Introductory Oceanography
The University of West Florida
Instructor : Dr. Karen Pritchard
Phone: 850 474-2753
Office: Bldg 58 rm 60
Email: kreynolds@uwf.edu
Textbook: Trujillo, A.P. and H. V. Thurman 2005. Essentials of Oceanography 8 th ed.
COURSE DESCRIPTION An intermediate discussion of marine environments from a multidisciplinary approach.
Includes the major chemical, geological, and physical characteristics and processes of the oceans and the way they influence the biological components found in different types of ecosystems.
COURSE OBJECTIVES By the end of the term, successful students should be able to do the following.
1. Compare some of the current theories concerning the origin of the Earth and the waters that cover its surface.
2. Identify the features of the ocean basins and relate the structures observed to the theories of their origin.
3. Understand basic chemical oceanography in terms of the special properties of water, dissolved salts, and dissolved gases.
4. Describe motions in the sea—currents, waves, and tides—in terms of their causes and their effects on the land.
5. Identify features of marine organisms such as protists, sharks, and mammals.
6. Identify the causes of marine pollution, and understand the problems of containment and alleviation.
Course Participation
An inherent problem with distance learning courses is students and their instructor do not have the type of face to face contact that occurs in typical lecture courses. Thus, students may have a tendency to procrastinate, putting off coursework until the end of the semester. Weekly assignments, discussions, and quizzes have been designed in this course to keep you engaged throughout the semester. Homework assignments will be given each week and you will be expected to interact with your classmates and Dr. Pritchard via weekly threaded discussion sessions on topics related to a given week's subject matter. Weekly quizzes will test your knowledge of material covered in a given week and three exams will test your overall knowledge of the subject material.
Course Evaluation
Your grade in this course will be determined by four things: homework assignments, discussion participation, weekly quizzes and exams. We will cover a new chapter each week. Weekly assignments will be posted under chapter headings on the course website. You will be expected to read Dr. Pritchard's introductory narratives that introduce each chapter. You then will read that week's chapter and complete the homework assignment; you will email completed assignments to Dr. Reynolds. You are expected to participate in the threaded discussion during each week and you will take weekly timed quizzes to test your knowledge of the material covered. Every 4th week you will have an exam covering material from the previous four weeks.
Course material will be activated on the eLearning website weekly. This will include a Chapter Overview that will layout reading, homework, and discussion assignments. Homework will consist of assignments from “Environmental
Issues in Oceanography” (Abel and McConnell) Questions should be answered and emailed directly to Dr. Pritchard.
Weekly threaded discussion topics will be derived from critical thinking questions posted as PDF files in the course content area. Review the discussion material and join the discussion each week. You may ask or answer questions on any other course-related topic during weekly threaded discussions, but the critical thinking questions are designed for you to consider practical applications of the material you learn in each chapter. Participation in threaded discussions is mandatory and will constitute 10% of your final course grade.
Weekly quizzes will be derived from content presented in a given chapter. A quiz will consist of 15 multiple choice, true/false, or matching questions and you will be allowed 20 minutes to complete it. Quizzes will be open book but given the time restraints it will benefit you to know the chapter material prior to beginning a quiz. Quizzes will be posted on the eLearning site along with other chapter material. You may take a quiz anytime after it is activated and prior to when it is due; see course calendar for due dates. DO NOT open a quiz file prior to when you plan to take it because the eLearning software will allow you access to a quiz only once. Of the 12 quizzes, you will be permitted to drop you lowest two grades. The average of the other 10 quizzes will constitute 30% of your course grade.

The remaining 50% of your course grade will come from exams; see course calendar for exam due dates.
There will be four exams given during the semester. You will be allowed to drop the lowest score among the four.
Exams will follow the format of quizzes for the most part. You will have 75 minutes to complete each exam. Exams will be open note/open book but you should not plan on being able to skim through the book to find correct answers without having learned the material. Like quizzes, timed exams will only allow you to access them a single time.
