The application of principles of inorganic, physical, and dilute solution equilibrium chemistry to aquatic systems, both in the aquatic environment and in water and wastewater treatment processes.
Fluid mechanics of the natural water and air environment. Flux equation analyses; unsteady free surface flow; stratified flow; Navier-Stokes equations; boundary layers, jets and plumes; turbulence, Reynolds equations, turbulence modeling; mixing, diffusion, dispersion, and contaminant transport; geophysical flows in atmosphere and ocean; steady and unsteady flow in porous media. Application to environmentally sensitive flows in surface and groundwater and in lower atmosphere.
Introduction to marine geochemistry: the global water cycle; processes governing the distribution of chemical species within the hydrosphere; ocean circulation; chemical mass balances, fluxes, and reactions in the marine environment from global to submicron scales; carbon system equilibrium chemistry and biogeochemistry of fresh and salt walter; applications of natural and anthropogenic stable and radioactive tracers; internal ocean processes.
The tectonics and morphology of the sea floor, the geologic processes in the deep and shelf seas, and the climatic record contained in deep-sea sediments. The course will cover sources and composition of marine sediments, sea-level change, ocean circulation, paleoenvironmental reconstruction using fossils, imprint of climatic zonation on marine sediments, marine stratigraphy, and ocean floor resources.
Lectures on new developments in ocean, offshore, and arctic engineering.
Natural history and evolutionary biology of island terrestrial and freshwater organisms, and of marine organisms in the coral reef and lagoon systems will be studied, and the geomorphology of volcanic islands, coral reefs, and reef islands will be discussed. Features of island biogeography will be illustrated with topics linked to subsequent field studies on the island of Moorea (French Polynesia).
This course explores oceanic connections, movements, livelihoods, developments and imaginations in the modern world. We read the oceanic novel Moby Dick and think across themes including the geography of the Mediterranean, the riotous Atlantic, the imperial Pacific, the anticolonial Caribbean and the Muslim Indian Ocean; and we look at ports, containers, oceanic infrastructure and precarious marine livelihoods today. We read thinkers from our oceanic planet to imagine an oceanic way of thinking.
This course focuses on a survey of physiological approaches to understanding plant-environment interactions from the functional perspective. Lectures cover physiological adaptation; limiting factors; resources acquisition/allocation; photosynthesis, carbon, energy balance; water use and relations; nutrient relations; linking physiology; stable isotope applications in ecophysiology; stress physiology; life history and physiology; evolution of physiological performance; physiology population, community, and ecosystem levels.
Course focuses on principles and applications of stable isotope chemistry as applied to the broad science of ecology. Lecture topics include principles of isotope behavior and chemistry, and isotope measurements in the context of terrestrial, aquatic, and marine ecological processes and problems. Students participate in a set of laboratory exercises involving preparation of samples of choice for isotopic analyses, the use of the mass spectrometer and optical analysis systems, and the anlaysis of data.
Principles of microbial, animal, and plant population ecology, illustrated with examples from marine, freshwater, and terrestrial habitats. Consideration of the roles of physical and biological processes in structuring natural communities. Observational, experimental, and theoretical approaches to population and community ecology will be discussed. Topics will include quantitative approaches relying on algebra, graph analysis, and elementary calculus. Discussion section will review recent literature in ecology.
To provide exposure of the field of ocean engineering, arctic engineering and related subject areas to students with the intention to show the broad and interdisciplinary nature of this field, particularly recent or new developments.
This course examines high-Reynolds number flows, including their stability, their waves, and the influence of rotating and stratification as applied to geophysical and astrophysical fluid dynamics as well as to engineering flows. Examples of problems studies include vortex dynamics in planetary atmospheres and protoplanetary disks, jet streams, and waves (Rossby, Poincare, inertial, internal gravity, and Kelvin) in the ocean and atmosphere.
This course covers major aspects of offshore engineering including ocean environment, loads on offshore structures, cables and mooring, underwater acoustics and arctic operations.
Junko Habu focuses on using a theoretical framework of historical ecology to investigate the importance of food and subsistence diversity, social networks and local autonomy for understanding the resilience of socioeconomic systems.
Her projects include:
1. Mountains, Rivers and the Ocean: Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Environmental Education in the Hei River Valley
2. Ethno-historical and ethnographic research of small-scale fishing communities in northern Japan
Hannah Stuart focuses on electromagnetical design, skin contact conditions, dexterous manipulation, field robotics and tactile sensing and haptics. .
Her projects include:
1) Human-portable ROV tool development for remote coral tissue sampling
2) Robotic marine systems inspired by fish and arthropods
3) Robotic skin design for grasping and manipulation in wet environments
Surfrider Foundation Club is a grassroots organization dedicated to protecting and preserving the world’s oceans, waves, and beaches through engagement with environmental issues that threaten coastal ecosystems.
The Bay Area Water Quality Fellowship is open to graduate students whose studies are related specifically to water quality issues that affect the San Francisco Bay. It is intended to support scientific research in the following topics:
-the exposure or effect, if any, of organisms within the San Francisco Bay estuary to selenium, metals, and/or organic chemicals through food chain transfer
-the degree, if any, to which sediments are a source of exposure for organisms within the San Francisco Bay estuary to selenium, metals, and/or organic chemicals
-other research that involves the effect of pollution on the San Francisco Bay estuary and/or its ecosystem.
Applications are due at the beginning of Spring semester. Recipients will receive $15,000 for the following Fall semester. The award can be used as a payment for registration fees and/or stipend.
California Sea Grant’s State Fellows Program provides a unique educational opportunity for graduate students who are interested both in marine resources and in the policy decisions affecting those resources. The program matches highly motivated and qualified graduate students with hosts in municipal, state and federal agencies in California for a 12-month paid fellowship.
In the past, Sea Grant Fellows have been assigned to the California Ocean Resources Management Program, California Ocean Protection Council, California Ocean Science Trust, Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, NOAA Coastal Services Center, and Delta Science Program, among others. Selection of finalists is made by the California Sea Grant College Program, and assignments are decided in consultation with potential fellowship hosts.
The Merchants Exchange Scholarship Fund is looking for students pursuing an education to begin or advance careers in the Maritime Industry and/ or international trade. Also available if majoring in a related field, like logistics, supply chain management, marine fabrication, engineering, naval architecture, marine science or more. Applications open to students at 2-year and 4-year programs, graduate programs, and programs approved by the US Coast Guard.
