Interdisciplinary Oceanography
Lectures for Spring 2008
This is a general outline of the material that will be discussed each
day, and we will probably deviate from it as the course progresses. It
is meant to be an overview of the topics to be discussed in roughly the
order they will be discussed. Some topics may take more or less time than
listed.
You must read the appropriate chapter before coming to
class, and you must turn in your solution to each day's problem. See
the Class Syllabus for details.
Getting Started
14 January 2008 - Introduction
16 January 2008 - Earth
System Science
Problem 1. Earth's systems
are strongly influenced by life on earth. Please list a few systems
influenced by life, and how life influences the systems.
CO2 and
the Role of the Ocean in Climate
You may have read that climate is warming, that the warming
will lead to disaster if we don't stop burning fossil fuels, and that
we may be required to stop driving our cars. What's happening? Is it
really that bad? Are there other ways to solve the problem? Isn't earth
just warming up naturally as a result of coming out of the last ice age?
18 January 2008 - The
Ocean and Climate
Problem 2. The web page on the C02 problem
includes information on sources of C02, but nothing about
sinks. Knowing something about the earth's systems, and about carbon
dioxide in the atmosphere, what might be some processes that remove
C02 from the atmosphere?
21 January 2008 - No Class Today,
Martin Luther King Holiday
23 January 2008 - The
CO2 Problem
Problem 3. The
web page Importance of the ocean
in Climate lists many ways the ocean is
important. It doesn't, however, list the fundamental reason why it
dominates the earth system. Why is the fundamental reason why the
ocean is so important?
25 January 2008 - Earth's
Radiation Balance, Oceanic Heat Fluxes
Problem 4. Explain very
simply, in one paragraph, how greenhouse gases increase earth's surface
temperature.
28 January 2008 - What
is the Evidence for Global Warming?
Problem 5. How has earth's
temperature changed over the last few hundred thousand years?
30 January 2008 - Abrupt
Climate Change and the Ocean's Circulation
Problem 6. How does the sinking of
water in the far north Atlantic influence northern-hemisphere climate?
1 February 2008 - Carbon
Cycle in the Ocean and the Iron Hypothesis plus Microbial
Food Web
Problem 7. Give an example of a feedback
loop, in the carbon cycle, that influences global warming.
4 February 2008 -Modeling
the Climate System
Problem 8. Predictions of climate for
the rest of the century are based on models. How good are these climate
models? Please provide evidence that justifies your answer.
6 February
2008 - Climate
Change Policy Issues
Problem 9. Based on your readings,
please come to class prepared to defend your opinion on global-change
policy. Bring a one sentence summary of your opinion and a one-paragraph
summary of the basis for your opinion.
El
Niño and Role of Ocean in Weather
El Niño is
influencing the weather everywhere according to lots of newspaper articles.
Or is it really El
Niño that is causing changes in the
weather? Why should events in the equatorial Pacific be so much in
the news? How can events so far away influence our weather?
8 February 2008 - Tropical
Heat Budgets
Problem 10. Find at least
two newspaper articles that mention El Niño or La Niña. What
do they say?
11 February 2008 - Equatorial
Currents and Typical El Niño
El Niño Definition
El Niño is
a disruption of the ocean-atmosphere system in the tropical Pacific
having important consequences for weather and climate around the
globe - NOAA.
Problem 11. Why does El
Niño have such a large influence
on global weather patterns?
13 February 2008 - Observing
the Tropical Pacific
Problem 12. Please
use an atlas or other source of information to estimate the width of
the Pacific along the equator in degrees of longitude, and the distance
between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn in degrees of
latitude. Now, express these values as a percentage of the circumference
of earth.
15 February 2008 - Forecasting
El Niño and Teleconnections
Problem 13. What is the El
Niño forecast for this Spring, March-June
2008? For an answer, go to the Forecast
Forum of the Climate
Diagnostics Bulletin issued monthly by NOAA's Climate
Prediction Center. Can you trust the forecast?
18 February 2008 - El
Niño Policy Implications
Problem 14. Please list
at least three major industries in this country that would benefit
from improved seasonal forecasts of temperature and precipitation,
and how the forecasts benefit each industry.
20 February 2008 - Quiz
1
This is an open book quiz covering global change and
the role of the ocean in climate change, coastal erosion, tsunamis,
and storm surges.
22 February 2008 - During
Class Time: Meet with Your Team and Begin Picking a Topic For Your Class
Report
Today, form your teams of four to do the required class
report, and select a topic for your report. Please read the Syllabus section
on the class project, and the web
page with more information on the report. Please provide me with
one or two paragraphs describing the topic your team will include in
your end-of-semester report.
A brief outline of your team report is due Monday 25 February.
Coastal Erosion, Storm Surges, and Tsunamis
Your uncle was planning on buying a beachfront house southwest
of Galveston beyond the end of the seawall. Now, after the hurricanes
of 2005 and the great 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean, he is worried.