Course Grading:
Grade determination:
Exams 50%
Quizzes 30%
Homework 10%
Discussion 10%
C-
D
F
Final Grade Scale:
A 93-100%
A-
B+
91-93%
87-89%
B
B-
C+
C
83-86%
80-82%
77-79%
73-76%
70-72%
60-69%
< 60%

Course Schedule
Week of: Topic and Objectives
Aug 22, 2005 Chapter 1: Introduction to Planet "Earth"
Identify characteristics and geographic features of Earth's four principal oceans.
Understand differences between an ocean and a sea.
Summarize the early history of ocean exploration.
Explain the steps involved in the scientific method, including the difference between observation, hypothesis, scientific theory, and fact.
Briefly explain the origin of the solar system using the nebular hypothesis.
Discuss the origin of the atmosphere and oceans, including the dynamics of ocean salinity over time.
Describe how radioactive decay allows scientists to determine how old rocks are.
List important Earth history events associated with the geologic time scale.
Aug 29, 2005 Chapter 2: Plate Tectonics and the Ocean Floor
Describe the evidence Alfred Wegener used to formulate his idea of continental drift.
Understand how the early idea of continental drift differs from the more modern version of plate tectonics.
Cite lines of evidence that support the theory of plate tectonics.
Understand the composition, structure, and physical properites of the deep Earth.
Identify geographic examples and discuss features associated with the three types of plate boundaries
Explain how hotspots and mantle plumes fit into the plate tectonic model.
Understand how plate tectonics and continental drift have made the continents and ocean basins different in the past and will continue to make them different in the future
Sep 5, 2005 Chapter 3: Marine Provinces
Describe the methods of direct and remote sea floor investigation.
Recognize features of the continental margins, the ocean basin floor, and the mid-ocean ridge.
Discuss differences between active and passive continental margins.
Explain the origin of submarine canyons and turbidity currents.
Differentiate between the various volcanic features of the sea floor.
Be familiar with the dynamics of subduction zones and associated deep-sea trenches.
Understand differences between transform faults and fracture zones.
Assignments
Read and outline the chapter material
Use the online web quizzes
(Understanding Concepts, Visualizing
Oceanography, and Critical Thinking) at www.prenhall.com/trujillo to assess your personal progress.
Answer the questions and exercises at the end of the chapter
Learn the Key Terms at the end of the chapter
Take Quiz #1 from the e-learning website
Read and outline the chapter material
Use the online web quizzes to assess your personal progress.
Answer the questions and exercises at the end of the chapter
Learn the Key Terms at the end of the chapter
Take Quiz #2 from the e-learning website
Read and outline the chapter material
Use the online web quizzes to assess your personal progress.
Answer the questions and exercises at the end of the chapter
Learn the Key Terms at the end of the chapter
Take Quiz #3 from the e-learning website

Sep 12, 2005 Chapter 4: Marine Sediments Read and outline the chapter material
Discuss how marine sediments are obtained from the sea floor. Use the online web quizzes to assess
Understand how marine sediments indicate past environmental your personal progress.
Answer the questions and exercises at conditions.
Describe the four main types of marine sediment and recognize examples of each.
Indicate the types of marine sediment that comprise coastal and deep-sea deposits. the end of the chapter
Learn the Key Terms at the end of the chapter
Take Exam #1 from the e-learning website
(covers chapters 1,2,3 and 4)
Compare the characteristics of siliceous and calcareous oozes.
Understand the concept of the CCD (carbonate compensation depth) and how it governs the distribution of calcium carbonate on the sea floor.
Discuss the significance of the Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) impact event.
Identify the types of resources that ocean sediments provide
Read and outline the chapter material Sep 19, 2005 Chapter 5: Water and Seawater
Identify the structure, geometry, and polarity of the water molecule.
Use the online web quizzes to assess your personal progress.
Explain the unique thermal properties of water including heat capacity and latent heat.
Define seawater salinity and know its average value and range.
Summarize the concepts of pH and ocean buffering.
