T
HE SCHOOL OF OCEANOGRAPHY, established in 1972, has a short but
impressive history of growth and development at Oregon State
University. Since its inception in 1959 as a department with one specialist, it has grown to include a staff of 50 scientists, more than 100
support personnel, and an equal number of graduate students.
Very little was known before 1959 about Oregon's coastal or
estuarine areas, their animals and plants, or the earth beneath them.
Since that time, major research effort has been directed to the Pacific
Ocean area off the Oregon coast. In recent years, the territory of
interest has widened to include virtually all the oceans of the world.
The School of Oceanography has a three-fold mission: It prepares young men and women for careers in oceanography and related
fields; it serves to broaden, through research and extension, regional
knowledge about the marine environment; it furthers national oceanic
endeavors.
Teaching and research programs emphasize the interdependence
of the biological, chemical, geological, geophysical, and physical processes in the sea. In the School of Oceanography each of these disci-
plines is represented by a number of scientists. This interdisciplinary
approach encourages and makes possible the rapid exchange of ideas
often necessary for the solution of a research problem. Graduate students play an essential part in carrying out such research.
The School of Oceanography at Oregon State University prepares students for (1) research and teaching positions with colleges
and universities; (2) civil service positions with federal or state gov-
ernments; (3) research and technical positions at oceanographic
laboratories; (4) research and instrument development with industry;
(5) applied research related to other areas of study, such as fisheries,
geology, meteorology, or engineering; and (6) managerial positions
dealing with pollution, resources, and environment.
School of Oceanography
t.
dpi
FACULTY
As of January 1973
JOHN V. BYRNE, Ph.D., Dean, School of Oceanography
PROFESSORS Bodvarsson, Burt, Curl, Frolander, Hedgpeth,
Morita, Park, Pearcy, Pytkowicz, van Andel
ASSOCIATE PROFESSORS Carey, Heath, Kulm, McCauley,
Neshyba, Rittenhouse, Small, Smith
ASSISTANT PROFESSORS Caldwell, Corliss, Couch, Dymond,
168
Oregon State University
Forster, Gonor, Heinrichs, R. Johnson, S. Johnson, Komar,
Mesecar, Miller, Moore, Neal, Panshin, Paulson, Renfro, Strong
INSTRUCTORS Gemperle, Gordon, Hancock, Redmond, Wyatt
RESEARCH ASSOCIATES Blakely, Crew, Culberson, Cutshall,
Elliott, Holton, Ingle, Nath, Pak, Pillsbury, Richardson,
Scheidegger, Zaneveld
OREGON STATE offers only graduate degrees in Oceanography.
Minor Programs
M.S. candidates who wish to minor in oceanography must
take one course in descriptive physical oceanography and from
8 to 15 hours of other oceanography courses.
Requirements and Preparation
The basic requirements for admission to graduate study in
Oceanography are:
1. A bachelor's degree with a major (40 term hours or more)
in a basic science (such as physics, mathematics, chemistry,
biology, or geology) or engineering.
2. A cumulative grade-point average of approximately 3.00
on a 4.00 scale.
3. One year of undergraduate coursework in physics, chemistry, and calculus.
4. Graduate record examination (GRE) scores (general and
advanced).
A student applying as a candidate for a doctor's degree is
usually expected to hold a master's degree in addition to the
above prerequisites. In exceptional cases, a student, with the
permission of his adviser, may apply to advance directly to
the Ph.D. after completing one year of coursework at Oregon
State University. Such applications are subject to evaluation by
the Student Evaluation Committee of the School of Oceanogra-
Ph.D. candidates who wish to minor in oceanography must
take the five core courses. If oceanography is the first minor,
the program should include a total of approximately 30 hours
of oceanography.
Summer Programs
The School usually offers some courses for nonmajors each
summer. These courses carry graduate credit but cannot be
counted toward a major. Occasionally, distinguished visiting
oceanographers offer short courses or seminars. For further
information, write to the Director of Summer Term, Oregon
State University.
Summer courses in marine science and in invertebrate
zoology, as well as individual research, are generally offered
at the Marine Science Center at Newport. For further information, write to: Dr. Joel W. Hedgpeth, Marine Science Center,
Newport, OR 97365.
phy.
Extension
Master of Science Program
The University requires a minimum of 45 hours of course-
work for the master's program, including thesis hours. Approximately two-thirds of the work is in the major field. Oceanography majors normally include 6 hours for the thesis in their
program. In special cases the thesis requirement may be waived
at the discretion of the Dean. Oceanography majors usually
minor in some other field of science, or in mathematics, statistics, or engineering. A final oral examination is required upon
completion of the thesis and coursework.
