes?: Hands-on Exercise 15

Grading Procedure: Grades are based on performance on three exams (two midterms and one final), and laboratory assignments. Each midterm and the final are worth 100 pts. Laboratory assignments are worth 100 pts total.