An Ocean Voyage

Catalog description

An Ocean Voyage: How can we effectively explore, understand, and communicate the critical role of oceans amid climate change and its impact on marine ecosystems? Despite their significance, oceans remain largely uncharted, with only 5% having been explored. They host diverse life forms, from tiny phytoplankton that generate half the oxygen we breathe to coral reefs that sustain a quarter of global fisheries. Yet, they are also the most impacted by climate change. Scientists undertake voyages aboard research vessels to sample, document and study the mysteries of this hidden world. However, since most of the oceans are hidden, communicating the oceans' importance and how climate change is impacting them remains a major challenge. This course will take students on a voyage aboard the state-of-the-art scientific vessel, OceanXplorer, to discover how physics, chemistry, biology, engineering and media influence our perception of the ocean. Students will engage with crew members and work on projects exploring such topics as ocean physics circulation, the chemical patterns of the ocean water column, marine biodiversity, and media strategies to enhance ocean communication.