The core course requirements consist of one course in bio-
logical oceanography, one course in chemical oceanography,
one course in geological oceanography and two courses in
Extension work, by which interpreted information is transferred to marine users and by which their problems in turn are
communicated to researchers, is one of the important functions
of the School of Oceanography. Through a variety of means,
the oceanography extension program therefore seeks to serve
as a link between people who use the ocean and those who
study and manage it. Projects have emphasized work with
commercial fisheries, coastal zone management, marine recrea-
tion, maritime transportation, and with the general public.
Present efforts are conducted through the Marine Advisory
Program of the Cooperative Extension Service, which is an
interdisciplinary, systems approach funded by the National Sea
Grant Program.
descriptive physical oceanography.
For specific university requirements for advanced degrees
see GRADUATE SCHOOL. Courses completed under a master's
program usually can be transferred into the Ph.D. program.
Doctor of Philosophy Program
The Ph.D. program is determined by the individual student
and his committee (see GRADUATE SCHOOL for specific univer-
sity requirements). Approximately 80 hours of oceanography
courses (including the core courses and 30 to 35 hours of
thesis) are usually included in the program, and a first and
second minor or an integrated minor totaling 40 to 50 hours
is common. There are no set requirements on the number of
course hours to be taken; each program is set to correspond
to the needs of the individual candidate. A student must satisfy
the foreign language requirements established by his committee. The dissertation is based on an original investigation in
some area of oceanography.
Some graduate credits earned at other institutions may be
accepted in the major and minor.
Geophysics Program
Programs in geophysics and marine geophysics have been
developed within the School with the cooperation of the Departments of Physics, Geology, and Mathematics. A student
studying for a degree under this program works out with his
committee a course of study which must include a minimum
of three courses in oceanography. The remainder of the program
will be selected from geophysics courses or from related fields.
Time at Sea
Students majoring in oceanography or marine geophysics
are required to participate in work at sea for a minimum of
eight days during their graduate career. Students are expected
to participate actively in the sea-going program of their major
field. Most students easily exceed the minimum requirement
and can anticipate several weeks of sea-time per year in the
course of their work. Student sea-time is scheduled by the
major professor and student.
The Fleet
The School of Oceanography maintains a fleet of Research
Vessels based at the Marine Science Center in Newport, -Oregon, 50 miles from the Corvallis campus. The major ship of
the fleet is R/V YAQUINA, a general purpose 180-foot deep-sea
oceanographic research vessel equipped to carry out all types
of marine research.Although usually at sea for periods up to
21 days, YAQUINA has logged more than 42,000 miles during
one 9-month cruise off the west coast of Central and South
America.
The 80-foot research vessel CAYUSE is used mainly for
coastal research in waters over the continental shelf and slope.
CAYUSE has operated in coastal waters from Alaska to
Mexico.
The OSU Fleet also includes smaller vessels for nearshore
and estuarine research.
School of Oceanography
169
Job Opportunities
centers around federal programs or federally supported pro-
The majority of oceanographers are employed by the federal government and colleges and universities. Some are employed by private industry and by state and local governments.
Others are involved in consulting work or are self-employed.
grams, the number and variety of companies needing oceanog-
Several branches of the federal government such as the
Navy, the Coast Guard, the Department of Interior, the U. S.
Geological Survey, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, the Atomic Energy Commission, the
National Marine Fisheries Service, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Environmental Protection Agency, now employ
oceanographers.
Although the main United States oceanographic effort still
rs in 0
Upper Divison Courses
Courses numbered 400-499 and designated (g)
or (G) may be taken for graduate credit.
Oc 331
Introduction to Oceanography
3 hours
3 QQ
raphers is expected to increase slowly. The efforts of most
colleges and universities go into both teaching and research.
Research at the university level is generally supported by
federal grants to those schools near the coasts and on the
Great Lakes. However, some research may be carried out at
inland universities. Many of the inland schools now offer oceanography courses. Elementary and secondary schools throughout the country are now offering courses involving oceanography. The demand for qualified teachers may put more pressure on inland colleges and universities to offer some courses
for teachers.
nography
Oc 492
Principles of Geological Oceanography
3
(g) 3 hours
Sedimentation processes, geological features of
the oceans and continental margins, minerals
found in or on the sea floor, sea floor spreading,
research. Not for oceanography
Elective nontechnical course designed to give
student broad general background. Emphasis
present day
on
science. Offered alternate years.
relationship
between
oceanography
and
other fields. Prerequisite: junior standing.
