Course descriptions for Moss Landing Marine Lab

Skin and SCUBA diving course. Pool training culminates in ten ocean dives. Topics covered include diving physics, physiology, diving environments, night diving, and research diving. Successful completion gives NAUI and MLML certification. Not for major credit. (Offered every semester.)

Field-oriented introduction to the interrelationships between marine and estuarine organisms and their environment; emphasis on quantitative data collection and analysis. Offered through Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML); contact ESSP program office for MLML registration procedures.

Systematics, morphology, ecology, and biology of marine birds and mammals. Offered through Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML); contact ESSP program office for MLML registration procedures. (Likely to be offered every other spring semester.)

A description of the taxonomy, morphology, and ecology of marine fishes. Field and laboratory work concentrate on the structure, function, and habits of marine fishes and the ecological interactions of these fishes with their biotic and abiotic surroundings. Offered through Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML); contact ESSP program office for MLML registration procedures. (Offered spring semester.)

A field-oriented introduction to the structure, systematics, evolution, and life histories of the major and minor marine phyla. Offered through Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML); contact ESSP program office for MLML registration procedures. (Offered spring semester.)

A field-oriented introduction to the structure, systematics, evolution, and life histories of the minor invertebrate phyla. Offered through Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML); contact ESSP program office for MLML registration procedures. (Offered fall semester.)

Covers plants of the sea, marshes, and dunes emphasizing the morphology, taxonomy, and natural history of seaweeds and vascular plants. Offered through Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML); contact ESSP program office for MLML registration procedures.

Students gain an understanding of the adaptations of marine algae to their environment. Requires field trips for specimen collection and shipboard experiments. Focuses on the biology of seaweeds and phytoplankton. Offered through Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML); contact ESSP program office for MLML registration procedures.

A study of the structures, physiography, and sediments of the sea bottom and shoreline. Offered through Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML); contact ESSP program office for MLML registration procedures. (Offered fall semester.)

An introduction to the nature and causes of various oceanic motions, including currents, waves, tides, and mixing; and the physical properties of seawater. Limited use of calculus. Offered through Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML); contact ESSP program office for MLML registration procedures. (Offered fall semester.)

An introduction to the theoretical and practical aspects of the chemistry of the oceans including major salts, dissolved gases, nutrient ions, carbonate system, transient tracers, and shipboard sampling techniques. Offered through Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML); contact ESSP program office for MLML registration procedures. (Offered spring semester.)

The ocean as an ecological system. Emphasis is on the complexity of environmental influences on plankton, the transfer of organic matter between trophic levels, and nutrient cycles. Laboratory sessions include methods in sampling, shipboard techniques, identification of the plankton, and current analytical techniques. Offered through Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML); contact ESSP program office for MLML registration procedures. (Offered spring semester.)

The study of a selected area in the marine sciences. The subjects vary depending on student demand and availability of instructors. Can be repeated for credit when topics change. Offered through Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML); contact ESSP program office for MLML registration procedures.

Students gain an advanced understanding of the nature of scientific information. Lectures, discussions, and assignments provide the framework for using and evaluating a variety of information sources in marine and ocean sciences. Strong emphasis placed on developing critical skills to interweave knowledge of the history of science into the context of bibliographic tools including the digital realm. Offered through Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML); contact ESSP program office for MLML registration procedures.

Principles of instruments used in oceanographic research, introduction to electronics, and applications of instrument measurements. Emphasis varies from CTD profilers, current meters, radiometry, and chemical measurement. Offered through Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML); contact ESSP program office for MLML registration procedures. (Offered every other spring semester.)

Basic design of experiments and field sampling, including random and systematic sampling, subsampling, survey techniques, single and multifactor experiments using randomized, nested, and blocked experimental designs, and data analyses. Offered through Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML); contact ESSP program office for MLML registration procedures.

A laboratory-based overview of concepts and techniques for the isolation, characterization, and analysis of DNA and RNA. An overview of standard methods (amplification, cloning, and sequencing), as well as selected specialized techniques (analysis of gene expression). Lectures focus on application in the marine sciences. Offered through Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML); contact ESSP program office for MLML registration procedures.

Information and skills for graduate students beginning their research careers, such as the philosophy of science, scientific writing, design of experiments and sampling programs, and using library and other resources. Offered through Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML); contact ESSP program office for MLML registration procedures.

Community approach to the ecology of marine birds and mammals using experimental sampling methodology. Examines the distribution, abundance, trophic ecology, and behavior of birds and mammals in Elkhorn Slough and Monterey Bay. Offered through Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML); contact ESSP program office for MLML registration procedures.

