Blue Planet

Course Description

About 70% of the planet is currently covered by the oceans (and this percentage is increasing), and so the view of our planet from space has given rise to the moniker, “Blue Planet”. Studying our oceans is inherently interdisciplinary, working to understand the geological, physical, chemical and biological processes that act in concert. This course is designed for non-majors seeking to fulfill a Natural Sciences requirement, as well as Environmental Science, Biology and Chemistry majors, focused on the oceans. During the semester we will “dive” into the scientific underpinnings (if you can pardon the bad pun) for the answers to a multitude of questions. We will address questions of local concern (i.e., why is the water in the Caribbean Sea clear and blue, while New Jersey water is mostly brown-green) and also serious questions of global significance, including those regarding how interactions among temperature, atmospheric CO2, and the chemistry of our oceans impact the survival of its living inhabitants. Many lines of scientific evidence suggest climate change and its effect on our oceans constitutes a crisis unparalleled in human history.

Code

21:460:233

Credits

3

Subject

Geology