Professor Contact
Class Time and Place
Student Accessibility
Makeup Examinations
Office Hours
Content Delivery
Text
Topics
Readings
Assessment
Due Dates
Marking Scale

The Blue Planet 2010-2011

Administrative Information

Professor Contact Information

Paul Hill
LSC 5632
494-2266
paul.hill@dal.ca

How to Find My Office

My office is LSC 5632.  This office is on the fifth floor of the Oceanography wing of the Life Sciences Centre at Dalhousie.  To find it, follow these directions:
  • start at the Hicks Building, which is the one with the dome
  • proceed into the Life Sciences Centre (LSC), which is the contemporary concrete building behind the Hicks Building
  • upon entering the LSC, veer to the left
  • when you encounter a fork in the hallway, veer right, across the glass pedway and into the Oceanography wing
  • turn right into the stairwell immediately upon entering the Oceanography wing
  • walk up two levels to the fifth floor
  • upon exiting the stairwell, turn left
  • walk to the end of the hallway, where you will see a red fire door leading the the side stairwell
  • my office is on the right, just before the fire door
  • come on in!

Class Schedule and Room

Class meets Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 8:30-10 AM in LSC C242.

Each class is divided into two segments.  During the first segment the lecture material for the day is presented.  Then we take a brief break.  After the break, I present an "In The News" segment that explores a story that has recently been featured in the media and that relates to the day's topic.

Student Accessibility and Accommodation

Students may request accommodation as a result of barriers related to disability, religious obligation, or any characteristic under the Nova Scotia Human Rights Act. Students who require academic accommodation for either classroom participation or the writing of tests, quizzes and exams
should make their request to the Office of Student Accessibility & Accommodation (OSAA) prior to or at the outset of each academic term (with the exception of X/Y courses). Please see www.studentaccessibility.dal.ca for more information and to obtain Form A - Request for Accommodation.

Makeup Examinations

Makeup examinations are offered for a limited set of circumstances:
  • Illness:  If you are ill on the day of the examination, then contact me via phone or email on that day and obtain a doctor's note on that day.
  • Extracurricular Activities:  If you have an athletic event or other school-related activity that conflicts with a scheduled examination, then contact me via phone or email at least 2 weeks in advance of the event.
  • Emergencies:  If you have an emergency or crisis that forces you to miss an exam, then contact me as soon as possible.  Permission to write a makeup exam will be granted on a case-by-case basis.

Office Hours

I will hold office hours on Tuesday from 1-3 PM and on Friday from 1-3 PM.  Please try to visit me at those times.  If you cannot make either one of these times, then please arrange an alternate time by talking to me after class or by sending me an email.

Content Delivery

This course relies heavily on Blackboard Learning System (BLS).  With BLS I will make announcements, send emails, post lecture notes and assigned readings, and conduct daily and weekly online assessments.  It is essential that you check BLS regularly.  The best way to find content on the course site is to click on the Calendar tool.  For more information, check out  Dalhousie's Integrated Learning Online website at http://ucis.dal.ca/services/other_services/ILO/index.html

Academic Information

Aims and Objectives

This class provides a general survey of Oceanography and shows how the oceans, which account for more than 70% of the earth's surface, function as a dominant environmental force. Consideration also is given to human impact on this ecological system. The course is designed to develop a basic understanding of the ocean, of what the science of oceanography is, and of what oceanographers do.  It also explores how ocean issues are presented in the media.  It is not really a basic science class in the sense that no training will be offered in actual field or laboratory methods.

Texts

This class will make use of two texts:

Introductory Oceanography, 10th edition, by H. V. Thurman and A. P. Trujillo, and

Marine Biology: An Ecological Approach, 6th edition, by J. W. Nybakken and M. D. Bertness

The first text will be used in throughout the year, and the second text will be used during the winter term.

