“The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever”  – Jacques Yves Cousteau

 

EMES 507/BIOL 657/ENVR 520 – Biological Oceanography (Offered every Spring semester)

Biological oceanography is the study of marine organisms, their quantitative distributions in time and space and their interactions with each other and their ocean environment.  The course is divided into 5 units.  The first unit provides a brief history of biological oceanography and reviews the physical and chemical processes in the ocean that influence marine biota.  In the second, third and fourth units we will explore the diversity of pelagic and benthic marine organisms, bioelemental cycling within these life forms and the factors that influence their abundance and distributions.  In the last unit we will learn about the consequences of shifts in the ocean biota throughout geological time and how they may be affected by future climate change.   Example Course Syllabus 

Link to UNC Endeavors Photo Essay on the course

 

EMES 444/ENEC 444/Biol 456 – Marine Phytoplankton (Offered in the Fall semester of odd years)  

Marine Phytoplankton will introduce students to the biology of marine photosynthetic cyanobacteria and protists, identifying and classifying phytoplankton from marine and estuarine habitats and recognizing the role phytoplankton play in ocean biogeochemical cycles.  Topics to be covered include phytoplankton evolution, biodiversity and phylogeny, structure and function, genomics, the role of phytoplankton in the marine environment, harmful algal blooms, commercial products derived from phytoplankton and climate change effects on phytoplankton.   Example Course Syllabus