1 GLG 140 Introduction to Oceanography with Lab (Title Change ONLY Oct. 2013) Course Package Presented and Approved December 5, 2008
2 COURSE REPACKAGE FORM Contact person(s) Date of proposal to Curriculum Committee Eric Aurand, Diana Stithem, Paul Haberstroh December 5, 2008 CURRENT COURSE INFORMATION Prefix & Number GLG 140 Title Introduction to Oceanography Catalog Course Description This course introduces physical, chemical, and geological conditions that regulate global ocean phenomenon. Topics covered include history of oceanography, physical and chemical properties of ocean water, air-sea interactions, current, wave, and tidal phenomenon, origins of the oceans, geologic processes and features, biological influences, and environmental issues. Laboratory exercises are included to provide experimental learning opportunities. Credit hours 4.0 Lecture hours 3.0 Lab hours 3.0 Prerequisite(s) Appropriate score on assessment test or successful completion of TRE 089 and TRM 091 Co-requisite(s) None Does this course have a separately scheduled lab component? _X_ Yes No Proposed semester to begin use of this package Fall 20 X_ Spring 2009 Summer 20 Identify any risk management issues. None Articulation: Is this course or an equivalent offered at other two- and four- year universities in AZ? _X_ Yes No If yes, identify the college, subject, prefix, number, and title: U of A: GEOS 212 Intro to Oceanography Az. Western College: OCN 110 Oceanography Writing Across the Curriculum Rationale: Mohave Community College firmly supports the idea that writing can be used to improve education; students who write in their respective content areas will learn more and retain what they learn better than those who don t. Courses in the core curriculum have been identified as Writing Across the Curriculum courses. Suggested minimum standards for the Writing Across the Curriculum component are as
3 follows: 1. The writing assignments should total 1500 2000 words. For example, a single report which is 1500 words in length could fulfill the requirement, or a series of essay questions and short papers (example: four -375 word assignments) which total 1500 words could meet the requirement. 2. The writing component will represent at least 10% of a student s final grade in the course. Is this a course identified as a Writing Across the Curriculum course? X Yes No Intended Student Learning Outcomes By the end of the semester students will be able to: 1. Describe the distribution of continents and ocean basins, the major features of each ocean basin (ridges, rises, faults, trenches and fracture zones) and the processes that create volcanic islands, atolls and coral reefs. 2. Describe the chemical composition of seawater, and discuss variations in the physical properties of seawater. 3. Describe the relationships between oceanic processes and abundance of marine organisms. 4. Describe ocean currents and the processes causing tides, tidal currents and waves. 5. Describe the processes of erosion and deposition that create coastlines. 6. Demonstrate how the global ocean affects weather and climate. 7. Describe and discuss public policy and the ocean. Course Competencies and Objectives Competency 1 Describe some of the advances in direct and remote sensing of the ocean made possible by modern technology and list the contributions that specialized electronic sensors, computers and numerical models are making in the collection, analysis and interpretation of environmental data. Objective 1.1 Describe the importance of the ocean as part of the Earth system. Objective 1.2 Compare and contrast flat-map and global depictions of the Earth s surface. Objective 1.3 Demonstrate using latitude and longitude to locate ocean features on an Earth Globe. Objective 1.4 List advantages of the Earth system perspective in understanding the global water cycle. Objective 1.5 List and explain ways in which satellite remote sensing aids our understanding of the ocean.
