Vår 2024

BIO-2516 Ocean Climate - 10 stp

The course is administrated by

Institutt for arktisk og marin biologi

Type of course

The course is available for students at the study program Bachelor in Biology and exchange students at a biology study program. Students from other Departments for instance geology and physics are also welcome. The course is available as a singular course.

Students are encouraged to also take BIO-2010 Marine ecology and BIO-2513 Marin biodiversitet (Please note! Norwegian taught course)

The course is limited to maximum 36 students due to limited capacity in labs and on board. UiT BSc students will be given priority.

Course overlap

GEO-3121 Marine Geology 1.5 ects

Course contents

The course provides a descriptive introduction to physical processes in the ocean and the ocean’s role in the climate system. The students will be given an introduction to the physical setting of the oceans, the basic physical and chemical properties of seawater, basic principles of ocean circulation and mixing in the ocean, tides and waves. We will discuss interactions between atmosphere and ocean, the ocean’s role in the global heat budget and the climate system, and connections to anthropogenic climate change. Lectures will be supplemented by laboratory exercises and seminars to further explore the most important physical processes. Pending ship time approval, the course includes a scientific cruise to fjords in the nearby region. The students will get experience in handling oceanographic instruments for data acquisition and programming for data analysis, and will produce a cruise report. At the end of the course, the students will be able to explain the basic physical processes in the ocean and the oceans impact on the climate system, and use their knowledge of ocean physics to analyse and interpret oceanographic data.

Admission requirements

Applicants from Nordic countries must have:

Generell studiekompetanse, samt følgende spesielle opptakskrav:

Matematikk R1 eller matematikk S1+S2 og i tillegg ett av følgende programfag:

Matematikk (R1+R2)
Fysikk (1+2)
Kjemi (1+2)
Biologi (1+2)
Informasjonsteknologi (1+2)
Geofag (1+2)
Teknologi og forskningslære (1+2)

Application code: 9197 (Nordic applicants).

All applicants: Basic knowledge in physics and mathematics is an advantage.

Objective of the course

At the end of the course, the students will be able to:

Knowledge:

explain and use oceanographic terminology
describe the basic physical and chemical properties of sea water
demonstrate basic principles of density and wind driven circulation in the ocean
sketch simple explanations of basic models for ocean circulation, e.g. geostrophic circulation or Ekman transport
provide an elementary explanation for tidal forcing
distinguish and classify different types of waves
discuss the ocean’s role in the climate system

Skills:

search for relevant oceanographic literature
use scientific literature to obtain relevant information
make standard oceanographic observations
analyse oceanographic data and interpret the results

General competence:

design and conduct a small-scale oceanographic project
communicate and collaborate in a larger group
handle stressful environments such as research vessels at sea
develop scientific writing and presentation skills
develop critical thinking

Language of instruction

The language of instruction is English and all of the syllabus material is in English. Examination questions will be given in English, but may be answered either in English or a Scandinavian language.

Teaching methods

Lectures, laboratory exercises, seminars, student projects, research cruise (subject to ship time)