Semester-Long Elective

In this elective course, students will explore many different aspects of both our local and global marine environments. They will survey a range of topics to help them understand the physical marine environment such as tides, waves, currents, coastal winds, and surf conditions. Students can then begin to appreciate how the physical environment influences organisms living in the ocean. Organisms from the intertidal zone (sea hares, anemones, sand crabs, mussels) to the pelagic zone (whales, fish, sharks, pinnipeds) to the deep ocean provide a fun and exciting opportunity to understand these connections. Students will also explore how all life is connected in the sea through a series of complex ecosystems, and how these ecosystems are essential to all life on our planet. This will be a hands on, project-based class with field trips to our local beaches where students can explore topics in oceanography and marine biology that pique their interest, as well as gain an appreciation and understanding of the local marine environment that is also their home.