Ocean Ecosystems and Changing Climate
Ocean Ecosystems and Changing Climate |
| Semester & Location: |
Fall 2024 - DIS Copenhagen |
| Type & Credits: |
Elective Course - 3 credits |
| Major Disciplines: |
Biology, Environmental Science, Sustainability |
| Prerequisite(s): |
One Introductory level course in Biology |
| Faculty Members: |
Jodi Schwarz (current students please use the Canvas Inbox) |
| Time & Place: |
Tue and Fri 11:40 - 1:00 in classroom F24 room 403 |
The ocean plays profound roles in regulating the global climate and creating habitat for the majority of life on the planet, including human life. In this course, we will examine the physical, chemical, biological, and human connections between the oceans, their living systems, and the changing climate. We will learn how ocean circulation systems are established and how they regulate climate, we will explore how oceanographic features in different regions give rise to diverse types of marine ecosystems, such as arctic waters, coastal kelp forests, open ocean phytoplankton-dominated systems, and coral reefs. We will examine how human activity has influenced ocean ecosystems, specifically the connection between greenhouse gas emissions, rising ocean temperatures, and ocean acidification, and will explore how these changes influence human populations. Each student will develop their own ocean and climate change project to identify just and equitable solutions for addressing climate change or other human-induced ocean impacts.
Learning objectives
- Describe biological processes in select marine ecosystems, and provide reasoned explanations for the underlying evolutionary and oceanographic factors that have shaped those ecosystems.
- Identify relevant articles and other information in the fields of marine ecology and sustainability and accurately summarize and critically evaluate selected papers.
- Understand key issues/challenges to ocean and coastal ecosystems and explain human-ocean interconnections.
- Engage in informed discussions about contemporary issues in marine sustainability, including ideas for just and equitable research approaches, solutions, or interventions.
- Clearly and effectively communicate information about complex systems to both scientific and non-scientific audiences.
Faculty
Jodi Schwarz is a Visiting Faculty at DIS. She is an Associate Professor in Biology at Vassar College where she also teaches in the Environmental Studies program. Her research background is in marine genomics and coral symbiosis biology. She is founding co-director of Vassar’s Inclusive Excellence in STEM Grand Challenges program.
Readings
- Marine Biology: Function, Biodiversity, Ecology, 6th ed., Levinton, Jeffrey. Taylor & Francis, 2021.
- Ocean, Atmosphere, Climate
- Ch 2: The Oceanic Environment
- Ch 3: Climate Oscillations and Climate Change
- Ch 5: The Chemical and Physical Environment
- Ch 11: Processes in the Water Column
- Ocean Life
- Ch 8: Plankton
- Ch 12: Productivity, Food Webs, and Global Climate Change
- Ch 10: The Open Sea: Distributions and Adaptations
- Ch 14 The Diversity of Benthic Marine Invertebrates
- Ch 13: Benthic Microorganisms, Seaweeds, and Sea Grasses
- Ocean Ecosystems
- readings will vary based on your group's topic
- Human Impacts
- readings will vary based on your group's topic
- Ocean, Atmosphere, Climate
- Selected chapters from Introduction to Oceanography by Paul Webb (a free online textbook)
- Selected articles from the research literature, popular science publications, and news sources to be provided on Canvas.
- Animations and video links to be provided on Canvas.
Course Structure
The course consists of three modules. The Fundamentals module will utilize lectures, student presentations, and discussions to build core knowledge of underlying biological and oceanographic processes. The Applications module will utilize case studies, field studies, group work, and student discussion to develop an understanding of how human/ocean interactions lead to climate change impacts. The Hot Topics module will employ student research projects and science communication to explore ocean-based solutions to climate change impacts.
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- Field Study 1 (Sept 4, 8:30 - 12:30): Den Blå Planet aquarium
- Field Study 2 (Sept 25, 1:00 - 5:00): Oceanographic techniques and plankton tow
Expectations of Students
This course is aims to help everyone in the room build core knowledge and skills to engage in informed discussions about oceans, the impacts of climate change, and possible solutions. To achieve this, each student should support each other’s learning as well as their own. Students are expected to have completed the course readings or other preparatory work prior to class, so that class sessions can expand on an initial understanding of the topics. Students should actively engage with in-class work and discussions, work collaboratively in groups, and conduct significant out-of-class work. The aim is to establish an environment where we are actively learning from each other as well as from the material we engage with.
Evaluation
Each module employs a different mode of assessment of student work. The Fundamentals module will employ in-class worksheets, out-of-class problem sets, and student-led presentations to assess student understanding of core concepts and processes and their interconnections. The Applications module will utilize case studies, group discussion, and field studies reflections to evaluate critical analysis and communication skills. The Hot Topics module will consist of a final research project presentation and an educational or outreach product to assess students’ research and scientific communication skills. Students will be provided the grading rubrics ahead of time so they can see how each assignment will be evaluated. To pass the course, all the assignments must be completed and submitted. Attendance at class and field studies is required.
20 Fundamentals: Marine Science problem sets (2)
30 Selected Topics group presentations (2)
10 Applications: Oceans as Climate Solution Case Study
10 Applications: Field Studies assignments (2)
20 Hot Topics: Ocean Ecosystems and Changing Climate independent project (1)
10 In class work, engagement, contribution across semester
100
Grace days and late work
To accommodate for an unexpected situation that interferes with submitting an assignment on time, you may elect to submit one assignment late with no penalty, up to 72 hours late. You must notify the instructor prior to the due date that you plan to use your grace days for that assignment. All other work submitted late will incur a point deduction of 10% per assignment per day late. Note that your group presentations and Hot Topic presentation are not eligible for grace days, as these are scheduled for specific class periods and cannot be changed to any other date.
Academic Regulations
Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on:
Instructor Support and Academic Accommodations
Your learning experience in this class is important to me. Should you find yourself in a situation that requires some accommodation, please reach out to me so we can work out a way for you to achieve the learning goals, while also accommodating your situation.
If you have approved academic accommodations with DIS, please make sure I receive your DIS accommodations letter within two weeks from the start of classes. If you can think of other ways I can support your learning, please don't hesitate to talk to me. If you have any further questions about your academic accommodations, contact Academic Support acadsupp@dis.dk.
DIS - Study Abroad in Scandinavia - www.DISabroad.org
Course Summary:
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