Oceanography Series

This is Session 1 of 2 in the full year Oceanography series

PREREQUISITE: It is required to take Session 1 before enrolling in Session 2.

CLASS FORMAT

No live classes–view lessons on YOUR schedule. In general, expect 1.5-2.5 hours to work through the lesson plan each week, and an additional 2-5 hours working on assignments (it really depends what assignment your child chooses to do and how they manage their time). For classes with two levels, the material is the same for both–the depth of the assignments differs. Younger students should usually be placed in Level 1. Older students, or younger students who want more of a challenge, should be placed in Level 2. Each lesson consists of a fully narrated PowerPoint presentation with images and videos to enhance the topics. Students will have access to our learning management system, Canvas, for viewing their lesson, printing worksheets, taking quizzes, viewing/submitting assignments, participating in discussions, and viewing grades/feedback.

Read more details about class format.

Week 1

We’re starting at the very beginning! What are the oceans of the world, where are they, and what are some of the interesting features and characteristics of each? We’ll then cover the four main branches of oceanography that we’ll be studying this year–chemical, physical, geological, and biological. We’ll then look at the human history of our oceans, including exploration by early navigators. Then we’ll look at the first oceanographic voyages and how technology for measuring the oceans has advanced throughout the past 100 years, leading to our current understanding of our oceans.

Week 2

This week starts with a study of the topography of the seafloor–bathymetry. We’ll learn how to read topographic maps of the seafloor to determine what features lie beneath. We’ll learn the different technologies that are used to map the ocean floor, and learn how much of it has been mapped so far.

Week 3

We’re back on the seafloor this week, learning about all of the different topographic features in detail–from trenches to sea mounts! We’ll cover sedimentation, active and passive continental margins, how tectonic plates contribute to seafloor features, the formation of volcanic islands and how deep sea hydrothermal vents work.

Week 4

More history this week, as we explore how the theory of continental drift was discovered through the work of many scientists. This leads in to a discussion on sea floor spreading, and the amazing clues it gives us about Earth’s geologic history.

Week 5

Sediments are the focus of week 5! We’ll discuss the tools scientists use to collect and study sea floor sediments and what important information these sediments hold. We’ll cover the different types of sediments, the origin of each, and where you are most likely to find them.

Week 6

We’re moving from sediments to sedimentation! This week we’ll discuss sediment transport in the ocean- how climate (yes, climate!) is a factor in sedimentation, along with wind, waves, tides, and currents. We’ll then discuss various sedimentary deposits and how they have formed throughout geologic time.

Week 7

This week we’ll start with a serious lesson in the basics of chemistry, and then apply that knowledge to chemical oceanography. We’ll learn about the chemical makeup and characteristics of seawater.

Week 8

Why is the ocean salty? We’ll find out this week! Plus how to measure salinity and learn why it maintains a balance. Then we’ll add in temperature and density and learn about the different layers from the surface to the depths. We’ll cover the oxygen minimum zone, the pH of the ocean and what keeps it stable, and how this stability is being threatened by climate change.

Week 9

This week, students will really be under a lot of pressure…to learn about pressure! We’ll then move to winds, and how winds have a major impact on our oceans. We’ll discuss the flow of winds due to….pressure…and the Coriolis effect. This will lead into a discussion on the 5 great ocean gyres, Ekman spiral and transport, the global conveyor belt, and how climate change is affecting these important processes.

Week 10

Waves are the highlight of week 10. We’ll learn what causes waves, their anatomy, and how they can change over time. We’ll cover the differences in deep water vs shallow water waves and what happens as a wave approaches the shore. This is a mathy week, as we’ll be calculating different wave features!

Week 11

It’s no day at the beach during week 11! We’re going to learn all about some of the most dangerous features of the ocean–tsunamis and hurricanes!

Week 12

No oceanography class would be complete without a discussion of tides, and we will finish up Session 1 with this topic! We’ll learn all about the different types of tides, where and why they occur, and how they are measured and predicted. We’ll learn about amphidromic systems, tidal bores, and the use of tidal currents as a form of renewable energy!

All labs are OPTIONAL and not required to complete the work

These materials will allow students to follow along with the in-lesson labs.
Students who do not have materials can simply follow along with me in the video.

Week 5 Lab Materials

Clear plastic bin
Red & Blue Food Coloring
Eyedropper or Pipette
6 Styrofoam cups, or similar small, insulated containers (if you can’t get Styrofoam or insulated cups, you can try using regular ones)
A blue ice cube (make it by freezing water with food coloring in an ice cube tray)

This is Session 2 of 2 in the full year Oceanography series

PREREQUISITE: It is required to complete Session 1 before enrolling in Session 2. NO EXCEPTIONS.

