Marine Science Courses

 

**concentration courses offered to addition to background course work at the introductory level in biology, math, chemistry, and physics.

Biology | Earth Sciences | Geography & Environment

 

Biology Courses

CAS BI 260 Marine Biology. Prereq: CAS BI 107 and CAS BI 108 or consent of instructor. Life in the marine environment: its ecology, evolution, and human impacts. Includes behavioral, physiological, structural, ecological, and evolutionary perspectives.

CAS BI 423 Marine Biogeochemistry. Prereq: CAS CH 101 and CAS CH 102, BUMP Semester or CAS ES 144, or consent of instructor. Oceanic nutrient and biogeochemical cycling in the context of the marine response to global change. Links between local and global scales are emphasized. Topics include oceanic productivity, iron limitation, and oceanic glacial-interglacial biogeochemistry. (Same as CAS ES 423).

CAS BI 463/663 Sensory Biology. Fundamentals of sensory biology with focus on chemical signals. Principles of physics, chemistry, and statistics describe signal noise distributions. Chemical stimuli from the perspective of the animal and its receptor cells and organs. Taught as part of the Marine Semester.

CAS BI 468 Marine Microbial Ecology. Survery of the diversity of marine bacteria, algae, protozoa, fungi, and metazoa. Focus on fundamental role of their communities in the flow of materials and energy through aquatic ecosystems from Arctic to deep sea vents. Laboratory exercises examine the theory and application of methodological advances in the area of field microbial ecology. Taught as part of the Marine Semester.

CAS BI 531 Ichthyology: Behavior, Ecology, and Evolution of Fish. Prereq: CAS BI 260. A comprehensive introduction to fish biology and systematics. Emphasis on phylogenetic relationships, ecology, and behavior. Labs include morphological studies of specimens and behavioral studies of live fish. This course is a prerequiste for the field course, CAS BI 532. Taught as part of the Marine Semester.

CAS BI 532 Field Biology of Belize Coral Reefs: Expeditionary Icthyology. Prereq: CAS BI 532 or consent of instructor and director. Builds on the basic ichthyology course, from which students apply their knowledge to the in-depth study of fishes in the wild. Focus on students' independent research projects. Primarily snorkling, scuba optional. Taught in Belize, Central America. Taught as part of the Marine Semester.

CAS BI 536 Molecular Ecology and Evolution. Prereq: CAS BI 107 and CAS BI 108 and CAS BI 206. An exploration of the application of modern molecular genetic techniques in the study of ecology. Topics include molecular markers, biogeography, dispersal, mating systems, genetic diversity, biological diversity, speciation genetics, and conservation genetics. Taught as part of the Marine Semester.

CAS BI 546 Marine Megafaunal Ecology: Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary and Surrounding Waters. Prereq: BI 260 and MA 213. Marine macrofauna: whales, seals, seabirds, fishes, turtles, jellies an people in Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. Evolution, food webs, and distributional ecology; physical and human influences on foraging and movement behavior. Student research builds ecosystem-based science for Sanctuary management. Taught as part of the Marine Semester.

CAS BI 547 Marine Invertebrates: Natural History and Molecular Phylogeny. Lecture and laboratory course which examines the origin and evolution of marine invertebrates using traditional methods based largely on anatomical and ecological criteria, as well as the latest molecular methods. Taught as part of the Marine Semester.

CAS BI 578 Marine Geographic Information Science. Prereq: BI 260 and ES 144. MA 213 strongly recommended. Introduction to marine graphic information systems and spatial analysis for conservation management, and marine landscape ecology. Comparative examples from Gulf of Marine and tropics. Solve problems in coastal zoning and marine park design, whale and coral reef conservation. Taught as part of the Marine Semester.

 

Earth Sciences Courses

CAS ES 144 Oceanography. Examines the physical, chemical, and biological processes by which the oceans serve as an agentto accelerate or moderate the pace of global change. Dynamic nature of the oceans on both a short- and a long-term scale is emphasized.

ES BI 331 Sedimentology. Prereq: CAS ES 202 and ES 101 or 105, or consent of instructor. Properties and classification of clastic and carbonate sediments and sedimentary rock; processes that form, transport, and deposit sediments; environments of deposition; diagenesis; methods of analysis. Occasional field trips.

ES BI 423 Marine Biogeochemistry. Prereq: CAS CH 101 and CAS CH 102, BUMP Semester or CAS ES 144, or consent of instructor. Oceanic nutrient and biogeochemical cycling in the context of the marine response to global change. Links between local and global scales are emphasized. Topics include oceanic productivity, iron limitation, and oceanic glacial-interglacial biogeochemistry.

CAS ES 440 Marine Geology. Prereq: CAS ES 302 and consent of instructor. Examines the evolution of ocean basins and marginal seas, changes in structure and composition of ocean basin throughout the last billion years and the contribution of oceanic geological processes to the chemistry and biochemistry of earth.

CAS ES 541 Coastal Processes. Prereq: ES 331 or consent of instructor. Shorelines as functions of tidal and wave energy; onshore, offshore, and along-shore sediment transport from theoretical and empirical viewpoints; barrier island, backbarrier and tidal inlet morphology and processes; wave dynamics; tides.

CAS ES 507 Dynamical Oceanography. Prereq: CAS MA 124 or MA 127, and CAS PY 211. Introduction to the physical ocean system. Physical properties of seawater; essential ocean dynamics; mixing and stirring in the ocean; simple waves; observed current systems and water masses; and couple atmosphere-ocean variability. (Same as CAS GE 507).

 

Geography and Environment Courses

CAS GE 507 Dynamical Oceanography. Prereq: CAS MA 124 or MA 127, and CAS PY 211. Introduction to the physical ocean system. Physical properties of seawater; essential ocean dynamics; mixing and stirring in the ocean; simple waves; observed current systems and water masses; and couple atmosphere-ocean variability.

CAS GE 578 Marine Geographic Information Science. Prereq: BI 260 and ES 144. MA 213 strongly recommended. Introduction to marine graphic information systems and spatial analysis for conservation management, and marine landscape ecology. Comparative examples from Gulf of Marine and tropics. Solve problems in coastal zoning and marine park design, whale and coral reef conservation. Taught as part of the Marine Semester. (Same as CAS BI 578).