Advanced consideration of the ecology, physiology, and phylogeny of fishes, birds, reptiles, or mammals, emphasizing current literature and research. Topics and emphasis vary with term and instructor. May be repeated once for credit. Offered through Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML); contact ESSP program office for MLML registration procedures. (Likely to be offered every other fall semester.)

Advanced considerations of the ecology, physiology, and phylogeny of the various invertebrate phyla emphasizing current literature and research. Topics and emphasis vary from term to term. May be repeated once for credit. Offered through Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML); contact ESSP program office for MLML registration procedures. (Offered only as interest warrants.)

Discussions on marine macroalgal biology with extensive reading of original literature. Ecologically oriented individual research projects involving laboratory culture and field experimentation. Offered through Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML); contact ESSP program office for MLML registration procedures.

Selected topics and current issues in marine ecology. The subjects vary depending on student demand and availability of instructors. Can be repeated for credit when topics change. Offered through Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML); contact ESSP program office for MLML registration procedures.

Experimental techniques in biological oceanography with emphasis on problems important in plankton ecology. The course includes lectures and labs, and discussions of current research problems. An individual research project involving the use of one or more modern analytical tools is required. Offered through Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML); contact ESSP program office for MLML registration procedures.

Historical background, modern theory, and geophysical evidence of continental drift, sea floor spreading, and plate tectonics. Examinations of the impact of the recent revolution in historical geology. Offered through Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML); contact ESSP program office for MLML registration procedures.

Geology, tectonics, and active naturally occurring processes in the Monterey Bay region and in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. The geologic and tectonic history of central California, plate tectonic processes, representative stratigraphy, and geomorphology of the Monterey Bay region. Offered through Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML); contact ESSP program office for MLML registration procedures.

The collection and interpretation of geophysical data used to characterize marine benthic habitats. Basic geophysical principals are reviewed. Application of techniques to identify and characterize marine benthic habitats, including echosounders, multibeam bathymetry and backscatter, sidescan sonar, seismic profiling, and GIS. A project in the collection and interpretation of geophysical data is required. Offered through Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML); contact ESSP program office for MLML registration procedures.

Geochemical processes in the oceans: thermodynamics of low temperature aqueous reactions, weathering, oxidation-reduction and biologically mediated reactions, and processes occurring at the sea floor and air-sea interface. Offered through Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML); contact ESSP program office for MLML registration procedures.

The mathematical description of properties (salinity, density, etc.) in the oceans relating to physical and biochemical processes. Equations of motion, geostrophic method, and theory of distribution of variables. Offered through Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML); contact ESSP program office for MLML registration procedures.

Lecture, discussion, and technical programming with MATLAB for computation and visualization with applications in marine sciences. Use of existing program libraries for data I/O and analysis. Semester project required. Offered through Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML); contact ESSP program office for MLML registration procedures. (Offered fall semester.)

Principles of interaction among marine organisms that result in the alteration of population structures. Techniques for assessment and management of populations. Offered through Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML); contact ESSP program office for MLML registration procedures. (Offered fall semester.)

The ecology of near-shore rocky subtidal populations and communities with emphasis on kelp forests. Lectures and discussions of original literature. Fieldwork with SCUBA including group projects on underwater research techniques and community analysis, and individual research on ecological questions chosen by the student. Offered through Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML); contact ESSP program office for MLML registration procedures.

A comparative analysis of the marine environment of the Gulf of California through background lectures, readings, proposal writing, intensive field research in the Gulf, and writing a scientific paper based on the results. Topics vary depending on instructors. Course is taught in conjunction with a similar course at the Universidad Autonoma de Baja California Sur, La Paz, Mexico. Offered through Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML); contact ESSP program office for MLML registration procedures.

The study of a selected area in oceanography. The subjects vary depending on student demand and availability of instructors. Can be repeated for credit when topics change. Offered through Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML); contact ESSP program office for MLML registration procedures.

Techniques and strategies of scientific writing used for proposals, journal submissions, and abstracts for meetings. Students develop their writing skills by preparing, editing, and rewriting manuscripts. Offered through Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML); contact ESSP program office for MLML registration procedures.

Addresses the oceanographic dynamics of coastal environments, with an emphasis on eastern boundary current systems influenced by coastal upwelling. The course focuses on how physical and geological oceanography interact with each other and how both affect coastal ecosystem dynamics.

Independent investigations of an advanced nature for the graduate student with adequate preparation. Offered through Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML); contact ESSP program office for MLML registration procedures. (Offered fall and spring semesters.)

Offered through Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML); contact ESSP program office for MLML registration procedures. (Offered fall and spring semesters.)