Answer the questions and exercises at the end of the chapter
Learn the Key Terms at the end of the chapter
Take Quiz #4 from the e-learning website
Discuss processes affecting seawater salinity, including those in the hydrologic cycle.
Identify factors affecting seawater density and describe how density affects ocean layering.
Define and explain the formation of a pycnocline, thermocline, and halocline in various ocean areas.
Sep 26, 2005 Chapter 6: Air-sea Interaction
Describe the causes of uneven solar heating on Earth.
Read and outline the chapter material
Use the online web quizzes to assess your personal progress.
Answer the questions and exercises at the end of the chapter
Understand why Earth has seasons and how seasonal changes in solar energy affect atmospheric temperature, pressure, and density.
Explain the nature, origin, and consequences of the Coriolis effect in both the Northern and Southern Hemisphere.
Discuss the locations and characteristics of Earth's major atmospheric circulation cells, pressure belts, wind belts, and boundaries.
Know the difference between weather (meteorology) and climate (climatology).
Indicate the conditions required for the formation of tropical cyclones (hurricanes) and explain what types of destruction are caused by them.
Describe the cause of Earth's greenhouse effect and why it has increased in the recent past.
Learn the Key Terms at the end of the chapter
Take Quiz #5 from the e-learning website

Oct 3, 2005 Chapter 7: Ocean Circulation
Discuss how ocean currents are measured.
Describe the location and direction of flow for all the subtropical gyres, and know the names of all currents involved.
Explain the phenomenon of western intensification and how it influences boundary currents.
Discuss the conditions that create Ekman transport.
Understand why the Moon has a greater influence on the tides than the Sun.
Explain the monthly tidal cycle in terms of Earth-Moon-Sun positions and the resulting tidal conditions on Earth.
Recognize diurnal, semidiurnal, and mixed tidal patterns and indicate where each is found in North America.
Disuss the oceanographic conditions that create the world's largest tidal range in the Bay of Fundy.
Identify the different types of tidal currents and describe their effects.
Read and outline the chapter material
Use the online web quizzes to assess your personal progress.
Answer the questions and exercises at the end of the chapter
Learn the Key Terms at the end of the chapter
Take Quiz #6 from the e-learning website
Oct 10, 2005
Identify various causes of upwelling and downwelling and how they affect the abundance of marine life.
Understand the mechanisms that produce El Niño-Southern
Oscillation events.
Describe the origin and effects of thermohaline (deep-water) circulation.
Chapter 8: Waves and Water Dynamics
Summarize how waves originate.
Describe wave terminology.
Understand orbital motion and the difference between deep- and shallow-water waves.
Cite the relationship between a "sea" and swell.
Differentiate between destructive and constructive interference patterns.
Describe the physical changes in waves as they approach shore and break.
Recognize differences between wave refraction and wave reflection.
Discuss the origin, coastal effects, and hazards associated with tsunamis
Oct 17, 2005 Chapter 9: Tides
Describe what causes the tides.
Differentiate between a lunar day and a solar day.
Read and outline the chapter material
Use the online web quizzes to assess your personal progress.
Answer the questions and exercises at the end of the chapter
Learn the Key Terms at the end of the chapter
Take Exam #2 from the e-learning website
(covers chapters 5,6,7 and 8)
Read and outline the chapter material
Use the online web quizzes to assess your personal progress.
Answer the questions and exercises at the end of the chapter
Learn the Key Terms at the end of the chapter
Take Quiz #7 from the e-learning website

Oct 24, 2005 Chapter 10: The Coast: Beaches and Shoreline Processes Read and outline the chapter material
Recognize the various landforms characteristic of beaches and Use the online web quizzes to assess coastal regions. your personal progress.
Identify seasonal changes that beaches experience.
Discuss how longshore currents are created and what longshore drift is.
Describe how coastal features are formed by wave erosion and deposition.
Answer the questions and exercises at the end of the chapter
Learn the Key Terms at the end of the chapter
Understand local changes that occur in coastline elevation and explain observed trends in the relative position of sea level.