Since you are taking an oceanography class, he asks you: What is the
possibility that his beach house will be wiped out by a hurricane or
a tsunami? After all, New Orleans was safe for centuries, now it is destroyed.
Tsunamis were rare in the Indian Ocean, but then the big one hit. Is
a coastal house safe? What advice can you give him?
Before you can give an answer, you need more information.
25 February 2008 - The Annual
Cycle of a Coast
30 Minute Film- Portrait of
a Coast
This is a beautiful film that follows the seasonal cycle of a New
England coast noting problems caused by coastal development. Although
it shows New England, the same processes apply to any low, sandy coast
with barrier islands, including the Texas gulf coast. While watching
the film try to remember:
- Why are beaches important?
- What is the seasonal cycle of the beach? When is it
highest, when lowest?
- What five processes influence the beach?
- How does coastal development lead to problems?
- What are the problems?
Team Report Due: Description of what subject
your team will present at the end of the semester.
27 February 2008 - Types
of Coasts, and Beach
Processes
Problem 15. How do beaches
in California differ from beaches in Texas?
29 February 2008 - Beach
Erosion and Coastal Structures
Problem 16. What types
of changes did Hurricane Rita produce along the coast where it came
ashore?
3 March 2008 - Storm
Surges
Problem 17. What factors
led to the breaching of the levees surrounding New Orleans and the
flooding of the city by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
5 March 2008 -Earthquakes, Tsunamis,
and the Great
Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2004.
Problem 18. Knowing about
the Indian Ocean tsunami, what type of measurements and information
might be needed to warn residents of Galveston Island of an approaching
tsunami? Please be specific about the warning network. Where might
a earthquake occur that could produce a tsunami. How could it be
detected?
7 March 2008 - Coastal
Erosion Policy Issues
Problem 19. Who should
be responsible for storm-surge damage to structures along the Texas
coast? Please provide a basis for your answer
10 March 2008 - 14 March 2008 - Spring
Break
Fisheries: The Ocean as Food Source
Where are my Orange Roughy
Julie loved orange roughy. She liked it even better than catfish. Her mother
liked it because it was cheap compared with most other fish at the market.
But now it was seldom for sale. Her mother asked the manager at the fish
counter and he said he couldn't get it any more.
Can we help Julie?
Can we find out what happened to the orange roughy? To prepare for this section,
look up orange roughy at http://www.fishbase.org/search.cfm so
we know what fish we are learning about. Then write down possible explanations
of why the fish is no longer sold. For example, few were sold so the market
stopped carrying it. etc.
Orange Roughy (Slimehead): Hoplostethus
atlanticus
From New
Zealand Seafood Industry.
17 March 2008 - Fisheries
Issues and the Tragedy
of the Commons
Problem 20: What is the
tragedy of the commons? The term was used by Garrett
Hardin in his now famous article in Science in
1968. Hardin, Garret. "The Tragedy of the Commons." Science,
1968. 162:1243-8. He wrote a follow-up to the article in 1998, "Extensions
of The Tragedy of the Common"."
19 March 2008 -Fish
and Fisheries
Problem 21. What
has been your personal involvement with fish? If you fish, what
has been your experience as a fisher? If you eat fish, what kind
and how often? If you never catch or eat fish, just write that
down.
21 March 2008 - Reading Day, No
Class Today
24 March 2008 - Marine
Food Webs
Problem 22. Give
another example of a marine food web. Remember, a food web is not
a food chain. For example, use information from the PEER
curriculum at Texas A&M University to describe the marine
web in a Texas lagoon.
26 March 2008 - Global Distribution
of Phytoplankton and Upwelling Regions
Problem 23. Where
geographically are phytoplankton most common in the ocean? List
typical types of geographic regions. Do these regions coincide
with the regions with the most fish that we discussed in Fish and
Fisheries?
28 March 2008- Invertebrates:
The Other Marine Food Source
Problem 24. Shrimp
farming appears to be an ideal way to avoid the problems of over
fishing of wild shrimp. But is it all beneficial? What are the
environmental disadvantages of shrimp farming? Please cite evidence
for your conclusions.
31 March 2008- Fisheries
Policy Issues
Problem 25. What
is Texas government doing to reduce over fishing of shrimp and
environmental problems of shrimping?
Recreational regulations for shrimp are in the shrimp
regulations from the Texas
Parks and Wildlife. Commercial regulations are in the Commercial
Fishing Guide. More information is in the Texas
Shrimp Industry Report (5.9 MB) of Sept 2002, and 2005
Annual Report (1.5 MB).
2 April 2008 - Quiz 2
This is an open book quiz covering coastal erosion
and fisheries.
Coastal Pollution
Every year, millions of people worldwide begin living near
the shore, joining the billion or so people already living in the coastal
zone. What is the impact of all these people?
4 April 2008 - The Coastal
Zone
Problem 26.