CLASS DESCRIPTION

If you have a student aged 12-17 that has an interest in the ocean, this is the class for them! My degree is in Marine Biology (from Texas A&M University at Galveston), and this is the only full year homeschool oceanography course that is taught by a degreed marine biologist! This will not be a “fluff” class, or an “overview”- it is an intensive, science heavy class where students will focus on the four branches of oceanography–biological, physical, geological and chemical. There will be a slight emphasis in tropical oceanography, as I will be filming videos and doing labs from the Caribbean Sea.

Because my full year marine zoology course focuses solely on marine animals, the biological oceanography portion of this class will focus primarily on ecosystems and life from bacteria to plants. The marine zoology course and oceanography course do NOT build on each other, so you can take either one first. However, the oceanography course does cover more advanced material, and completion of prealgebra is recommended.

Students who complete our full year of Oceanography have the option in late April/early May to attend our 5 day hands on workshop in Bocas del Toro, Panama!

This amazing opportunity is not to be missed! Students will be hands on in the field, every day, both in and on the water, putting the knowledge they have gained during the year into practice! Please see our Panama Workshops page for more information.

CLASS FORMAT

No live classes–view lessons on YOUR schedule. In general, expect 1.5-2.5 hours to work through the lesson plan each week, and an additional 2-5 hours working on assignments (it really depends what assignment your child chooses to do and how they manage their time). For classes with two levels, the material is the same for both–the depth of the assignments differs. Younger students should usually be placed in Level 1. Older students, or younger students who want more of a challenge, should be placed in Level 2. Each lesson consists of a fully narrated PowerPoint presentation with images and videos to enhance the topics. Students will have access to our learning management system, Canvas, for viewing their lesson, printing worksheets, taking quizzes, viewing/submitting assignments, participating in discussions, and viewing grades/feedback.

Read more details about class format.

Week 13

Session 2 begins with our study of biological oceanography. We will start by mapping the ocean into all of its different zones based on specific criteria. These zones determine where and what kind of life can life in the ocean, based on its adaptations to the conditions in these zones. We’ll then cover taxonomy- the classification of life. Then we’ll break down various types of of ocean life by type.

Week 14

This week we’ll focus on various abiotic factors that determine where different life forms can exist- temperature, salinity, and pressure to name a few. We’ll discuss Reynold’s number as it pertains to buoyancy of planktonic organisms and body features in nektonic organisms that allow for different types of speed and maneuverability,

Week 15

The basics of the oceanic food web will be covered this week, including producers, consumers, autotrophs, heterotrophs, chemotrophs, and their trophic levels in the marine food web. We’ll also cover primary productivity and the different factors that affect it.

Week 16

Longshore drift is the main topic this week, and how it and other processes build beaches through the process of erosion and deposition of sand. We’ll discuss the methods humans use to control this process, and the pros and cons of each. We’ll then move slightly offshore to barrier islands and discuss how they are formed and their anatomy, ending with other shoreline features such as sea stacks and deltas.

Week 17

We’re still at the shoreline for week 17, covering the different types of wetlands, focusing on estuaries and marshes. We’ll discuss the salinity gradients within them, why biodiversity is so high in these areas, the importance of these environments and the threats facing them. We’ll also discuss the ecology of kelp forest ecosystems and the role they play in nearshore habitats.

Week 18

Week 18 is dedicated to the only tree able to withstand saltwater- the mangroves! We will cover these trees in detail- including zonation, adaptations, reproductive strategies, and their role in climate changes. This is a very important week for students who plan on attending the Panama workshops, as we will be hands on with much of this information in the mangrove ecosystem on my property!

Week 19

Corals reef ecosystems are called the rainforests of the sea, due to the vast biodiversity found there. We’ll discuss their anatomy, requirements for growth, symbiotic relationship with zooxanthellae, reproductive strategies, different types of reefs, and the phenomenon of coral bleaching. We’ll then discuss how mangroves, seagrass beds, and coral reefs all fit together in the tropical ecosystem. This is something we will see first hand in Panama!

Week 20

Different types of plankton, species distribution in the nearshore zones, the diel vertical migration, bioluminescence, chemosynthesis at hydrothermal vents…..yeah, there’s a lot going on in week 20!

Week 21

Who owns the oceans? Who owns the resources that they hold? “Deep” questions that we’ll get to the bottom of! We’ll cover the many resources found in the oceans and ways of finding and extracting them- and the problems that these methods create. We’ll discuss fisheries as a resource, sustainable and not so sustainable fishing methods, and the decimation of our fish populations as our human population increases.

Week 22

Our ocean is being destroyed. This week we’ll cover the when, where, why, what, and how of a wide variety of marine pollutants. We’ll discuss the impacts of marine pollution, both on the oceans and on humans.

Week 23

Marine pollution is such a massive problem, that we will spend a second week discussing it. We’ll cover some of the major contributors, including agricultural runoff leading to eutrophication, oil spills, plastic pollution, and ghost fishing gear.

Week 24

We’ll end our year long study of oceanography with a week dedicated to climate change and how it specifically affects the ocean and the life in it…and as a consequence, affects us all.