Introduction to Marine Science/Oceanography Course Structure Lauren Sahl, Maine Maritime Academy

The Traditional Structure 1.History of our growth in knowledge about the oceans. 2.Build the Earth. 3.Make the oceans through plate tectonic processes. 4.Modify the sea floor through sedimentation. 5.Fill the oceans with water. 6.Let the atmosphere and the ocean water interact and the water circulates. 7.Other types of circulation- waves and tides. 8.Move closer to shore and look at beach and estuarine processes. 9.Put organisms in the ocean. 10.Examine the bottom of the food chain and work your way up. 11.Move off shore and look at deep ocean habitats. 12.Human interaction with the ocean- resources, pollution, the role of the ocean in climate change.

A Different Approach Discovering the Oil/Plastics Cycle Active learning starts on day one. Students discover their stake in the course. Student created course structure anchors the course. Mind map product sets the stage for geoethics discussions throughout the course.

Stomach contents video Discovering the Oil/Plastics Cycle First class meeting

The Homework Assignment Plastic in the Ocean Homework As a class we watched a video showing the gut contents of a dead baby albatross on Midway Island. If you want to watch it again it is at this link: Plastic it not a naturally occurring substance, nor is it naturally found in bird guts or the ocean. Below, write down as many steps as you can that led to a baby albatross ingesting plastic. Think deeply, beyond plastic getting washed into the sea and then fed to the chick. There are many types of plastics, but for our purposes we will examine them as a group. Bring your “chain” of events to our next class meeting.

Props- giant post-its, colorful markers. Small group work/all class work/small group work/all class work. Discovering the Oil/Plastics Cycle Second class meeting

Albatross and plastic Marine plankton, plankton ecology and primary production Water and marine chemistry, layering in the ocean, upwelling Marine sediments Plate tectonics and the interior of the Earth Sea floor morphology Circulation of the ocean and the atmosphere Life in the ocean Food webs and trophic pyramid Organic rich sediments lead to oil Folding of sedimentary rocks leads to oil pools Circulation aggregates plastic Bioaccumulation of plastic? Effects of plastics on other organisms? Upwelling leads to high primary productivity and organic rich sediments Effect of microplastics on plankton

Have students identify how they fit into the cycle. Add as different colored post-its. Discovering the Oil/Plastics Cycle Second class meeting

Discovering the Oil/Plastics Cycle Third class meeting Hand out mind map developed in previous class, and a syllabus with topics in same order as mind map.

Develop exercises related to the mind map that – Improve scientific thinking and computation skills – Probe the geoethics of the use and abuse of the ocean Discovering the Oil/Plastics Cycle During the semester

1.How long does it take to make oil? How long does it take to use it up? 2.Still in development….. Possible Geoethics Exercises