Take Quiz #8 from the e-learning website
Recognize barrier island features and describe how barrier islands are formed.
Identify the types of hard stablization and discuss the effects they have on shorelines
Oct 31, 2005 Chapter 11: The Coastal Ocean
Explain the differences between the coastal and open ocean in terms of salinity, temperature, and currents.
Indicate the origin of estuaries and compare the four major classes of estuaries.
Discuss the four types of estuary mixing patterns.
Read and outline the chapter material
Use the online web quizzes to assess your personal progress.
Answer the questions and exercises at the end of the chapter
Learn the Key Terms at the end of the chapter
Take Quiz #9 from the e-learning website
Nov 7, 2005
Describe the types, characteristics, and importance of coastal wetlands.
Understand the circulation pattern in the Mediterranean Sea and why it is considered unusual.
Define marine pollution.
Identify some of the common types, causes, and environmental effects of coastal pollution.
Chapter 12: The Marine Habitat
Describe the three domains and five kingdoms of life and how organisms are classified within them.
Classify organisms as either plankton, nekton, or benthos.
Read and outline the chapter material
Use the online web quizzes to assess your personal progress.
Answer the questions and exercises at the end of the chapter
Discuss adaptations to differences in physical conditions of the sea such as changes in temperature and salinity.
Define osmosis and use it to describe hypertonic and hypotonic organisms.
Learn the Key Terms at the end of the chapter
Take Exam #3 from the e-learning website
Covers chapters 9,10,11, and 12
Understand what the deep scattering layer is and how it changes during a day.
Describe the divisions and subdivisions of the marine environment from shore to the deep-ocean bottom
Nov 14, 2005 Chapter 13: Biological Productivity and Energy Transfer Read and outline the chapter material
Define primary productivity and discuss its key limiting Use the online web quizzes to assess factors. your personal progress.
Understand the difference between photosynthesis and respiration.
Answer the questions and exercises at the end of the chapter

Recognize various types of macroscopic and microscopic marine algae.
Compare differences in productivity between polar, tropical, and temperate oceans.
Describe energy flow through the components of marine ecosystems, including transfer effeciency between different groups of organisms.
Differentiate between a food chain and a food web.
Discuss current problems facing marine fisheries
Nov 21, 2005 Chapter 14: Animals of the Pelagic Environment
Discuss the adaptations of pelagic organisms for staying above the ocean floor.
Identify common types of microscopic zooplankton and where they live.
Identify important types of macroplankton and be able to briefly describe their defining physical characteristics.
Outline the adaptations of nekton for seeking prey and avoiding being prey, including deep-water nekton.
Understand the use and know the basic shapes of caudal fins in fish.
Describe the characteristics and adaptations of marine mammals.
Discuss the advantages of schooling and migration.
Nov 28, 2005 Chapter 15: Animals of the Benthic Environment
Discuss the divisions, physical conditions, and organism adaptations of the rocky intertidal zone.
Describe the physical conditions and adaptations of organisms within sediment covered shores, including sandy beaches and mud flats.
Explain the conditions necessary for coral growth, including the symbiosis of coral and algae.
Understand environmental threats to coral reefs.
Learn the Key Terms at the end of the chapter
Take Quiz #10 from the e-learning website
Read and outline the chapter material
Use the online web quizzes to assess your personal progress.
Answer the questions and exercises at the end of the chapter
Learn the Key Terms at the end of the chapter
Take Quiz #11 from the e-learning website
Read and outline the chapter material
Use the online web quizzes to assess your personal progress.
Answer the questions and exercises at the end of the chapter
Learn the Key Terms at the end of the chapter
Take Quiz #12 from the e-learning website
Dec 5, 2005
Describe the food source and environmental conditions for hydrothermal vent biocommunities.
Identify the various types of deep ocean biocommunities.
Final Exam Week Take Exam #4 from e-learning website
Covers chapters 13,14, and 15