Advanced Chemical Oceanography

Objectives:

As a follow-up to course GEOF236 students get deeper insight into specific topics of chemical oceanography including classical as well as actual relevant research topics treated in the research community. Students learn to compile knowledge from different literature sources for a synthesis and to present this synthesis in front of an audience.

Content:

This course builds on GEOF 236, but focuses more on the general relationship between processes that determine the distribution of chemical substances between the ocean and atmosphere, and such processes of importance for the climate and environment changes in a past, present and future perspective. This course offers insight into actual important scientific subjects such as for example: The ocean's role in controlling the atmospheric CO2 concentration over time; mechanisms and impacts of ocean CO2 uptake and ocean acidifacation; nutrient cycling; oxygen and deoxygenation under climate change; changes in ocean ecosystems in Earth's past history and under human influence; the role of various functional groups in marine ecosystems; and land-ocean coupling.

Topics of current interest will change from year to year. Students will need to deliver a term paper based upon a freely selected topic within climate and environmental change and present the result in plenum of the other students.

On completion of the course the student should have the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge
The student

• has advanced knowledge about specific chemical oceanographic problems
• has in-depth knowledge in one central biogeochemical topic of own choice
• understands in which way biogeochemistry and climate change are linked
• has an overview about actual research activities and progress in marine biogeochemical research

Skills
The student

• is able to independently synthesise and extract information about expected climate and environmental changes suggested by the most updated research in the international scientific press and present this information in a critical and analytical perspective
• is able to present a selected topic within climate and environmental change based upon published literature from the international scientific press through a term paper
• is able to present and to elaborate on the scientific outcome of the term paper in a public setting

General competence
The student

• can critically read scientific articles and summarize them
• can carry out a scientific literature search
• collects experience in scientific writing and scientific presentations