Introduction to Ocean Biogeochemistry

Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcomes

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Aware of how chemical, biological, physical and geological processes are linked in the ocean.
• Use problem-solving skills to determine how the chemistry of the oceans has changed in the past and to predict how it might respond to future climate change.
• Confident in applying the basic concepts of chemical oceanography to new areas.
• Able to specialise in this subject or apply the general skills within your chosen degree pathway.
• Apply numerical techniques to quantify ocean biogeochemical processes.

This course explores how chemical materials are cycled in the oceans. Dissolved chemicals are the building blocks for life, yet the supply of these chemicals is fixed and finite. This means that for life to continue, nature must recycle biologically important elements. We explore the physical, biological and geological processes that regulate the occurrence, distribution and cycling of material in the oceans. We also use information obtained from sediments to decipher how the composition of the oceans has changed in the past and apply this knowledge to make informed decisions on how to use our ocean resources and how the system will change in the future. And perhaps most importantly, we investigate the role of the oceans in regulating levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, and consider different geoengineering techniques that can be used to mitigate the effects of global warming. This module provides an introduction to ocean biogeochemistry and chemical oceanography for all science undergraduates.

The module is delivered through lectures and practical workshops. Our approach is to provide exciting examples of chemistry in real marine environments. After providing an overview of important features of biogeochemical cycles, the course considers the specific examples of the carbon cycle, macronutrient cycles, and iron in the ocean. Within each of these general topics important chemical concepts that provide a mechanistic understanding of the behaviour of elements in the ocean, such as redox, solubility, kinetics and equilibria, will be introduced.

The workshop sessions provide skills training and allow us to assess student learning and provide direct feedback on progress. You will work through structured worksheets with assistance from demonstrators and staff. We start by revising basic chemical concepts that are used at GCSE and A level and build up to applying these concepts to real examples in chemical oceanography. Practical sessions cover areas such as the kinetics of iron oxidation in seawater, controls on the distributions of nutrients and dissolved oxygen in the oceans and an introduction to simple box models. Specific help will be given to students with only a very basic background in chemistry in the practical sessions.

Teaching and learning methods

Formal Lectures: will provide an overview of important features of biogeochemical cycles and consider specific examples including the carbon cycle, macronutrient cycles, and iron in the ocean.

Practical workshops: will involve the student in using the concepts introduced in lectures. Examples will be worked through with help from demonstrators.

A wide range of support can be provided for those students who have further or specific learning and teaching needs.

Resources & Reading list

Textbooks

James, R., Oceanography Course Team (2005). Marine Biogeochemical Cycles. Open University.

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.