Ocean Ecosystems and Changing Climate

About this course

The ocean plays profound roles in regulating the global climate and creating habitat for the majority of life on the planet, including human life. In this course, we will examine the physical, chemical, biological, and human connections between the oceans, their living systems, and the changing climate. During the course, you will develop your own ocean and climate change project to identify just and equitable solutions for addressing climate change or other human-induced ocean impacts.

We will learn how ocean circulation systems are established and how they regulate climate. We will explore how oceanographic features in different regions give rise to diverse types of marine ecosystems, such as Arctic waters, coastal kelp forests, open ocean phytoplankton-dominated systems, and coral reefs. We will examine how human activity has influenced ocean ecosystems, specifically the connection between greenhouse gas emissions, rising ocean temperatures, and ocean acidification, and how these changes influence human populations.

Pre-requisites

One course in biology at the university level.

Faculty

Jodi Schwarz

Faculty

Associate Professor in Biology at Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY, USA (2013-present). Assistant Professor in Biology at Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY, USA (2006-2013) Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Evolutionary Genomics at the Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, CA, USA (2004-2006). Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Microbiology and Immunology at Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA (2002-2004). PhD in Zoology at Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA (1997-2002). MS in Marine Science at University of California Santa Cruz, USA (1994-1996). DIS visiting faculty 2022.