the ocean and global change - sea education association · 2016-11-22 · sea semester®: caribbean...

SEASemester®:CaribbeanReefExpedition

TheOceanandGlobalChangeCASNS326(4credits)CourseCatalogDescription:Oceanecosystemchangeintheanthropocene:warming,acidification,fisheriesdepletion,andpollution.Reviewprinciplesofcirculation,seawaterchemistry,nutrientdynamics,andbiologicalproductiontounderstandcausesandconsequencesofchangeinCaribbeanreef,seagrass,andmangroveecosystems.Conductfieldmeasurementsforcontributiontotime-seriesdatasets.Instructor:SeaEducationAssociationOceanographyFacultyLocations:SEAcampusinWoodsHole,MA,atafieldstationintheU.S.VirginIslands,andatseaonSEA’ssailingschoolvesselCorwithCramer.Prerequisites:AdmissiontoSEASemester.Sophomorestandingorconsentofinstructor.CoursePhilosophyandApproach:

Humanitydependsupon,andextractsvaluefrom,theoceanforfood,climate,tourism,andpersonalwell-being,aswellasmanyothernecessaryecosystemservices.ThisiscertainlytrueofthecoastalenvironmentsintheCaribbean,includingreefsthatprovide100sofmillionsofdollarsworthofhuman-valuedservices.Oursisthefirstgenerationtotrulyappreciatethattheglobaloceanecosystemisnotimmutablebutinsteadhasundergoneandcontinuestoundergorapidchangecausedbymillenniaofunsustainablehumanpractices.Collectivelytheseanthropogenicchangestotheocean(aswellasterrestrialandatmosphericecosystems)haveledtothedesignationofanewgeologictimeperiod–theAnthropocene.AholisticviewpointisrequiredtounderstandthemyriadimpactsoftheAnthropoceneonCaribbeancoastalecosystems.Nestledbetweenlocaldriversassociatedwithhumanpracticesonlandandglobalphenomenonmediatedthroughchangesinoceanconditions,CaribbeanreefssitatthecenterofAnthropocenechange.Thus,ourstudieswillemployanislandridge-toptooceanreef-crestapproach,withafairsharetounderstandinghistoricaldrivers.Globalwarming,acidification,fisheriesdepletion,andpollutionarebutafewexamplesofhumanpressuresontheoceansthatinfluencenaturalpatternsinthedistribution,diversityandabundanceofmarineorganisms.Unfortunately,astheglobaloceancontinuestochangeitnolongerprovidesthegoodsandserviceshumanityrequiresandourlivelihoodisthreatened.Itisimportanttonotethathumanextractionfromtheoceanandcorrespondingnegativeenvironmentalimpactsarenotsharedequallyamongallsocio-political,culturalgroups.Thereare,inthemostreductiveofterms,winnersandlosers.ThiscourseexaminesthehistoryandconditionoftheAnthropocene-oceanwithemphasisonobservedpressures,ecologicalresponsesandpotentialsolutions(management,adaptation,andmitigation)thatarejustandequitableforallhumanity.


Webuildafoundationofglobaloceanprinciplesbyfirstreviewingoceancirculation,seawaterchemistry,nutrientdynamics,andbiologicalproduction.Wewillthenexaminethemanywayshumanityextractsvaluefromtheglobaloceanhighlightingthenegativeconsequencesofunsustainablepractices.Humanimpactsonoceanecosystemswillbeexaminedthroughregionalcasestudies(i.e.theEasternCaribbeanislands)thatillustratethefollowinginterdisciplinary,programthemesandrelatedoceanographictopics:

1) EnvironmentalJustice–Eutrophication,CoastalPollutionandTourism2) EconomicEquity–FisheriesandOceanResourceExtraction3) SenseofPlace–IconicSpeciesandtheScienceofMarineProtectedAreas4) TheAnthropocene–ClimateChangeandtheRoleofScienceinPolicy-making

