Welcome to Oceanography!
Meets in 302 McGilvrey Hall, Tuesdays, Thursdays, 9:15-10:30 am
Instructor: Dr. A.J. Smith alisonjs@kent.edu email me with questions!
Office Hours Tuesdays, Thursdays, 1:30-3 pm or by appointment
Course Website: http://www.personal.kent.edu/alisonjs/~ocean/index.htm
This is a text version of the notes from the Introductory Lecture
Today’s Focus Question: Where is Earth's water?
Note: There will always be a focus question associated with
each lecture.
This will help you organize your notes and serve as an internally
built study guide.
1. Welcome and introduction to course website.
2. Course Objectives
- Learn principles of geological, chemical, physical and biological
oceanography
- Emphasize:
a) relationships among these systems
b) relationships between the ocean and humans
- Gain a more scientific view of the world
3. Class Schedule
- Topics at a Glance
Jan 20 Introduction
Jan 22-Feb 10 The Sea Floor and How It Got That Way
Feb 17-Mar 10 Wind and Water
March 17-March 31 Coasts
April 4-April 23 Biological Oceanography
April 28- Lake Erie, an Inland Sea…
April 30- May 7 Climate Change and the Ocean
Exams: February 12, March 12, April 14, May 11 (Final)
4. Grading
Midterms (best 2 of 3, 30% each)
60%
In-class exercises (your best 80% of all exercises) 5%
Final Exam
35%
Total
100%
Exam format: multiple choice EXCEPT TAKE
NOTE: late arrivals and make-ups: Essay style.
Midterms - not cumulative
Final - cumulative
with a mix of 40%old and 60%new material
5. Office Hours and Email
Dr. Alison Smith, Professor
Department of Geology, KSU
Office: McGilvrey 219
Email: alisonjs@kent.edu
Office Hours:
Tues 1:30-3 pm
Thurs 1:30-3 pm
(and by appointment)
6. Class Resources
Text: Garrison, Oceanography: An Invitation to Marine Science, 6th
Ed.
- new and used copies at the bookstore
- copies on 3-hour and 2-day reserve at the library
Course web site:
http://www.personal.kent.edu/~alisonjs/ocean/index.htm
- Class Schedule and Notes
- Study Tips
- Grading Policy
- Study Questions
- Academic Calendar
- Careers in Oceanography
- Accommodation Info
- Careers in Geology
- Frequently Asked Questions -
Just for Fun
- Check Your Grades Online
- Academic Resources
Free Tutoring Spring Semester Hours To Be Announced
7. Online Class Schedule, Reading and Notes
8. Checking Your Grades
- Posted online via WebCT/VISTA https://vista.kent.edu/webct/
- Access WebCT using your university computer account
(youruserid@kent.edu)
- Exams will be passed back during class to help you with studying
for the final
9. How to Approach this Course
- Attend lectures, read the text, use web resources
- Use strategies that work with your own learning style
- Focus on understanding concepts
- Ask questions during class or office hours
Have fun!
Oceanography is an exciting topic!
10. Today’s Lecture-Introduction: Earth: Ocean Planet
About 70% of Earth's surface is covered by ocean
About 97% of water near the Earth's surface is found in the ocean
11. What is Oceanography?
Oceanography is the scientific study of the ocean, its life forms and
bordering lands
Branches:
Marine Geology
Chemical Oceanography
Physical Oceanography
Biological Oceanography
Marine Resource Management
12. What is Science?
-A world-view based on observations, experimentation and interpretation
- Seeks to uncover natural laws that describe how the universe "works"
- These laws are expressed in the physical world as reproducible phenomena
- The fundamental assumption of science is that we can make sense of
the world around us.
13. Scientific Inquiry
Hypothesis=a testable speculation about the world
Experiment=controlled test to evaluate a hypothesis
Theory=hypothesis consistently supported by data (i.e., theory of relativity)
Law=principle explaining a natural process that has been consistently
observed (e.g., gravity)
Inductive Approach: Observe and Seek to Explain
Deductive Approach: Predict and Seek to Observe
14. Marine Geology
Study of:
-Earth's composition and structure
-Marine sediments
-History of Earth's climate
Why it's important...
Understanding earthquakes
Knowing the form of the sea floor
Understanding the history of climate change
15. Chemical Oceanography
Study of:
- Ocean's dissolved solids and gases
- Relationships between these and other elements of the ocean environment
Why it's important..
Chemistry affects ocean circulation and marine life
Climate is affected by chemical cycling in the ocean
16. Physical Oceanography
Study of:
- Waves and currents
- Ocean, atmosphere, sea ice interactions
Why it's important...
Physics affect all facets of the marine environment
Understanding ocean circulation is essential for unraveling the mysteries
of climate change
17. Biological Oceanography
Study of:
-Nature and distribution of marine life
-Relationships between living and non-living components of the ocean
Why it's important...
- Provides insight to our own biology
- Sources of food, pharmaceuticals, commodities
- The ecological health of the oceans is tied to the land
18. Marine Resource Management
- Energy (e.g., oil, natural gas)
- Materials (e.g., sand, gravel)
- Food and commodities
- Shipping and transportation
- Recreation
Why it's important:
Stewardship of marine resources is important to society and to the
future of the ocean
19. Oceanography - An Interdisciplinary Science
Many future breakthroughs will occur at boundaries between traditional
scientific disciplines
20. Oceans and the Future
Environmental concerns:
- Climate change (sea level rise, reduced polar ice changes in weather)
- Sustainable fishing
- Pollution
- Habitat destruction
Dealing with these issues requires scientific and political solutions
21. The Hydrologic Cycle
-Water on the Earth’s surface moves from reservoir to reservoir
-It moves at different rates, and stays in any one particular reservoir
for differing
amounts of time
-Sometimes the distribution of water on the planet’s surface changes
dramatically, as during ice ages, for example
-The amount of time water stays in one particular reservoir is called
the residence time.
In order of smallest to greatest residence time, here are the major
reservoirs:
Reservoir
Atmosphere (water vapor)
Biosphere (living tissues)
Hydrosphere (surface water)
Cryosphere (glacial ice)
Lithosphere (including ground water)
22. Preview of Next Lecture
Origins of Earth and Oceans
Readings from Garrison:
Today's lecture: pgs 1-7
Thursday's lecture: pgs 8-19