Oc 442
Marine Zooplankton
(G)
3 hours
3®
Small animal life in the sea, population and
production, regional distribution, physiology,
sampling. Prerequisite: two years of biology
or Oc 490 or Oc 541.
Oc 443
Marine Zooplankton Laboratory
2 hours
majors. Prerequisite: 8 hours of upper division
Oc 493
Principles of Chemical Oceanography
(g) 3 hours
3 QQ
Chemical composition of seawater; methods of
analysis; chemistry of solutions; salinity, pH,
dissolved gases, nutrients and other factors important to man; pollution problems; extraction
of materials useful to man. Not for oceanography majors. Prerequisite: Mth 51 and one
(G)
Oc 442 to be taken concurrently.
2®
year of chemistry or consent of instructor. Offered
alternate years.
See MICROBIOLOGY.
Oc 471
Physical Limnology (g)
3 hours
30
Geological and physical processes in lakes,
rivers, and reservoirs; procedures for field studies
in physical limnology. Prerequisite: Mth 51;
18 hours of science.
Oc 490
Principles of Biological Oceanography
(g)
3 hours
3 QQ
The ocean as it living environment: importance
of temperature, salinity, density, circulation,
light, nutrients and dissolved gases to life in
the sea; adaptations of organisms living in the
ocean; productivity; food web; ocean pollution
problems. Not for oceanography majors. Prerequcsite: 8 hours of upper division science. Of-
Oc 501
Oc 503
Research
Thesis
Oc 505
Oc 507
Reading and Conference
3 hours
Physical properties of seawater,
ships between atmosphere and
30
interrelationocean,
heat
budget, water mass formation, ocean circulation, waves, tides, coastal and estuarine processes. Not for oceanography majors. Prerequi-
site: Mth 51; Ph 112 or GS 106 or permission of instructor. Offered alternate years.
170
Oregon State University
Prerequisite:
Oc 521
Oc 531;
one
of
college
3 QQ
1®
year
physics; differential and integral calculus.
Oc 541
Biological Oceanography
4 hours
(C)
The ocean as an ecosystem; interaction of the
physical, chemical and biological factors; plant
and animal populations; methods of sampling,
identification and analysis. Prerequisite: Oc 531,
Oc 551.
Marine Nekton
Marine Radioecology
30
Artificial radionuclides in the marine environ-
3 hours
ment, their measurement, identification; their
uptake and transference through marine food
chains. Prerequisite: GS 441.
3
vertical
and horizontal distribution; migrations; physical,
affecting
dischemical, and biological factors
tribution and abundance; foodchain relationships; special problems of deep-sea life- methods
of sampling. Prerequisite: Oc 490 or oc 541 or
Squid, fishes, and marine mammals;
equivalent.
Oc 543
Seminar
Terms and hours to be arranged
Marine Nekton Laboratory
1®
1 hour
Oc 542 to be taken concurrently.
Oc 544
Marine Phytoplankton Ecology
3 hours
3 QQ
Floating plant life in the sea and estuaries;
systematics and distribution; physiology; population dynamics; environmental factors; artificial
cultivation; effect upon environment and position
in food webs. Prerequisite: Oc 331 or Oc 490
or Oc 541 or two years of biology.
Oc 529
Special Topics in Marine Radioecology
1 2 or 3 hours
1® 2®or3QQ
fered alternate- years.
Oc 491
Principles of Physical Oceanography (g)
and upwelling; regional physical oceanography
wind wave generation and forecasting; internal
waves; tsunamis; tides and tidal currents:
seiches; store surges; wave refraction and shoaling; longshore currents; physical oceanography
of estuaries and the nearshore region; changes
in estuaries and coastal areas caused by man.
3 hours
See also courses marked (g) and (G) above.
39 19
3®1®
4 hours
Water masses as related to circulation; mixing
Oc 542
Graduate Courses
Mb 450
Marine and Freshwater Microbiology
(G) 4 hours
Oc 532
Descriptive Physical Oceanography II
Oc 531
Descriptive Physical Oceanography I
4 hours
30 19
Physical properties of seawater; air-sea interaction; light transmission; heat, water, and salt
budgets and water mass formation; distribution
of
temperature, salinity, and
density; sound
transmission; surface circulation; deep circulation and mixing processes. Prerequisite: one year
of college physics; differential and integral
calculus.
