Course objective
At the conclusion of this course, students should possess a basic knowledge of biological oceanographic processes, and how these processes interact with the Earth's physical and chemical environment.  Outstanding problems currently facing biological oceanographers will be discussed, as well as current attempts and methodologies to address them. Students will demonstrate their accomplishment of these objectives by satisfactory performance on two examinations, by completion of assignments, and by satisfactory participation in class discussion. 

Course evaluation
The format of the class is based on lectures combined with class discussion of key papers, and presentations by the students. Discussion sections will provide an opportunity to discuss the lecture material, present the papers (from the literature), and review homework assignments.

Evaluations: Students will be evaluated principally on the basis of their midterm exam (25%), final exam (25%), participation in discussion sections and completion of homework (20%), proposal/term paper (20%), and participation/attendance (10%). Graduate students are expected to be ranked in the upper 1/3 of the class, and expectations for assignments and exams are different for undergraduate and graduate students. Undergraduates will be evaluated and graded separately from graduate students.

Homework Assignments: Approximately weekly assignments will be given out in the lectures. Throughout the quarter, we will also be discussing journal articles related to the lecture materials. Graduate students will be assigned additional homework related to the primary literature; undergraduates are encouraged to read the papers, but will not be graded on the content unless it is discussed during lectures.

Presentations: For journal article discussions, graduate students will present the key concepts of the paper, and lead the class in a review of its importance to the field of biological oceanography. All presentations will be required to use only the chalkboard (no overheads, no PowerPoint). Undergraduates will not be required to lead a paper discussion.

Proposals: Graduate students will prepare an NSF-style pre-doctoral proposal on some topic related to biological oceanography. Undergraduate students will prepare a term-paper on a biological oceanographic subject, between 7-10 pages in length. Both groups will present their proposal/paper to the class at the end of the term. Undergraduates have the option of preparing a short (3-5 page) proposal on an appropriate research topic, suitable for submission to the Friends of Long Marine Lab, or Earl and Ethyl Myers Trust, as an alternative to the term paper.

Attendance Policy. Attendance at lectures is strongly encouraged since both the lecture and text materials will be included on homework and examinations.

Plagiarism Policy. Students are expected to do and turn in their own work. Cheating and/or copying is not tolerated, and will result in an automatic failure for the assignment. Please refer to University policy for the difference between citations and plagiarism; students are responsible for stated University policies.

ADA statement: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact the instructor and your TA as soon as possible after the beginning of class.

Tentative Schedule

Overview of Biological Oceanography and this course
4/2 Description of Biological Oceanography

Phytoplankton—the Link Between Physics and Food Webs
4/7 Description of Phytoplankton (taxonomy), counting, measuring
4/9 Pigments, light harvesting

Rate Processes and Growth
4/14 Photosynthesis
4/16 How do we measure photosynthesis?

Nutrients
4/21 Abiotic/Biotic controls of photosynthesis
4/23 Uptake kinetics, growth rates, nutrient pulsing/community structure
4/28 New, Regenerated, Export production

4/30 Microbial Food Web

Zooplankton
5/5 Microzooplankton—description, sizes, dynamics

5/7 MIDTERM EXAM

5/12 Metazooplankton and copepods
5/14 Fish and higher trophic levels

Connecting the Boxes
5/19 Spring Bloom, seasonal cycles, mixing in the Atlantic and Pacific
5/21 Steady State versus Non-Steady State and the role of models
5/26 Environmental Control—small scale to mesoscale to basin scale

Benthic Ecology--The Missing Box
5/28 Life in the mud

Special Topics
6/2 Harmful Algal Blooms
6/4 Models, and wrap-up review

6/9 Final Exam (Tues., 7:30-10:30 PM)