4 Objective 1.6 Describe the role of the ocean as the ultimate source of fresh water everywhere on the planet. Objective 1.7 List and describe several means whereby some human activity affects the orderly operation of the marine environment. Competency 2 Describe the processes that shape the lithosphere and how these processes affect ocean basins. Objective 2.1 Describe the general features of the ocean bottom. Objective 2.2 Compare the general bathymetry of the ocean floor with the topography of the continents. Objective 2.3 Describe how features of the ocean floor provide evidence for movements of tectonic plates. Objective 2.4 Describe the ocean-bottom features in the transition zone from the continents to the mid-ocean basins. Objective 2.5 Construct a profile of the ocean bottom in the land-sea transition zone. Objective 2.6 Compare and contrast the profiles of tectonically active and passive continental margins. Competency 3 Describe how the properties of water and dissolved salts affect the physical and chemical properties of seawater. Objective 3.1 Describe how ocean density depends on seawater temperature and salinity. Objective 3.2 List and describe the various processes that govern the salinity of surface ocean waters. Objective 3.3 Describe the general patterns of sea surface temperature and salinity. Objective 3.4 Determine the initial freezing temperature of seawater. Objective 3.5 Demonstrate how salinity affects the temperature at which water is most dense. Objective 3.6 Describe differences in physical properties of fresh water versus seawater undergoing cooling to freezing conditions. Objective 3.7 Compare and contrast ice formation in ocean and fresh-water bodies. Competency 4 Describe the types and sources of sediment that enters the ocean. Objective 4.1 Describe types of sediments found on the ocean bottom. Objective 4.2 Describe how marine sediments arrive at the ocean floor. Objective 4.3 Demonstrate how sediment thickness and composition change with distance from the mid-ocean ridge system. Objective 4.4 Describe why rivers differ in their sediment load delivered to the ocean. Objective 4.5 Compare the rain of lithogenous particles in the shallow waters of the continental margin with that in the deep open ocean. Objective 4.6 List and describe some of the processes that govern the distribution of lithogenous sediments in the continental margin. Competency 5 Describe the role the ocean plays in the long-term average state of the atmosphere. Objective 5.1 Identify factors that influence the rates of evaporation and precipitation over the ocean. Objective 5.2 Describe the general pattern of net evaporation (evaporation minus
5 precipitation) over the world ocean. Objective 5.3 Relate the pattern of net evaporation to the planetary-scale atmospheric circulation. Objective 5.4 Describe the general global pattern of incoming solar radiation over the year. Objective 5.5 List the various factors that influence the amount of solar radiation that strikes the ocean surface. Objective 5.6 Describe the general global pattern of sea surface temperatures in February and August. Objective 5.7 List the factors other than incoming solar radiation that influence the global pattern of sea surface temperatures. Competency 6 Describe what causes ocean waters to circulate and list the prevailing patterns of ocean currents. Objective 6.1 Demonstrate the impact of Earth s rotation on objects moving freely across its surface. Objective 6.2 Describe how surface winds and Earth s rotation combine to produce movement of surface ocean waters. Objective 6.3 Explain how winds, Earth s rotation, and gravity produce the circulation in ocean gyres. Objective 6.4 Describe the role of temperature and salinity in determining seawater density. Objective 6.5 Compare and contrast the water masses in the Atlantic Ocean. Objective 6.6 Describe the role of density in driving the deep ocean circulation. Competency 7 Compare and contrast sea waves and tides and describe what causes them. Objective 7.1 Describe the principal characteristics of deep- and shallow- water waves. Objective 7.2 Describe how these characteristics change as the water becomes shallower. Objective 7.3 Describe the water motions associated with shallow-water ocean waves. Objective 7.4 Describe how individual harmonic components combine to produce the observed tide. Objective 7.5 List and describe some of the different types of ocean tides the moon helps to generate. Objective 7.6 Compare and contrast diurnal, semi-diurnal and mixed tides. Competency 8 List and describe the ways the coastal zone is a particularly dynamic and vulnerable portion of the Earth system. Objective 8.1 Describe ways in which wind-driven, tidal, and tsunami waves impart energy in shaping shoreline features. Objective 8.2 Demonstrate how wave refraction can concentrate or disperse wave energy. Objective 8.3 Describe the mechanisms responsible for longshore currents and littoral drift. Objective 8.4 Describe the impacts of tropical cyclones on the underlying ocean. Objective 8.5 Describe the general pattern of hurricane hazards during landfall.