Oc 545
Marine Phytoplankton Physiology
3 hours
3
Life processes of plankton algae: energy-cap turing processes , mineral nutrition, flotation mechanisms, cell division. Evaluation of experim ental
procedures; problems of existence in the open
ocean; artificial production of maximum y ields.
Prerequisite: Oc 544.
Oc 546
5hours
Marine Primary Production
3® 2®
Experimental procedures for measuring primary
biological production. Evaluation of experimental results and their interpretation. Consent
of instructor required. Prerequisite: Oc 545.
Oc 548
4hours
Marine Benthic Ecology
3® 1QQ
Ecology of the marine bottom environment;
marine and estuarine bottom communities; ef-
of the environment on distribution and
abundance of fauna; adadptations to the enfects
vironment; population dynamics. Prerequisite:
Z 451,452.
Oc 549
Special Topics in Biological
Oceanography
1 ® 2®or3®
1 2 or 3 hours
Oc 551 Chemical Oceanography
4 hours
3® 1®
Chemistry of the oceans for nonchemists; their
chemical nature; the chemical processes which
take place within them and between them and
the
biosphere,
lithosphere,
and
atmosphere.
Oc 563
3 hours
Deep-Sea Sediments
30
Nature and distribution of deep-sea deposits;
factors controlling the distribution of terrigenous,
volcanic, biogenic and authigenic components;
diagenesis and redistributon at the ocean floor;
4 hours
Oc 574 Wave
2Q 1®
Identification and quantitative determination of
3hours
fine-grained minerals in marine, especially deepsea, sediments; structural characteristics and
genesis of important mineral groups; application of laboratory techniques, particularly X-ray
diffraction, to specialized research problems.
3®1
Chemistry of the oceans for chemists. Sea water
as a complex electrolyte solution. The nature
and rates of chemical reactions occurring in
sea water and between the oceans and the
30
mentary deposits; interpretation of paleontological, geological, and geophysical data and uses
of these data in stratigraphic correlation. Prerequisite: Oc 561,563. Offered alternate years.
Oc 566
Oc 553
Descriptive Chemical Oceanography
minifera; gross population trends; seasonal vari-
Ecology of Foraminifera
3 QQ
Morphology and physiology; physical, chemical, and biological controls on the distribution
and abundance of benthic and planktonic foraations in faunas; applications to other fields.
40
Reasons for observed distributions and cycles
Prerequisite: Oc 441 or G 540 or two years
4 hours
of biology. Offered alternate years.
of chemical species in seawater. Applications
of these distributions to the study of water
masses, exchange with the atmosphere, biological production, and sedimentation. Prerequisite:
Oc 567 Marine Micropaleontology I:
Foraminifera
Oc 451 or Oc 552.
4 hours fall
4 QQ
Thermodynamics of chemical reactions in sea-
2®2
4 hours
aQ
planktonic
problems.
foraminifera;
specialized
research
illustrated mainly by the carbon dioxide-carbonate system. Physico-chemical properties of
seawater. Prerequisite: one year of physical
chemistry.
Oc 568 Marine Micropaleontology II:
Radiolaria and Calcareous
Nannoplankton
Oc 559
4 hours
Special Topics in Chemical
1 2 or 3 hours
Oc 560
1® 2®
or 3
2® 2®
Stratigraphic distribution; systematics and taxonomy of Radiolaria and calcareous nannoplankton; distribution and abundance of faunas;
laboratory identification and classification.
Geological Oceanography
3®1®
4 hours
Structure of ocean basins, plate tectonics and
sea floor spreading, marine sedimentation, history of ocean basins, and analysis of geological
and geophysical data. Prerequisite: one year of
physics and chemistry or science background.
Oc 561
Geology and Geophysics of the
Ocean Basins I
3 hours
3 QQ
Physiography of the ocean floor, geophysics of
oceans and continents, dynamics of the upper
mantle, principles of global tectonics. Prerequisite: one year each of physics, calculus, and
geology. Required for majors in geological oceanography.
Oc 562 Geology and Geophysics of the
Ocean Basins II
3 hours
3 Qi
Petrology of the oceanic crust and upper mantle;
tectonic features of the ocean floor and their
dynamic function; structure and sedimentation
of the continental margins. Preruisite: Oc 561
or consent of
instructor.
geological oceanography.
Required for majors in
Oc 575
4 hours
Marine Hydrodynamics
40
special problems in Pacific Ocean circulation.