Topics and Readings

Date Topic Reading
September 9 Introduction to the course none
September 14 History of Oceanography Thurman and Trujillo, pp. 8-39
September 16 Origins Thurman and Trujillo, pp. 40-63
September 21 Plate Tectonics Thurman and Trujillo, pp. 62-79
September 23 Structure of the Earth Thurman and Trujillo, pp. 79-109
September 28 Marine Provinces Thurman and Trujillo, pp. 111-133
September 30 Marine Sediments  Thurman and Trujillo, pp. 134-144
October 5 Deep-Sea Sedimentation Thurman and Trujillo, pp. 144-162
October 7 Examination 1 covers material from 10/09 - 06/10
October 12 The Water Molecule Thurman and Trujillo, pp. 164-173
October 14 Sea Water Thurman and Trujillo, pp. 174-184
October 19 Physical and Chemical Structure of the Ocean Thurman and Trujillo, pp. 185-192
October 21 Atmospheric Circulation Thurman and Trujillo, pp. 193-205
October 26 Oceans and Weather Thurman and Trujillo, pp. 205-219
October 28 An Inconvenient Truth (video) Thurman and Trujillo, pp. 219-228
November 2 Examination 2 covers material from 13/10-29/10
November 4 Surface Ocean Currents Thurman and Trujillo, pp. 229-256
November 9 Deep Ocean Currents Thurman and Trujillo, pp. 257-263
November 11 Remembrance Day, No Class none
November 16 Mediterranean and Black Seas none
November 18 Waves Thurman and Trujillo, pp. 264-280
November 23 Waves in Shallow Water Thurman and Trujillo, pp. 281-285
November 25 Other Types of Waves Thurman and Trujillo, pp. 285-293
November 30 Tides Thurman and Trujillo, pp. 294-307
December 2 Tides at the Shore Thurman and Trujillo, pp. 308-318
December 7 Review Session none
TBD Examination 3 (Fall Final) covers material from entire term
January 6 Introduction to Marine Ecology Nybakken and Bertness, pp. 19-38
January 11 The Plankton Nybakken and Bertness, pp. 42-61
January 13 Primary Production Nybakken and Bertness, pp. 61-77
January 18 The Ocean Ecosystem Nybakken and Bertness, pp. 77-98
January 20 The Nekton Nybakken and Bertness, pp. 103-132
January 25 The Blue Planet Open Ocean video Nybakken and Bertness, pp. 132-141
January 27 The Blue Planet Deep Sea video Nybakken and Bertness, pp.144-165
February 1 Examination 4 covers material from 05/01-26/01
February 3 Subtidal Ecology of Sediment and Rock Bottoms Nybakken and Bertness, pp. 196-221 
February 8 Subtidal Ecology of Kelp Forests and Seagrass Beds Nybakken and Bertness, pp. 221-241
February 10 Biology of Polar Seas Nybakken and Bertness, pp. 241-260
February 15 Intertidal Ecology Nybakken and Bertness, pp. 266-277
February 17 Ecology of Rocky Shores Nybakken and Bertness, pp. 277-304
February 22 Study Break, No Class none
February 24 Study Break, No Class none
March 1 Ecology of Sandy Shores Nybakken and Bertness, pp. 308-325
March 3 Ecology of Muddy Shores Nybakken and Bertness, pp. 325-341
March 8 Estuaries Nybakken and Bertness, pp. 361-381
March 10 Salt Marshes Nybakken and Bertness, pp. 381-401
March 15 Examination 5 covers material from 02/02-09/03
March 17 Coral Reefs Nybakken and Bertness, pp. 407-424
March 22 Mangroves Nybakken and Bertness, pp. 453-466
March 24 Fisheries Nybakken and Bertness, pp. 500-518
March 29 Mariculture Nybakken and Bertness, pp. 518-520
March 31 Pollution Nybakken and Bertness, pp. 520-536
April 5 Coastal Development none
April 7 Non-living Marine Resources Thurman and Trujillo, pp. 491-493 and 503-515

Assessment

Components

Answer Before Class (ABC)---20% of your mark

  • Before each class (unless otherwise notified) you are required to answer a simple question about the reading assigned for that day.  
  • These questions are delivered online through BLS.
  • The ABCs are posted at noon the day before class, and you must complete them by 8:30 the day of class.
  • The ABCs are set up to give you credit for trying.  On each ABC, there is a True/False question that states, "I want credit!".  Answer "True".  The other question is on the reading for the day.

Weekly Hourlong Ocean Assessment (WHOA)---20% of your mark

  • Each week (unless otherwise notified) there will be an online quiz consisting of 10 questions.
  • The WHOAs cover material delivered during the week.
  • The quizzes are delivered via BLS.
  • The WHOAs are posted by 5 PM on Thursday, and they are due by 5 PM on Friday of the following week.
  • The answers to the questions become available once the availability period for the quiz is over, which means after 5 PM on Fridays.

The Midterms---30% of your mark (7.5% each)

  • There will be 4 in-class, midterm examinations.
  • The exams will have 60 multiple choice questions and 15 True/False questions.
  • The midterms are not cumulative.  They cover material delivered after the previous exam through material delivered in the last lecture prior to the exam.

The Finals---30% of your mark (15% each)

  • There will be a final exam at the end of each term.
  • The exams will have 80 multiple choice questions and 20 True/False questions.
  • The final exams are scheduled by the Registrar.
  • The final exams are 2 hours long.
  • The final exams are cumulative.
    • On the Fall Final, 3/4 of the questions cover material since the last midterm, and 1/4 cover material from before the last midterm.
    • On the Winter Final, 3/5 of the questions cover material since the last midterm, 1/5 cover material from the beginning of the term to the last midterm, and 1/5 cover material from the Fall Term.
Component Percentage of Mark
ABCs 20%
WHOAs 20%
Examinations 1, 2, 4 and 5 (the Midterms) 7.5% each for a total of 30%
Examinations 3 and 3 (the Finals) 15% each for a total of 30%

Due Dates

Assessment Due Date
ABCs posted on the day before each class at noon, due by 8:30 AM the day of class
WHOAs posted at end of each week, due by 5:00 PM on Friday of the following week
Examination 1 October 7
Examination 2 November 2
Examination 3 Fall Final Exam Period
Examination 4 February 1
Examination 5 March 15
Examination 6 Winter Final Exam Period

Marking Scale

Numeric Grade Letter Grade
90-100 A+
85-89.9 A
80-84.9 A-
75-79.5 B+
70-74.5 B
65-69.9 B-
62-64.9 C+
58-61.9 C
55-57.9 C-
50-54.9 D
< 50 F