In this course you will learn about the ocean while being exposed to major disciplines of science: geology, chemistry,  physics, biology and environmental sciences. 

Topics covered include: oceanic circulation and its effects on global climate; the origin of life and marine life forms; seafloor topography and the how major features of the ocean depths are explored, seawater chemistry and ocean acidification, waves, tsunamis and coastal erosion, to name a few! For a detailed schedule check out our course syllabus.

What will you learn?  

By the end of the semester you should have acquired ocean literacy. This means you will be able to explain ocean features and phenomena such as: why are the oceans salty? How is El Niño related to Global Climate Change? Or even, how do giant waves form at Mavericks, California? 

In addition, you will become familiar with marine fauna and flora of the Pacific Coast and study how the physical factors influence the distribution of marine life in the coastal environment. To end the course, we will focus on ocean health and human impacts in ocean life. 

This is a 3-unit lecture course. I also teach a 2 unit oceanography laboratory that you can take as a way to practice and explore the lecture topics in depth.  

Important Dates

• First day of class: January 13th, 2025

• Last date to drop without a W:   January 31st 2025

• Last day of semester: May 22nd, 2025

This course is asynchronous, which  means that there will be no live class sections. The course is designed to be taken via the Canvas application. You are expected to follow the class format and a communication plan specified on the course syllabus. Log-in instructions to Canvas are described in the bottom of my home page.

Course Syllabus