6 Objective 8.6 Describe how NOAA s (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Tropical Prediction Center/National Hurricane Center models hurricane dangers to low-lying coastal areas. Competency 9 Define the basic components and structure of marine ecosystems and describe their source of energy. Objective 9.1 Demonstrate the causes of coastal upwelling and downwelling. Objective 9.2 Describe the influence of the prevailing wind and Coriolis Effect of upwelling and downwelling. Objective 9.3 Explain how scientists use ocean color to monitor ocean productivity remotely. Objective 9.4 Describe how and why upwelling and downwelling enhance or suppress marine productivity. Objective 9.5 Describe the properties of the Chesapeake Bay estuary that are responsible for its high biological productivity. Objective 9.6 Describe the seasonal temperature changes in the Chesapeake Bay estuary. Objective 9.7 Describe how an estuary is transitional between a marine environment and a terrestrial environment. Competency 10 Describe and discuss how the large and diverse populations of marine organisms adapted to environmental conditions in the ocean. Objective 10.1 Describe how energy and biomass are transferred within a marine food web. Objective 10.2 Describe the significance of the relatively low ecological efficiency in the supply of food energy at the higher tropic levels. Objective 10.3 List some of the ways marine organisms depend on one another for survival. Objective 10.4 Compare measurements of net primary production at various ocean depths over the year. Objective 10.5 Describe the significance of the ocean s photic zone in primary production. Objective 10.6 Describe how upwelling and seasonal variations in solar radiation influence net primary production. Competency 11 Demonstrate how interactions between the ocean and atmosphere impact worldwide weather and short-term climate variability. Objective 11.1 Describe why the sea surface slopes where warm and cold seawater occur side-by-side Objective 11.2 Describe the development of ocean surface currents in response to water temperature (and density) differences. Objective 11.3 Describe how the Coriolis Effect influences the direction of motion of surface ocean currents and eddies. Objective 11.4 Describe the fundamental characteristics of El Niño and La Niña. Objective 11.5 Describe how the ocean and atmosphere interact in the tropical Pacific. Objective 11.6 Describe how conditions in the tropical Pacific affect weather and climate worldwide. Competency 12 Describe how and why climate changes and demonstrate how the ocean participates in and responds to climate change.
7 Objective 12.1 Describe interactions between selected components of Earth s climate system. Objective 12.2 Describe the concepts of positive and negative feedback and provide examples observable in the Earth system. Objective 12.3 Demonstrate how a change in one part of the Earth system can have ramifications elsewhere in the system. Objective 12.4 Describe the role played by ocean properties in global climate change. Objective 12.5 List and describe some of the ocean processes that influence climate and climate change. Competency 13 Demonstrate how advances in technology are improving our understanding of the ocean. Objective 13.1 Describe how oceanic and atmospheric information can be found for selected U.S. ports. Objective 13.2 Demonstrate the graphical display of ocean parameters and interpret their meanings. Objective 13.3 Describe the interaction of atmosphere and ocean in the coastal zone. Objective 13.4 Describe the Argo Project and the kinds of data it acquires. Objective 13.5 Demonstrate accessing Argo float data and products. Objective 13.6 Demonstrate applications of the Argo float data in ocean investigations. Competency 14 Demonstrate ways we can balance exploitation of fisheries with efforts to preserve marine species and ecosystems. Objective 14.1 Demonstrate changes in the population of a fish species in the absence of fishing. Objective 14.2 Describe the significance of the carrying capacity. Objective 14.3 Describe the meaning of maximum sustainable yield. Objective 14.4 List and describe some fishing practices that result in bycatch. Objective 14.5 Describe how bycatch can disrupt the orderly functioning of marine ecosystems. Objective 14.6 Discuss why regulation of bycatch requires international cooperation. Competency 15 Describe how national and international ocean policy promotes wise stewardship of the world ocean. Objective 15.1 List some of the factors that contributed to the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Objective 15.2 Describe some of the environmental impacts of an oil spill in coastal areas. Objective 15.3 Discuss why it is difficult to document ecological recovery following an oil spill. Objective 15.4 Describe the current operative U.S. ocean policy and how it came into being. Objective 15.5 Discuss the effect of the operative ocean policies.