WhenwemoveourclassroomtotheU.S.VirginIslandswewillmeetwithresidentexpertsintheacademic,scientific,government,andnon-governmentfieldswhosejobistofindsolutionstothemyriadchallengesofmarineconservationintheCaribbean.Examplesofquestionsthiscoursewillexploreandtrytoansweronbothregionalandglobalscalesinclude:Isoceanproductivitydiminishingassurfacewaterswarm?Areoxygen-deprivedwatersbecomingmorewidespreadasthesurfaceoceanbecomesmorestratified?Willopen-oceanplanktoncommunitieschangeinresponsetotheacidificationofseawater?Doesdepletionoftoppredatorsimpactlowerfoodwebstructureandinteractionsoncoralreefs?Willincreasednutrientloadingshiftcoral-algal-spongecommunitycomposition?Canplasticmarinedebrisserveasasubstrateforbiologicalproductionandvectorfornon-nativeintroductions?Howcanthebestavailablescienceinformandguidesustainableuseofcoastalecosystemresources?Howmusthumaneconomic,political,andsocialstructurerespondtoclimatechangethroughadaptationand/ormitigation?Thiscourseconsistsof17lecture/discussionsessions(approx.1.5hourseach),1exambasedon‘fundamentals’lectures(4hours),4globaloceancasestudiespresentedbystudents(4hours)andcorrespondingdiscussionquestionstobeincludedinstudentjournals(1hourpertopic=4hours),andgreaterthan36hoursoflaboratorywatchparticipation(activelearning/laboratory)acrossabout18underwaydaysatsea.SomeofthesessionsarejointactivitiesintegratedwithotherCaribbeanReefExpeditioncourses,andtheweeklycontacthoursgiveninthepreliminarycoursecalendarbelowreflectsonlytheportionallocationtotheOGCcourse.LearningOutcomes:

1. Understand,fromascientificperspective,humanvalueofoceanandcoastalecosystems.2. Understand,fromascientificperspective,anthropogenicpressuresonoceanandcoastal

ecosystems.3. Fosteroceanliteracy,toencourageacommitmenttosecuringoceanhealth.4. Gainpracticalexperienceinoceanographicdatacollection,analysis,andreporting.


Evaluation:

OnShore:FundamentalsExam 15%

CaribbeanRegionCaseStudy• Presentations(10%)• FactSheets(10%)

20%

OGCJournal–onshore&theislands 20%

AtSea:LabWatchParticipation 20%

OGCJournal–atSea• EquipmentDiagram(5%)• CreatureFeature(5%)

10%

OceanographicDataReports 15%

AssignmentsonShore:

FundamentalsExam:Atake-homeexam,coveringmaterialfromlectures,readingsanddiscussions,willbegivenattheendofWeek2onshore.Emphasiswillbeonapplicationofconceptsandidentificationofmarineorganismsintroducedinclass,notrotememorizationoffacts.Expecttospendapproximately4hoursontheexam.CaribbeanRegionCaseStudy:ThefinalweeksoftheshorecomponentwillexplorethefourCaribbeanReefExpeditionprogramthemesfromscientific/oceanographicperspectivesthroughcloseexaminationofregionalcasestudies.Formallectureswillintroduceeachprogramthemeandrelevantoceanographicconcepts,whilestudent-ledpresentationsandclassdiscussionwillhighlightthecomplexinteractionofthe-best-available-sciencewithhumanenterpriseandtheunsustainableoceanpoliciesthatareoftentheresult.Workinginsmallteams,studentswillresearch,presentandleaddiscussionoftheirchosenCaribbeanregioncasestudy.StudentpresentationswillprovideadetailedviewofeachcasestudyincludingrelevantbackgroundmaterialandhighlightthechallengesandimplicationsarisingfromanthropogenicchangestocoastalenvironmentsandresourcesoftheCaribbean.Individually,eachstudentwillprepareatwo-pagefactsheetandresourcelistthatdetailsaspecifictopicrelatedtotheirchosenregionalcasestudy.Theentireclassisexpectedtodotherequiredreadingsandengageinclassdiscussionforeachregionalcasestudypresentation.OGCJournalonshoreandtheislands:Classnotes,reflections,andformalresponsestoweeklydiscussionprompts,allneatlyrecordedandorganizedinaprovidedjournal,willassessstudentunderstandingof,andengagement,witheachCaribbeanReefExpeditionthemeandcorrespondingregionalcasestudy.Classnotesincludefacultylecturesandstudentregional


