MACS 304 - Integrated Marine Science Core: Marine Physical Processes

Marine science questions can only be fully understood through approaches that integrate knowledge from multiple disciplines. This course focuses on the physical aspects of marine science, as well as how physical concepts inform and are informed by geology, chemistry, and biology. This course is part of the integrated marine science core sequence. Students will learn and apply the fundamental physical principles govern ocean circulation. This circulation has profound impacts on marine geology, chemistry, and ecology, as sediment, heat, freshwater, nutrients, and algae are carried by currents that vary in scale from creeks to entire coastlines. In this course, students will build intuition about physical oceanographic processes by tying the theory of fluid dynamics to concrete examples; case studies will include oil spills, red tide in the Pacific Northwest, and coastal hypoxia. Discussion about these critical problems will focus on how they intertwine with anthropogenic influences and human society. Particular attention will be paid to physical processes relevant to the coastal waters of the Pacific Northwest, such as estuarine circulation, upwelling, and tidal dynamics. Students will participate in at least one local field trip, during which they will collect physical oceanographic data for the class to analyze. As part of and in preparation for the field trip, the course will address on how the processes studied in class are measured. Students will also gain practical experience in lab work and data analysis in Python.

Prerequisites & Notes: MACS 301 or concurrent; MATH 125 or MATH 135 or MATH 138; PHYS 161.
Credits: 4
Grade Mode: Letter