By the end of this course, students will be able to:
Describe the formation of Monterey Bay and the Monterey Submarine Canyon.
Explain the oceanographic processes that control seasonal and long-term variations in the Monterey Bay.
We will focus on a variety of timely local topics, including but not limited to:
Coastal landforms and sea level rise
Local sedimentary units, such as the Purisima and Carmelo Formations
Underwater features, such as the continental shelf and submarine canyons
The littoral zone, including topics such as waves, sand, and intertidal ecology
Wind, seasonal upwelling, El Nino-Southern Oscillation, and biological productivity of Monterey Bay
The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
... and how people have in the past and continue to interact with all of the above.
Participate (20 points) – be present and contribute to our 4 class meetings
Reflect (40 points) – write about what you learned in class and turn in before you leave each afternoon
Create! (20 points) Identify a topic or story that you deem is important but missing/insufficient from the messaging we observe (e.g., interpreted on signs). Outside of class you can take your idea further into a creation of your choosing that can be shared via our class website. The scope of this is up to you. You can make a video, podcast, sign, song, artwork, or use another format to represent any topic or story that you deem is important and related to our course objective. The creative project is due by Thursday April 30 in some form that can be shared via a link or directly on the OCEAN-30 Spring 2025 Gallery.
Grading Scale
Note that if you are taking the class Pass/No Pass, the creative project is optional to pass, but encouraged.
90-100 points = A (Pass)
80-89 points = B (Pass)
70-79 points = C (Pass)
60-69 points = D (No Pass)
0-59 points = F (No Pass)