case-studypresentations.Reflectionswillincludestudent’sthoughtsandconsiderationofeachprogramthemebasedonassignedreadingsandtheirownexploration.Formalresponsestodiscussionpromptswilladdresspotentialsolutionstoregionalproblemsidentifiedineachcasestudy.WhileintheU.S.VirginIslands,wewillexperiencefirsthandourregionalcasestudiesinactionthroughaseriesofdiscussionswithlocalexperts.Thesemeetingswillbefollowedbydiscussionpromptsandreflectionquestionsforeachprogramthemethatwillberecordedinstudentjournals.AssignmentsatSea:

LabWatchParticipation:Watchactivitiesonboardshipwillbeassessedinon-watchevaluationsbySEAAssistantScientists.Eachstudentisanessentialcrewmemberoftheshipatsea.Excellentwatch-standersfollowdirection,workeffectivelyaspartoftheteam,showindependence,demonstrategoodjudgmentandleadership,andareasupportive,helpful,andreliableshipmate.Teamworkisparticularlyimportantinthiscourse,somuchsothatastudent’sattitudeandparticipationdirectlyaffectsthephysicalprogressandultimatesuccessofthevoyage.Overthecourseoffourweeksatseastudentswillprogressthroughthreephasesofresponsibility.InphaseIstudentsareactivelylearninglabskills,inphaseIItheyactivelyapplyingthoseskillstoachieveourscientificmission,andinphaseIIItheytaketheleadinrunningalllabwatchactivities.OGCJournalatsea:Studentswilldocumenttheirscientificjourneyatsea,includingatleastthesetwoentriesintheirjournals:

• OceanographyEquipmentDiagram–Chooseapieceofscientificequipmentofinterestandwriteatechnicalsummary.Eachtechnicalsummaryshouldincludeadiagramofworkingpartsandillustrateitsuse.Inafewparagraphsexplaintheimportanceofthisequipmenttoourunderstandingofhowtheglobaloceanswork.

• CreatureFeature–Chooseamarineorganismofinterestandwriteanaturalhistorysummary.Theselectedcreaturemusthavebeenobservedfromtheshipand/orcollectedinournets.Eachfeatureshouldincludeatleastoneillustrationbasedonasketchfrommemoryoraphotographtakenbythestudentorashipmate–asopposedtocopyinganimagefromatextbook.Inafewparagraphsexplaintheimportanceofeachorganismtotheoceanecosystemwithrelevantbiological/ecologicaldetailsanddistinguishingfeaturesforidentification.

OceanographicDataReports:CaribbeanreefsareimbeddedintheglobaloceanandthuswemustunderstandhowtheglobaloceanischangingintheAnthropocene.Withafirmfoundationinoceanographyfromtheshorecomponent,studentswillnowbereadytoexploretheoceanasscientists.StudentteamswillselectanoceanographicdatasetofparticularinterestanddocumenthowthisoceancharacteristichaschangedthroughtimebycomparingobservationsmadeduringourcruiseamongtheeasternCaribbeanislandstoSEAarchiveddatacollectedonpreviousvoyages.Aconcisewrittenreportandsupportinganalysisandgraphicswillsettheoceanographicstagenecessaryforourinterpretationofthecoralreef,seagrass,and


mangroveresearchbeingconductedintheDirectedOceanographicResearch(DOR)orPracticalOceanographicResearch(POR)courses.Readings:

ReadingsfortheFoundationsportionofthecoursewillcomefromthreetexts:

Miller,C.B.2004.BiologicalOceanography.BlackwellScience,Oxford,UK.Nybakken,J.M.andBertness,M.2005.MarineBiology,anEcologicalApproach6thed.

