Syllabus
In general, we will spend roughly half our days out in the field: at Seacliff Beach, out on Monterey Bay aboard Western Flyer, and at other local research sites and facilities. Please see Canvas for our specific schedule Fall 2025.
The course will be organized around the research projects, and may include:
Overview of quantitative field methods for monitoring coastal environmental change, including:
Coastal transects
Water and biological sampling of Monterey Bay
Chemical analysis of water quality
Surveying, mapping, and image analysis
Field data management
Report-writing and communicating to non-technical audiences
Seasonal and Inter-annual cycles that control oceanic conditions such as the El Niño-Southern Oscillation and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation
Statistical and time-series methods for analyzing oceanographic data
Regulatory aspects of oceanographic research
Student self-identity as a scientist
Practical research skills such as proposal writing, presenting scientific results, and peer review.
Applied topics in coastal oceanography, such as:
Shallow water waves
Harmful algal blooms
Seasonal dead zones
El Nino-Southern Oscillation
Pacific Decadal Oscillation
Physical and chemical drivers of biological change
Coastal engineering and erosion
Longshore drift
Marine protected areas and fisheries
Tsunami and other hazards
Coastal food-web dynamics
Seasonal currents