Instructors:
Katja Fennel (katja.fennel@dal.ca)
Office: LSC Oceanography #2634
Phone: 494 4526
Office hours: By appointment
Markus Kienast (markus.kienast@dal.ca)
Office: LSC Oceanography #5636
Phone: 494 8338
Office hours: By appointment
Course Times: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 14:35 – 15:55
Location: LSC Oceanography #3655
Course description: This course examines the role and response of the oceans to global change, including alterations in currents and circulation, increases in sea level, changes in ocean chemistry, modification of the types and patterns of sediment deposition, alterations in the abundances and distributions of organisms, and overall productivity. We will also discuss means of predicting these changes and their effects. The course covers two main aspects: (1) “The present” will focus on the general functioning of biogeochemical cycles, oceanic and atmospheric circulation, and Earth’s and the ocean’s heat budget; (2) “The past” will review evidence for and consequences of past global changes including changes in the Holocene, over glacial/interglacial timescales, and during the Phanerozoic. The class will include lectures and student presentations.
Course Assessment: Grades for the course will be assigned based on two homework assignments (10% each), a mid-term exam (30%), an oral presentation (30%) and write-ups (20%). The student presentations will cover important aspects of Oceans and Global Change and will complement the lectures. Each presentation will be 45 min to be followed by in-class discussion. All students are expected to prepare by reading the assigned material for each topic. The write-ups will be 250-word summaries of each student presentation to be handed in at the beginning of the following class and should include a brief commentary on the topic and/or its relation to the student’s own topic.
Prerequisites: OCEA 3001, OCEA 3002, OCEA 3003 and OCEA 3004 or Instructor’s consent.
Suggested Readings:
- Sarmiento JL and Gruber N (2006) Ocean biogeochemical dynamics, Princeton University Press
- Archer D (2006) Global Warming: Understanding the forecast, Blackwell Publishing
- Selected readings from the current scientific literature that will be made available.
Slides as well as schedule and materials for student presentations (password protected):