EASC1102 Marine Sciences

This topic has no formal pre-requisites and is open to all students with some basic knowledge, appreciation of, and interest in, the marine environment and how it functions.

The topic provides an overview of the processes which:

• Control and modify the physical and chemical structure of the oceans and estuaries
• Create oceanic currents, waves and tides
• Shape the functioning of marine food webs

While this topic introduces students to basic scientific concepts needed to understand key dynamical features of the oceans, the focus is often placed on processes, such as nutrient upwelling, that are pivotal to the creation of marine food webs. This topic also lets students appreciate the importance of scientific understanding of physical processes in the ocean and the forces behind them for environmental pollution and management problems.

This topic aims to develop within students an understanding of the key principles and processes that are critical in the understanding of the role that the ocean plays for human society.

1. Understand the key properties of seawater and the distribution of water masses in the oceans
2. Describe cycles and processes which control the distribution of water mass properties in the oceans
3. Describe the physical processes and forces controlling the dynamics of ocean currents and waves including tides
4. Understand the interlink between physical and biological processes in the creation of marine life