How does the limit of submerged lands under the control of Texas differ
from that of all other states except Florida, and why?
7 April 2008 - Introduction
to Coastal Pollution
Problem 27. What are the
most important pollution problems in Texas coastal waters?
9 April 2008 - Sources
of Marine Pollution
Problem 28. List common
activities that you do that increase pollution of Texas' coastal waters.
Report Outline Due. Please
provide me with a detailed, one-page outline and summary of what your
team will include in your end-of-semester report. Your end-of-semester
report is due the day of your presentation
11 April
2008 - Alien
Species
Problem 29. Find
information about one alien species that has caused great damage
along a coast of any country. What is the species, when was it introduced,
and what damage has it caused?
14 April 2008 - Harmful
Algal Blooms
Problem 30. What are some
effects on human health caused by harmful algal blooms?
16 April 2008 - Oil
Spills and Aftermath
Problem 31. What was the
long-term result of the largest oil spill in US waters, the Valdez
spill in Prince Williams Sound Alaska?
18 April 2008 - Coastal
Pollution Policy Issues
Problem 32. Explain why
what happens in Brazos County must be considered when devising a plan
for managing Galveston Bay.
21 April 2008 - During
Class Time: Meet with Your Team to Prepare Presentation and Make-Up
Exam
Presentation of Reports
To be fair to all groups, you will have exactly
10 minutes for your presentation. I will time your presentation and
ask you to stop after 10 minutes. You will not be interrupted during
your presentation. I will use 1-2 minutes for questions after the presentation.
Please give me a written copy of your report at the time of your presentation.
All team members must sign the report. If you will use the computer
for the presentation, please put your talk on
the computer before class.
There will not be time during class. I suggest you bring the presentation
on a URL thumb drive.
I suggest you practice your presentation to
stay on time.
23 April 2008 - Presentation
of Reports I
- 10:20 AM: Team 1: Michelle Cohen,
Thomas Jones, Collin Lawrence, Jerald Meadows: Ocean Thermal Energy
Conversion (OTEC).
- 10:32 AM: Team 2: Jackie Allahar,
Johnson Dietz, Jonathan Marshall, Stephen Pfiester:
Manmade Islands off Dubai.
- 10:44 AM: Team 3: Nathan Garza, Justin
Robinson: Non-point Source Pollution of Galveston Bay.
- 10:56 AM: Team 4: Adam
Arms, James Brenton, Zach Driver, and Julie Rinn: Underwater Erosion
Offshore of Texas.
25 April 2008 - Presentation
of Reports II
- 10:20 AM: Team 5: Stephanie
Kampschmidt, Jake Little, Bernard Ng, and Raheel Zubairy: Ocean Floor
Volcanoes and Their Influence.
- 10:32 AM: Team 6: Marlen
Gonzalez, Brian Rosenberg, Gabriel Rodriguez, and Jonathan Wheat:
Climate Change Influence on Grey Whale Migration.
- 10:44 AM: Team 7: John
Bandas, Rob Blake, Autumn Kidwell, and Andy Lister: Environmental
Effects of Horns Rev Wind Farm.
- 10:56 AM: Team 8: Megan
Ingram, Jaclyn Robb, and Christopher Rodie: Panama Canal and Biological
Invasion.
28 April 2008 -Presentation
of Reports III
- 10:20 AM: Team 9: James
Sonnenberg, Brandon Wacasey, and Kevin Zwerneman: Influence of Weather
on Fishing Conditions.
- 10:32 AM: Team 10: Michael Blalock,
Patricia Kreger, Jonathan Mock, and Jessica Struck: Magnetic Anomalies
in the Ocean.
- 10:44 AM: Team 11: Clint Doughty
and Andrew Wheeler: Over Fishing of Tuna and Its Effects on the Environment.
- 10:56 AM: Team 12: Aaron Ferrel,
Matt Mahrer, Ryan Stanfield, and Jorge Torres: Influence of the Ocean
on the Indian Monsoon.
29 April 2008 - Redefined Day Presentation
of Reports IV
- 10:20 AM: Team 13: Juan Baca, Jeffrey
Phillips, Nikolas Reinsvold: Artificial Islands off Dubai.
- 10:32 AM: Team 14: John Chapa, Jonathan
Cotten, Mandy Clinton, Justin Turbeville, and Tina Tsounakas: Effect
of Global Warming on Great Barrier Reef.
A Final Thought
Now that the course is ending, what will you do next?
Will you:
"Choose your reality
with careful thought and emotion, and then take the next necessary
step–that of responsible action,
achieving balance by combining wisdom and compassion... By our individual
thoughts and dreams we create the world around us in a very real
way."
Eve Bruce in Shaman, M.D. (2002), page 170.
You have gained some wisdom about the ocean, and compassion
for the creatures who live in it. What future ocean will you help create?
6 May 2008 - FINAL EXAMINATION
8:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Revised on:
21 April, 2008
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