Time Schedule:
Daniel Grunbaum
OCEAN 497
Seattle Campus
Class description
Explores roles of ocean models in understanding past, current and future conditions in marine environments. Focus on active learning use of models to ask and answer questions about biotic and abiotic processes in marine environments.
Student learning goals
Students will gain insights into the roles of key mechanisms that shape ocean characteristics and dynamics.
Students will gain facility with using (but not programming) several modeling approaches and software packages important in modern oceanography.
Students will learn how to use models to construct and test quantitative hypotheses about important mechanisms driving ocean processes.
Students will learn how to construct meaningful and informative scientific studies using models.
Students will learn how to communicate effectively about quantitative logic and results.
General method of instruction
The course focuses on a combination of hands-on exploration with advanced oceanographic models and group discussions.
Recommended preparation
Ocean 200 or permission of the instructor.
Class assignments and grading
Assignments will consist primarily of: reading a short article from the primary literature relevant to each modeling unit; constructing scientifically interesting Key Questions based on exploration of model dynamics; developing individual Mini-Studies using the model to address a subset of the Key Questions.
The primary bases of grading are participation in class discussions, short writing assignments (Key Questions) and short essays (Mini-Studies).