BenjaminCummings,592pp.Segar,D.A.2013.IntroductiontoOceanSciences.Onlinetext,

http://www.reefimages.com/oceans/oceans.htmlReadingsfortheFocalProgramThemesportionofthecoursewillbeassignedfrom,butnotlimitedto,thefollowingsources:

Al-Abdulrazzak,D.,andTrombulak,S.2012.ClassifyinglevelsofprotectioninMarineProtectedAreas.MarinePolicy,36:576-582.

Cazenave,A.andLlovel,W.2010.Contemporarysealevelrise.Ann.Rev.MarineScience,2:145-173.

Doney,S.C.,etal.2012.Climatechangeimpactsonmarineecosystems.Ann.Rev.MarineScience,4:11-37.

Emanuel,K.,Sundararajan,R.,andWilliams,J.2008.Hurricanesandglobalwarming.Bull.Am.Met.Soc.,March2008:347-367.

Hollowed,A.B.,etal.2013.Projectedimpactsofclimatechangeonmarinefishandfisheries.ICESJour.Mar.Sci.,70:1023-1037.

Law,K.L.,etal.2010.PlasticaccumulationinthenorthAtlanticgyre.Science,329:1185-1188.Mann,M.E.,etal.2009.Atlantichurricanesandclimateoverthepast1500years.Nature,460:

880-885.Moret-Ferguson,S.,etal.2010.Thesize,mass,andcompositionofplasticdebrisinthewestern

NorthAtlantic.Mar.Poll.Bull.,60:1873-1878.Walther,G-R.,etal.2002.Ecologicalresponsetorecentclimatechange.Nature,416:389-395.Williams,R.G.,andFollows,M.J.2011.OceanDynamicsandtheCarbonCycle.Cambridge

UniversityPress,Cambridge.404pp.Worm,B.,etal.2009.Rebuildingglobalfisheries.Science,325:578-585.Zettler,E.,etal.2013.Lifeinthe‘plastisphere’:microbialcommunitiesonplasticmarinedebris.

Env.Sci.Tech.,47:7137-7146.ExpectationsandRequirements:

• Punctualattendanceisrequiredateveryclassmeeting.• Activeparticipationinclassdiscussionisexpected.


• Lateassignmentsubmissionsarenotaccepted.• Thepolicyonacademicaccuracy,quotedbelow,willbestrictlyfollowedinthisclass.

Thepapersthatyousubmitinthiscourseareexpectedtobeyouroriginalwork.Youmusttakecaretodistinguishyourownideasandknowledgefromwordingorsubstantiveinformationthatyouderivefromoneofyoursources.Theterm“sources”includesnotonlypublishedprimaryandsecondarymaterial,butalsoinformationandopinionsgaineddirectlyfromotherpeopleandtextthatyoucutandpastefromanysiteontheInternet. Theresponsibilityforlearningtheproperformsofcitationlieswithyou.Quotationsmustbeplacedproperlywithinquotationmarksandmustbecitedfully.Inaddition,allparaphrasedmaterialmustbeacknowledgedcompletely.Wheneverideasorfactsarederivedfromyourreadingandresearch,thesourcesmustbeindicated.(HarvardHandbookforStudents,305)

• Considerationsforuseofinternetsources:Asyoubrowsewebsites,assesstheirusefulnessverycritically.Whopostedtheinformationandwhy?Canyoutrustthemtobecorrect?Authoritative?Unbiased?(It’sokaytouseabiasedsourceaslongasyouincorporateitknowinglyandtransparentlyintoyourownwork.)Keeptrackofgoodsourcesthatmightbeusefulforsubsequentassignments,andannotateinyourbibliographyanysitesyoucite.Yourannotationshouldincludethenameoftheauthorororganizationoriginatinganymaterialthatyoureference.Ifyoucan’tidentifythesource,don’tuseit!

