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Courses - Fall 2023
GEOL
Geology Department Site
GEOL375
Introduction to the Blue Ocean
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSNS
Prerequisite: MATH120 or higher.
Recommended: MATH121, MATH141, PHYS161, or PHYS171.
Cross-listed with: AOSC375.
Credit only granted for: AOSC375 or GEOL375.
The global ocean is a major component of the Earth System that shapes life on earth, including our weather and climate. We explore the observation-based interdisciplinary science of oceanography, identifying its strong connections to related sciences like meteorology, and geography. We apply this developing understanding to environmental issues such as marine pollution, fish and fisheries, as well as to climate variability and to the changes to the marine environment that are resulting from steadily rising levels of atmospheric greenhouse gasses. Focusses include the biogeochemical and physical changes we can observe in the nearby Chesapeake Bay and the coastal waters of Eastern Shore, Maryland.