InTeGrate Modules and Courses >Ocean Sustainability > Student Materials
InTeGrate's Earth-focused Modules and Courses for the Undergraduate Classroom
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These materials are part of a collection of classroom-tested modules and courses developed by InTeGrate. The materials engage students in understanding the earth system as it intertwines with key societal issues. The collection is freely available and ready to be adapted by undergraduate educators across a range of courses including: general education or majors courses in Earth-focused disciplines such as geoscience or environmental science, social science, engineering, and other sciences, as well as courses for interdisciplinary programs.
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For the Instructor

These student materials complement the Ocean Sustainability Instructor Materials. If you would like your students to have access to the student materials, we suggest you either point them at the Student Version which omits the framing pages with information designed for faculty (and this box). Or you can download these pages in several formats that you can include in your course website or local Learning Managment System. Learn more about using, modifying, and sharing InTeGrate teaching materials.

Student Materials

Welcome to the Ocean Sustainability Module. In these six units, you will explore the importance of oceans, basic ocean processes, and impacts of human activity on ocean health. Using scientific data and higher-order thinking skills incorporated into individual and group activities, you will examine various aspects of the oceans, including physical, chemical, geological, and biological realms.

Unit 1 — Ocean Circulation and Climate Change

In this unit you will be introduced to drivers of ocean circulation and will be asked to make connections between ocean circulation and bioproductivity. You should watch NASA's Perpetual Ocean video before arriving to class.

Pre-unit homework

In-class activities

Homework

Unit 2 — Ocean Acidification

In this unit you will learn how fossil fuel usage drives changes in seawater pH. The pre-unit homework assignments should be completed before arriving to class. In class, you will compare records of seawater pCO2 and pH data to determine how seawater has changed in response to changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration.

Pre-unit homework

In-class activities

Unit 3 — Ocean Habitat and Community Ecology

You will be introduced to the functional roles that varying organisms play in a habitat or ecosystem. Using coral reefs as an example, we will discuss how changes in community structure can affect the entire ecosystem and its resilience. Coral reefs are strongly affected by global climate change (i.e., increasing ocean temperature and ocean acidification). You will be asked to complete activities individually and in groups. Activity 3.2 is started in class and is to be completed as homework.

Link for video in Activity 3.2:

http://apps.seattletimes.com/reports/sea-change/2013/sep/11/pacific-ocean-perilous-turn-overview/

Unit 4 — Oceans In Peril, Pressures on Ocean Ecosystems

In this unit, you will read an article that covers four case studies conducted by scientists studying gray whale behavior in relation to climate change. You will fill out the worksheet before you come to class to prepare for group discussion and collaboration.

Homework

Unit 5 — Oceans In Protection, Marine Protected Areas

In this unit, you will perform a jigsaw activity, where you form a large home group, and then split off into specialty groups to concentrate on a specific component of the scientific studies performed on marine reserves. You will regroup into your home group as the expert on your subtopic and work together with the other group members to select the best area for a proposed marine reserve. You will prepare for class by completing the homework sheet listed below.

Homework

Unit 6 — Ocean Preservation and Geoengineering

You will revisit some of the concepts you already learned on ocean circulation, productivity, carbon chemistry, and community ecology. You will build on your knowledge to examine mitigation strategies that aim to minimize the effects of global climate change on ocean ecosystems and its organisms. The review of previous themes at the beginning of this unit will be conducted with your participation in Activity 6.1. The context of geoengineering will be examined using Activity 6.2 on Iron Fertilization.


     

These materials are part of a collection of classroom-tested modules and courses developed by InTeGrate. The materials engage students in understanding the earth system as it intertwines with key societal issues. The collection is freely available and ready to be adapted by undergraduate educators across a range of courses including: general education or majors courses in Earth-focused disciplines such as geoscience or environmental science, social science, engineering, and other sciences, as well as courses for interdisciplinary programs.
Explore the Collection »