CourseCalendar:

Topic Readings/AssignmentsDue

Week1(8hours)–onshoreatSEAcampusinWoodsHole

IntroductiontoCaribbeanReefExpeditionprogramandTheOceanandGlobalChange(OGC);OverviewofCourseGoals&Assignments

Lecture/DiscussionTopics:• OceanographicPatternsofourCruiseTrack;The

CaribbeanLandscape(withMEH)• FoundationsofChemical&PhysicalOceanography

o Salinity,Temperature,Densityo HeatBudget,AtmosphericCirculationo OceanSurfaceCirculation

MBL/WHOILibraryandWoodsHoletour

Readings:Segar,selectedchaptersMiller,selectedchaptersCruiseProspectusSSVCorwithCramervirtual

tourSelectCaribbeanRegionCaseStudyTopic


Lecture/DiscussionTopics:• FoundationsofPhysicalOceanography(continued)

o ThermohalineCirculation• FoundationsofBiologicalOceanography

Readings:Segar,selectedchaptersMiller,selectedchaptersNybakken&Bertness,selected


o NutrientsandLightintheOceano PrimaryProduction–phytoplanktono SecondaryProduction–microbes&

zooplanktono FromNektontoFisheries–openocean

ecologyo TrophicCascades;ShiftingBaselineso MarineBiologicalClassification

ExplainLabset-upandTakeHomeExam

chaptersTake-homeFundamentalsExam


MarinePollutionTopics:Eutrophication,marinedebris,oceansoundscape

CaribbeanRegionCaseStudyPresentations:• EnvironmentalJustice–Eutrophication,Coastal

PollutionandTourism

Readings:Segar,selectedreadingsLawetal.(2010)Moret-Fergusonetal.(2010)Zettleretal.(2013)OtherdiscussionreadingsTBDCaseStudyDiscussionQuestionsdueinjournals


FisheriesTopics:FisheriesEcology;Stockv.Production,MaximumSustainableYield,GlobalandRegionalFisheriesTrends;EcologicalResponses

CaribbeanRegionCaseStudyPresentations:• EconomicEquity–FisheriesandOceanResource

Extraction

Readings:Segar,selectedreadingsNybakken&Bertness,selected

readingsHollowedetal.(2013)Wormetal.(2009)OtherdiscussionreadingsTBDCaseStudyDiscussionQuestionsdueinjournals


ProtectingtheMarineEnvironmentTopics:Singlevs.Multi-speciesvs.MarineAreaprotection-Motivation,ScienceandImplementation

CaribbeanRegionCaseStudyPresentations:• GeographicIdentity-IconicSpeciesandtheScience

ofMarineProtectedAreas

Readings:Al-Abdulrazzahetal.(2012)OtherdiscussionreadingsTBDCaseStudyDiscussionQuestionsdueinjournals



Topic:ClimateChange/WarmingOceans/EcologicalResponses

CaribbeanRegionCaseStudyPresentations:• TheAnthropocene–ClimateChangeandtheRoleof

ScienceinPolicy-making

CruiseResearchPlan/Briefing(withMEH)

Readings:CazenaveandLlovel(2010)Doneyetal.(2012)Emanueletal.(2008)Mannetal.(2009)Waltheretal.(2002)OtherdiscussionreadingsTBDCaseStudyDiscussionQuestionsdueinjournals

Week7(4hours)–atfieldstationintheU.S.VirginIslands

VisitingSpeakerswithDiscussion:VirginIslandsEnvironmentalResourceStation(VIERS),NationalParkService(NPS),U.S.GeologicalSurvey,UniversityoftheVirginIslands,etc.

Discussionquestionsdueinjournals

Week8(4hours)–atfieldstationintheU.S.VirginIslands

VisitingSpeakerswithDiscussion:U.S.FishandWildlife,St.CroixEnvironmentalAssociation,TheNatureConservancy,dive/touroperators,etc.

Discussionquestionsdueinjournals

Week9(10hours)–atsea

IntroductiontotheLabandSafetyProtocolsScienceLabWatch–BeginDataCollection

PhaseIresponsibilities(learntheskills)


ScienceLabWatch–ContinuedDataCollection PhaseIresponsibilitiescontinue

EquipmentDiagraminjournal


ScienceLabWatch–ContinuedDataCollection PhaseIIresponsibilities(applytheskills)

CreatureFeatureinjournal


ShipMissionWork PhaseIIIresponsibilities(leadLabWatch)

OceanographyReportsdue

the ocean and global change - sea education association · 2016-11-22 · sea semester®: caribbean...

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