Term 1
Term 2
Term 3
Term 4
Origin and structure of the ocean basins
How did the oceans originate and how do they change?
Classifying parts of the ocean
What are the different parts of an ocean?
How do islands form and evolve?
The temperature and salinity of ocean water
How does temperature and salinity impact the ocean and can you predict the temperature and salinity based on where you are in the world?
How do temperature and salinity impact ocean stratification?
What causes ocean water to move?
How does the viscosity of water impact organisms?
What causes magnetism in the ocean and how do animals use it?
Where is there light in the ocean, what colors, and what impacts does it have?
Predation/Competition/Parasitism/Mutualism
How do different animals interact in the oceans?
What is competition and how does it impact organisms?
What are victim/exploiter relationships and how does it impact organisms?
What are mutualistic relationships and how does it impact organisms?
5 Critical Concepts of Interactions
What are the 5 critical concepts that drive interactions between organisms?
Game Theory and Prisoner’s Dilemma
What is game theory and how is it connected to the evolution of interactions?
What are natural selection, evolution, and adaptive phenotypes?
What viruses exist in the ocean and what roles do they play in the ecosystem?
What bacteria exist in the ocean and what roles do they play in the ecosystem?
What are the major types of unicellular primary producers in the ocean?
Multicellular Primary Producers
What are the major types of multicellular primary producers in the ocean?
What are the major types of flowering plants in the ocean?
Measuring Primary Productivity
How can scientists measure oceanic primary productivity?
Jawless Fish
Bony Fish
Reptiles
Birds
Mammals
What makes for a good invader?
How have humans facilitated invasions?
What actions can be taken to reduce invasion frequency?
What are major pollutants and their effects?
What actions can individuals take to reduce pollution?
What are major causes of habitat destruction?
What actions can individuals make to reduce habitat destruction?
How have CO2, other green house gases, and sea surface temperature changed over the last century?
How does burning fossil fuels cause an increase in sea surface temperature?
How have CO2 and ocean pH changed over the last century?
How does burning fossil fuels cause a decrease in ocean pH?
How does human exploitation impact populations?
Explain why the process of physiological acclimation provides hope for the future
Explain why the process of evolutionary adaptation provides hope for the future
Origin and structure of the ocean basins
Classifying parts of the ocean
The temperature and salinity of ocean water
Density of water and water stratification
Flow dynamics and Reynolds Number
Game Theory and Prisoner’s Dilemma
Multicellular Primary Producers
Measuring Primary Productivity
Pollution - Toxic chemicals, Nutrients, and Plastics