- ATOC 182 -

Introduction to Oceanic Sciences

Fall term 2018

I/ Course overview

General information on class

- Lectures: Tuesday and Thurday 10:05-11:25 AM

- Classroom: Rutherford Physics Building 114
- Number of credits: 3

Instructors

Carolina Audrey-Anne Michael Andrés

Name
Dufour Gauthier Rollings Pérez Hortal
Role Main instructor Teaching assistant Teaching assistant Teaching assistant
audrey-
carolina.dufour michael.rollings@ andres.perezhorta
Email address anne.gauthier@m
@mcgill.ca mail.mcgill.ca l@mail.mcgill.ca
ail.mcgill.ca
Room 948 Room 828 Room 932 Room 825
Office
Burnside Hall Burnside Hall Burnside Hall Burnside Hall
Friday 11:00-12:00 PM Monday Wednesday Thursday
Office hours
& by appointment 11:00-12:00 PM 03:30-04:30 PM 03:00-04:00 PM

Learning Outcomes
In this course, you will learn about how the ocean looks like from the surface to the abyss, why the
ocean is in constant movement, what sustains the life in the ocean, and what the role of the ocean in
the climate system is and how human activities impact the ocean. You will also learn about the major
discoveries which have revolutionized our knowledge about oceanography and about the different
techniques (based on observations and models) that provide scientists invaluable information about
how the ocean looks like and evolves over time.
My goals for students in this class are:
- To awaken your curiosity about the ocean and its role in the climate system.
- To give you some insight into what the scientific discipline called oceanography is and how research
in this discipline is conducted.
- To expand your ability in performing critical thinking at a time when climate is extensively discussed
in the media.
- To deepen your awareness about human interactions and impacts on the marine environment.

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Instructional Method

Lectures will rely on both projected presentations of text, data and figures, and expositions at the
blackboard (including equations and hand-drawn sketches). Therefore, a computer is likely NOT the
best way to record notes for this class. I suggest you take notes by hand. However, for those of you
who want to take some notes directly on the slides, slides will be made available on myCourses right
before the class. Interactions are strongly encouraged in class at all time through asking questions.

II/ Course Materials

Required and optional material

The course material consists of the lectures and reading assignments. This course material is meant
to be self-sufficient. No additional material is required.
However, in order to assimilate the material, you might find helpful to seek additional information
or different explanations in textbooks or websites. For your information, a list of books and websites
that I have been using to build the course is posted on myCourses.
While I have been using various resources, my lectures are mainly based on the textbook from Tom
Garrison Essentials of Oceanography (7th Edition). You will find extended explanations and ample
illustrations of what we will discuss in class in this textbook. The 7 th edition is on reserve at the
Schulich Library (http://mcgill.worldcat.org/title/essentials-of-oceanography/oclc/864087589). If you
wish to acquire the textbook, I encourage you to rent an electronic version (cheapest option,
~$20/semester) that can be found on Amazon. Otherwise, printed versions are also available for ~$50
on Amazon. There are many editions of Garrison’s textbook, some with slightly different titles. Any of
the latest 3-4 editions will be fine for this class, and buying an earlier edition online may save you a
considerable amount of money. For your information, I will refer to Garrison’s textbook chapters using
the numbering in the 7th edition of Essentials of Oceanography (Note this is not the most recent
version). If you have an earlier version, you will need to determine which is the corresponding chapter.
If you have questions, please consult me or the teaching assistants.
Again, I would like to emphasize that the purchase of the textbook is optional.

Course Content

The course is organized into four parts which provide the basis of knowledge in oceanography: (I)
The physical setting (seawater properties and ocean basins), (II) Ocean circulation, (III) Life in the
Ocean, (IV) Human impacts on the Ocean. The last part builds on the knowledge acquired over the
first three sections as it discusses environmental impacts from human activities on the ocean and the
ocean role and changes in the context of climate change.
The class schedule is as follows but is subject to change depending on how fast we will be able to
cover the material. Assignment due dates might also change accordingly (watch for announcements in
MyCourses):

