This course is the study of the ocean environment; the life and physical properties of the oceans. We start with the different life zones of the ocean and what differentiates them. We then explore the different life forms that inhabit the oceans of the world. Next, we explore the physical make-up of the oceans, from their geology to the energy in them. Lastly, we will investigate the ecology of the oceans and what can be done to our increasingly endangered oceans.

Students will attend class aboard the R/V 3D Atlantis and the dive down for more indepth studies aboard 3D Sealab.

COURSE CONTENT :The following is a list of topics that students will be learning in marine science:

• Introduction to the nature of scientific inquiry and the scientific method
• Kingdom of life in the seas
• marine invertebrates; Cnidarians, worms, mollusks, crustaceans, and echinoderms
• Marine vertebrates; fishes, marine reptiles and birds, and marine mammals
• The geology of the Oceans
• Energy in the Oceans; temperature and pressure, light and sound in the ocean, and tides, waves and currents
• Marine ecology; interdependence in the ocean, pollution, and conservation of resources