8 Teacher s Guide Course Materials and Equipment Textbook(s) Title Ocean Studies Introduction to Oceanography 2 nd edition Author(s) Joseph M. Moran Publisher American Meteorological Society ISBN 978-1-878220-90-5 Software Equipment Title AMS Ocean Studies Investigations Manual 2008-2009 & Summer 2009 Author(s) National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Publisher American Meteorological Society ISBN None required for students; instructor text comes with a faculty CD, which contains a faculty manual, chapter test bank questions, and textbook images. Test bank questions need to be converted via Respondus software, which DE has purchased. (Respondus usage is not limited to the materials for this course.) None Other Use of this text/investigations packet comes with a license ($249 annually, unlimited sections and unlimited students) that allows students to participate in online, real-time ocean investigations, called Current Ocean Studies. (NOTE: this course will be offered Spring 09 totally online. Distance Education has paid the first year license with no additional charge to students. In subsequent years the course will include a minimal lab fee to cover the license expense.) Current Ocean Studies offers 12 weeks of investigations, with one investigation per week. The Investigations Manual contains and Introduction and an Applications sections. The investigation can be completed using the two sections of the Manual or by using the Introduction section plus the real-time Current Ocean Studies posted to the Course Website (linkable from the MCC LMS site). The Manual Applications section and the Current Ocean Studies are similar in format, topic and length. (The Investigations Manual could function as a self-contained lab, but as long as the AMS delivery schedule works with MCC s academic calendar, as it does for fall and spring semesters, the real time resource is a great learning tool for students.)
9 Writing Across the Curriculum (See http://www.mohave.edu/pages/1007.asp for sample grading rubrics) This course emphasizes and supports writing across the curriculum. Therefore, students will be required to complete writing assignments: essays, quizzes, and exams. Students may also be asked to submit essays using appropriate research methods using Modern Language Association (MLA) style citations. The students papers will also demonstrate their abilities to write critically about topics relevant to the relationship of the course material to world events. To this end, and to encourage students to integrate the concepts they learn in class with their practical applications, students may be assigned or be allowed to select one of ten critical thinking essays provided at the end of each chapter from the textbook and submit them to the instructor according to an established timetable. In addition, each student would be responsible for contributing weekly to the discussion board on the driving topic assigned for each learning unit. Alternatively, and at the discretion of the instructor, students may be assigned up to (10) critical analyses of articles from current scientific periodicals, or articles from the popular press, or the American Meteorological Society, dealing with relevant scientific subjects. The following guidelines should help students in the preparation of their critiques. 1. Begin with a complete bibliographic citation of your article. 2. Summarize the major ideas presented in the article. Ask yourself (and answer in your summary) questions like: a. What is the hypothesis? b. How is the hypothesis tested? c. What evidence is presented to support or refute the hypothesis? d. What conclusion did the author reach? 3. Critically analyze the article. Ask (and answer) questions like these: a. Were the experimental procedures adequate? b. Do you agree with the conclusions reached? c. Was the article written well? d. Do you think the topic is important? Why or why not? e. Did this article raise any new questions in your mind? Learning Units Learning Unit Topic 1: Ocean In The Earth System Competency: 1 Objectives: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7 Activities/ Assignments: Assign Chapter 1 reading in the