Term paper required. Prerequisite: Oc 573.
Oc 579
Special Topics in Physical Oceanography
1 2 or 3 hours
1® 2Q or 3®
Consent of instructor required.
30
3 hours
Gravity field and gravity potential, earth ellip-
soid; gravity measurements (sea, land, and
space), reduction of gravity measurements;
gravity anomalies, isostasy, deviations from
isostatic equilibrium; internal constitution of
the earth. Prerequiste: differential equations;
two years of physics; one year of geology; Oc
water at atmospheric and at high pressures,
Oceanography
linear wave statistics. Prerequisite: Oc 573.
480 or equivalent.
Systematics and taxonomy; laboratory identification and classification; field and laboratory
techniques, use of literature; numerical analysis
of faunas; familiarization with bathymetric and
zoogeographic index species of benthic and
Oc 554
Theoretical Chemical Oceanography
3®1®
Linear and non-linear surface capillary and
gravity waves; theories of wind wave generation, interaction, and decay. Linear and non-
Oc 581
Theoretical Geophysics: Earth Gravity
biosphere, lithosphere, and atmosphere. Chemical models of seawater and the oceans. Chemistry of marine pollution. Selected chemical
methods for seawater analysis. Prerequisite:
undergraduate degree in chemistry.
3 hours
Dynamics
Dimensional analysis; major theories and analyses of motion in oceans; dynamic computation;
3 hours
History of ocean basins as revealed by sedi-
4 hours
discussion of the behavior of light
Oc 564
Mineralogy of Marine Sediments
Oc 552
Chemical Oceanography
Basic theories of tides; heat transfer across the
sea-air interface; thermohaline circulation; and
and sound in the sea. Prerequisite: Oc 572.
Oc 565
Stratigraphy of Marine Sediments
Oc 531.
3®1®
4 hours
ancient deep-sea sediments.
sis of seawater. Prerequisite: Ch 203 or 205;
Chemistry of marine pollution. Chemical analy-
Oc 573
Theoretical Physical Oceanography III
Oc 569
Oceanography
1® 2 (D or 3
Oc 571
Theoretical Physical Oceanography I
4 hours
3®1
QQ
®
Physics of fluids, basic properties of sea water
and sea ice. Introduction to fluid dynamics,
with emphasis on derivation of the equations
of motion from first principles. Prerequisite:
two years of college physics;
through vector calculus.
mathematics
30
Wave propagation in one-dimensional struc-
tures; stress and strain in liquids and solids;
propagation of waves in linearly elastic solids;
basic solutions, body waves, surface waves, and
propagation of elastic energy; theory of guided
waves and waves in layered media. Fundamental
oscillation modes of the earth. Prerequisite: differential equations; complex functions.
Oc 583
Earthquake Seismology
3 hours
3
Description of earthquakes; types of earthquakes; seismograph theory; seismic ray paths;
velocity determinations; shallow and deep earthquakes; magnitude and energies of earthquakes;
locating earthquakes; microseisms; seismicity.
Prerequisite: Oc 582.
Oc 584
Physics of the Earth
30
Effects of confining pressure, temperature, time,
and solutions on properties of rocks; earth and
moon in solar system; source materials and their
reliabilities for determining nature and composition of the earth; composition of core, crust, and
mantle; processes within the earth with special
reference to their effect on earthquakes, isostasy, crustal structure, island arcs. Prerequisite:
differential equations; two years of physics; one
year of geology.
Oc 586
Theoretical Geophysics: Magnetics
3 hours
3 QQ
Geomagnetic field and magnetic potential; gen-
Oc 572
Theoretical Physical Oceanography II
4 hours
Theoretical Seismology
3 hours
Special Topics in Geological
1 2 or 3 hours
Oc 582
3 hours
3®1®
Theoretical treatment of surface gravity and
capillary waves, internal waves, and wave
Theory of wave forecasting. Development of the equations of motion for rotating
spectra.
coordinate systems, and consideration of possible
solutions. Prerequisite: Oc 571.
eral morphology, secular change, magnetic
storms; magnetic measurements, reduction of
magnetic measurements; magnetic anomalies,
application to structure and composition of crust,
mantle, and core of earth. Prerequisite: differential equations; two years of physics; one
year of geology; Oc 480 or equivalent.
Oc 589 Special Topics in Geophysics
1 2 or 3 hours
1® 2 QQ or 3 QQ
Permission of instructor required.
School of Oceanography
171