Estuarine Marsh, Nueces Bay, Texas
M - W 9:00 - 10:30 AM, Friday 9:00 - 10:00 AM
Video Conference Room
(4 contact hours/week)
ACES 3.336
PRIMARY COURSE TEXTBOOKS ON RESERVE:
Alongi, D.M. 1997. Coastal Ecosystem Processes. CRC Press,
Boca Raton. ISBN 0-8493-8426-5
Mann, K.H. and J.R.N. Lazier. 2006. Dynamics of Marine Ecosystems. 3rd Edition. Blackwell Science, Boston. ISNB 1-4051-1118-6
Miller, C.B. 2004. Biological Oceanography. Blackwell Science, Ltd., Boston. ISBN 0-632-05536-7
ALSO ON RESERVE:
Mann, K.H. and J.R.N. Lazier. 1996. Dynamics of Marine Ecosystems.
Biological Physical Interactions in the Oceans. 2nd Edition.
Blackwell Science, Boston. ISBN 0-86542-539-6
Mann, K.H. Ecology of Coastal Waters. 2000. With Implications for Management. 2nd Edition. Blackwell Science, Boston. ISBN 0-86542-550-7
| Date | Topic | Reading |
| PART I: | ESTUARINE, NEARSHORE AND BENTHIC ECOSYSTEMS (KEN) | |
| Week 1 | Introduction to Coastal Ecosystems and Processes | Alongi, Ch. 1 |
| Estuarine and Coastal Geomorphology | Alongi, Ch. 6, "Drowning New Orleans" | |
| Week 2 | Labor Day - No Classes | |
| Estuarine Circulation: Vertical Structure and Freshwater Inflow | M&L, Ch. 4 | |
| Tides and Tidal Mixing | M&L, Ch. 7 | |
| Week 3 | Tides (continued); Estuarine Chemistry | Alongi, Ch. 6 |
| Estuarine Chemistry (continued) | Alongi, Ch. 6 | |
| Discussion Topic: Estuarine Productivity and Freshwater Inflow | ||
| Week 4 | The Nearshore Benthos | Assigned Reading Provided |
| Biology and Boundary Layers | M&L, Ch. 2 | |
| Discussion Topic: Hydrodynamics, Benthic Boundary Layers | ||
| Week 5 | Beaches and Tidal Flats | Alongi, Ch. 2 |
| Mangroves and Salt Marshes | Alongi, Ch. 3 | |
| Discussion Topic: The Outwelling Hypothesis | ||
| Week 6 | Coral Reefs | Alongi, Ch. 5 |
| Seaweed and Seagrass Ecosystems | Alongi, Ch. 4 | |
| Discussion Topic: Exports and Linkages Between Watersheds and Coastal Ecosystems | ||
| Week 7 | The Coastal Zone | Alongi, Ch. 5 |
| N and C Cycling | ||
| Discussion Topic: Trophic Structure and Energy Flow in Estuarine Systems Review for Mid-Term | ||
| Week 8 | Review | |
| Mid-term Exam | ||
| PART II: | PELAGIC ECOSYSTEMS (ED) | |
| Week 9 | Intro to Oceanic Environment | L&P Ch. 1, 2) |
| Phytoplankton | Miller, Ch. 2 | |
| Light and Photosynthesis | ||
| Nutrients and Cycles | Ch. 14, Valiela | |
| Week 10 | Trace Metals, Phytoplankton Growth | |
| Surface Ocean Circulation | Open U, Ch. 3 | |
| Biology of Mixed Layer | M&L, Ch. 3 (Miller, Ch. 3) | |
| Week 11 | Microbial Ecology | Miller, Ch. 5 |
| Zooplankton | Miller, Ch. 5 | |
| Discussion: IRONEX/ECOHAB | ||
| Week 12 | Zooplankton Grazing/Ecology | Miller, Ch. 7 |
| Biology and Boundary Layers | M&L, Ch. 2 | |
| Discussion: GLOBEC | ||
| Week 13 | Plankton Patchiness - Rings, Gyres, Fronts | M&L, Ch. 6, 8 |
| Food Webs | L&P, Ch. 5 | |
| Thanksgiving: No Class | ||
| Week 14 | Coastal Upwelling Regions | M&L, Ch. 5 |
| Global Fluxes and Deep Circulation | Open U, Ch. 6 | |
| Discussion: Remote sensing | 5 Dec. | |
| Week 15 | Deep-Sea - Rain of Detritus | Miller, Ch. 11, 12 |
| Oceans and Global Change | M&L, Ch. 9, 10 | |
| Discussion: JGOFS | ||
| Final Exam Week | ||