This course will integrate two major areas in marine sciences, 
physics and chemistry, and the mathematics and technology that 
are used in these disciplines, for non-science majors. It is 
intended to improve the students' abilities to read and 
interpret information from sciences and to satisfy the Physical 
Science requirement. Successful completion of this course will 
provide students with a basic understanding of physical and 
chemical processes that operate in the ocean at different 
scales. Students will gain working knowledge of the mechanisms 
controlling those physical and chemical processes and how they 
in turn influence migratory patterns of several marine 
organisms. They will be able to recognize interactions between 
human activities, modifications on the ocean-atmosphere system, 
and future environmental changes, and they will learn how 
changes in climate may influence/alter physical and chemical 
processes in the ocean. A large focus of the course is on 
critical writing and reading so that students can evaluate the 
impact of science and technology in their lives and careers.

-	Introduction, examples of migrations:

o	Plankton
o	Lobsters
o	Fish
o	Turtles
o	Seabirds
o	Marine mammals

-	Physical and chemical processes in the ocean: 

o	Energy and heat budgets
o	Earth’s rotation
o	Optics, light absorption and scattering
o	Large-scale atmospheric circulation
o	Large-scale oceanic circulation
o	Ocean-Atmosphere interactions
o	Waves
o	Tides
o	Coastal and estuarine systems
o	Low-frequency variability, El Niño/La Niña
o	Properties of water
o	Dissolved gases
o	Nutrients
o	Light spectrum
o	Ocean acidification
o	Plastics in the ocean
o	Radiation
o	Human impacts
o	Migration in a changing ocean
o	Effects of physical and chemical processes on 
migrations, examples

This Honors version of MARS 1030 will focus on critical reading 
and writing skills. The small class size will allow for greater 
emphasis on classroom discussions, frequent interactions between 
faculty and students, and deeper exploration of subjects than is 
possible in the non-Honors course.