Students will know the chemical composition, dynamics and processes of life in the 
oceans and the role the biochemistry of the oceans play in global processes. 
Students will understand the basic principles by which the ocean lives function and 
learn how to explain complex natural systems using their knowledge of basic sciences 
(chemistry and biology). Students will be evaluated on their knowledge on both 
chemical and biological oceanography and their ability to incorporate the components 
from the two disciplines into a coherent picture of biochemical cycling in the 
oceans. An essay component to the course will require students to write effectively 
in a mature style, assimilating information and presenting the results of their 
analysis on a specific topic. Tests and homeworks will be geared towards critical 
thinking and process oriented problems, requiring integration of material from all 
the areas of oceanography covered in the course. Students will be expected to be 
able to assimilate, analyze and present information in written form suitable for a 
variety of academic contexts. Students will be expected to interpret evidence and 
develop inferences and arguments from them.

Introduction to the ocean environment:
Properties of water
Salts and minor components of seawater
Vertical distributions of elements
Vertical and global distributions of density, temperature, salinity
Mixed layer dynamics
Thermohaline circulation
Wind-driven circulation

Chemical Oceanography:
Carbon and the global carbon cycle
The carbonate system
Organic carbon: dissolved and particulate
Biological and solubility pumps
Residence times
pH and ocean acidification
Gases: oxygen, carbon dioxide, and trace gases
Oxygen minimum zones and hypoxia
Major nutrients cycles: N, P, Si
Nutrient ratios and stoichiometry
Iron and trace elements

Primary productivity:
Light in the oceans
Phytoplankton
Production dynamics: responses to light and mixing
Measuring rates of production and respiration
Limitation styles

Microbial communities:
Bacteria and viruses
Microbial metabolism
Microbial food webs

Higher trophic levels:
Zooplankton
Grazing and secondary production
The herbivorous food web
Fish
Marine Fisheries

Marine environments:
Mesopelagic environments
Surface biome classifications
Subtropical gyres
Equatorial Regions and Upwelling Systems
North Atlantic
Sub-Arctic
Arctic Ocean
Southern Ocean

Global climate change: effects on ecosystems and ocean chemistry

It is the student's responsibility to be familiar with the University of Georgia's
policy on academic honesty as published in the booklet "A Culture of Honesty: 
Policies and Procedures on Academic Honesty."  Evidence of academic dishonesty will
be turned over to the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs for
consideration and possible action.  The minimum penalty for a student found guilty of
academic dishonesty is a grade of "F" in the course and a note on the student's
transcript.  There have ben several recent changes in the academic honesty policy at
UGA.  This information is available on-line at [http://www.uga.edu/~vpaa].  Click on
the UGA Academic Honesty Policy statement.