10 Laboratory Activities: Lab assignments 1A and 1B in the Learning Unit Topic 2: Ocean Basins and Plate Tectonics Competency: 2 Objectives: 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5 2.6 Activities/ Assignments: Assign Chapter 2 reading in the Laboratory Activities: Lab assignments 2A and 2B in the Learning Unit Topic 3: Properties of Ocean Water Competency: 3 Objectives: 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7 Activities/ Assignments: Assign Chapter 3 reading in the Laboratory Activities: Lab assignments 3A and 3B in the Learning Unit Topic 4: Marine Sediments Competency: 4 Objectives: 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 4.6 Activities/ Assignments: Assign Chapter 4 reading in the Laboratory Activities: Lab assignments 4A and 4B in the Learning Unit Topic 5: The Atmosphere and Ocean Competency: 5 Objectives: 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, 5.6, 5.7 Activities/ Assignments: Assign Chapter 5 reading in the Laboratory Activities: Lab assignments 5A and 5B in the Learning Unit Topic 6: Ocean Currents Competency: 6 Objectives: 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4, 6.5, 6.6 Activities/ Assignments: Assign Chapter 6 reading in the Laboratory Activities: Lab assignments 6A and 6B in the
11 Learning Unit Topic 7: Ocean Waves and Tides Competency: 7 Objectives: 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 7.4, 7.5, 7.6 Activities/ Assignments: Assign Chapter 7 reading in the Laboratory Activities: Lab assignments 7A and 7B in the Learning Unit Topic 8: The Dynamic Coast Competency: 8 Objectives: 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4, 8.5, 8.6 Activities/ Assignments: Assign Chapter 8 reading in the Laboratory Activities: Lab assignments 8A and 8B in the Learning Unit Topic 9: Marine Ecosystems Competency: 9 Objectives: 9.1, 9.2, 9.3, 9.4, 9.5, 9.6, 9.7 Activities/ Assignments: Assign Chapter 9 reading in the Laboratory Activities: Lab assignments 9A and 9B in the Learning Unit Topic 10: Life in the Ocean Competency: 10 Objectives: 10.1, 10.2, 10.3, 10.4, 10.5, 10.6 Activities/ Assignments: Assign Chapter 10 reading in the Laboratory Activities: Lab assignments 10A and 10B in the Learning Unit Topic 11: The Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate Variability Competency: 11 Objectives: 11.1, 11.2, 11.3, 11.4, 11.5, 11.6 Activities/ Assignments: Assign Chapter 11 reading in the Laboratory Activities: Lab assignments 11A and 11B in the Learning Unit Topic 12: The Ocean and Climate Change
12 Competency: 12 Objectives: 12.1, 12.2, 12.3, 12.4, 12.5 Activities/ Assignments: Assign Chapter 12 reading in the Laboratory Activities: Lab assignments 12A and 12B in the Learning Unit Topic 13: The Future of Ocean Science Competency: 13 Objectives: 13.1, 13.2, 13.3, 13.4, 13.5, 13.6 Activities/ Assignments: Assign Chapter 13 reading in the Laboratory Activities: Lab assignments 13A and 13B in the Learning Unit Topic 14: Ocean Stewardship Competency: 14 Objectives: 14.1, 14.2, 14.3, 14.4, 14.5, 14.6 Activities/ Assignments: Assign Chapter 14 reading in the Laboratory Activities: Lab assignments 14A and 14B in the Learning Unit Topic 15: Ocean Problems and Policy Competency: 15 Objectives: 15.1, 15.2, 15.3, 15.4, 15.5 Activities/ Assignments: Assign Chapter 15 reading in the Laboratory Activities: Lab assignments 15A and 15B in the Course Assessment Information Description of Course Assessments (Essays, multiple choice, etc.) Lecture: Short answer, essay, multiple choice, etc. exams, quizzes, participation and content evaluation of discussion board topics, critical thinking writing assignments, and final exam at instructor s discretion; Laboratory: Evaluation of reports submitted to
13 Are exams standardized in your department? Yes _X_ No Where can faculty members locate or access the exams for this course? demonstrate timely completion of assignments from the investigations manual, exams, and quizzes at the instructor s discretion Are the exams required by the department? Yes _X_ No Resident faculty should make copies of past exams available via the faculty shared network drive.