Coastal Environmental Oceanography

Catalog description

This field-intensive course examines the interaction of biological, chemical, physical, geological, and ecological ocean processes as applied to coastal environments. A significant emphasis is focused on describing and documenting coastal environments, their biotas, their environmental tolerances and ranges. Emphasis is also placed on environmental management issues of the coastal zone. Topics include water quality analysis, barrier island geology and ecology, estuarine pollution, beach defense and biological implications in areas of coastal upwelling and coastal fronts. Specific cases in coastal pollution, human impacts on coastal landforms, shoreline erosion, wetland loss, sea-level fluctuations, nutrients in estuaries, and climate change will be examined from coastal environments around the U.S. Lecture, field trips, and laboratory exercises are designed to provide students with hands-on experience with field and laboratory equipment used to solve real-world problems in diverse coastal settings. The course is field-based and taught out of the Marine Science Consortium, Wallops Island, Virginia. The course may also include a travel component to the Florida Keys Marine Lab or similar research facility for additional field experience.