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 Corresponding
Assignment
textbook
Week Date Lecture O: given
chapter (7th
G: due
edition)
2018-09-04 Introduction Chapter 1 Q & Problem set 1
Week 1 I. The physical setting
2018-09-06 Ocean topography Chapter 3-5
2018-09-11 Seawater properties Chapter 6
Week 2
2018-09-13 Sea ice -
2018-09-18 Ocean basins and properties Chapter 6
Week 3 II. Ocean circulation
2018-09-20 Atmospheric circulation Chapter 7 Q & Problem set 1
2018-09-25 Wind-driven circulation Chapter 8 Article synthesis
Week 4
2018-09-27 Thermohaline circulation Chapter 8 Q & Problem set 2
2018-10-02 Some important oceanic features Chapter 8
Week 5
2018-10-04 Waves (I) Chapter 9 Q & Problem set 2
2018-10-09 Waves (II) Chapter 9
Week 6
2018-10-11 Tides (I) Chapter 10 Q & Problem set 3
2018-10-16 Tides (II) Chapter 10
Week 7
2018-10-18 Review and discussion - Q & Problem set 3
2018-10-23 Mid-term exam (in class, week 1 to week 6 included)
Week 8
2018-10-25 Coasts Chapter 11
III. Life in the ocean
Week 9 2018-10-30 Biogeochemistry -
2018-11-01 Photosynthesis and productivity Chapter 12
2018-11-06 Review of mid-term exam by TAs - Q & Problem set 4
Week 10
2018-11-08 Pelagic and benthic communities Chapters 13 &14
IV. Human impacts on the ocean
Week 11 2018-11-13 Pollution Chapter 15 Q & Problem set 4
2018-11-15 Natural resources and exploitation Chapter 15 Article synthesis
2018-11-20 Climate change (I) Chapter 15
Week 12
2018-11-22 Climate change (II) Chapter 15 Q & Problem set 5
Week 13 2018-11-27 Climate change (III) Chapter 15

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 2018-11-29 Review and discussion - Q & Problem set 5
Weeks 14-16 TBD Final exam (on all material)

Note that the teaching assistants will lead the class of November 6 th 2018 as I will be away that day.
They will review the solutions from the midterm exam and answer your questions on homework or
course material.
Assignments will be generally handed one week before they are due, except for the first Question
and Problem Set (“Q & Problem set 1”, right column on the table above) which will be posted on
myCourses from the first day of class and due at the end of the add/drop period. The table above
indicates the dates when assignments are given, that is posted on myCourses (green boxes), and the
dates when assignments are due (orange boxes). The article synthesis homework will be given on
week 4 but will not be due until week 11.

III/ Course policies

General statement

Attendance of all classes is required and you are responsible for all material covered in class.
Because use of the internet and mobile devices during class is disruptive to your learning, your
classmates concentration, and to me, I ask that you refrain from all cell phone and internet use during
the class. Note that recording the class with any type of device is not permitted.

Evaluation

The breakdown of the final grade is as follows:

Name of assignment Description Due Date % of final grade

Question and problem 5 Question and problem
Along the semester
sets & writing sets and 1 synthesis of a 40
(to be posted on myCourses)
assignment scientific article
On all material up to
Midterm exam In class, October 23rd 2018 20
week 6
Final exam On all material During the exam period 40

More details about the problem sets and assignments will be given in class as well as on
myCourses. The objective of the problem sets is to help you understand and assimilate the concepts
introduced in class and to prepare you to the exams. The midterm exam will look very similar to the
final exam in terms of the form so that you know what to expect for the final exam.
Hard copies of the question and problem sets and of the writing assignment (scientific article
synthesis) should be handed in on the day they are due. They will be accepted in the subsequent class

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at a penalty of 30%, except for Question and Problem sets 3 and 5 which will be discussed in class the
day they are due.

Midterm exam policy

Students who would miss the midterm exam for a legitimate reason will see the weight of the final
exam increased to compensate for the weight of the missed exam. As the midterm exam is worth 20%
of the final grade, the final exam would then be increased to 60% of the final grade. Please note that
this only applies to students who have a legitimate reason such as illness, family tragedy, academic
duty, etc. Students who cannot provide documents showing valid reasons will have zero at the
midterm exam.

Course communications

Communications will be handled primarily through the myCourses site. Please stay current with the
site. Students are welcome to come to office hours (see table on page 1) to ask questions about the
course material or the homework. If you cannot come to office hours, questions about the homework
should first be posted to discussion boards on myCourses website rather than emailed directly to the
professor or TAs. These discussion boards are forums where you can discuss solutions to the problems
with classmates. You are encouraged to help each other on these forums (note that the discussion
threads are not monitored by the instructors).

Feedbacks

Feedbacks on the class are strongly encouraged. There will be at least one evaluation (mid-course)
in addition to the final one (end-of-course evaluation) for me to get your feedback on the class.

McGill Policy Statements

- Language of Submission:
(English) “In accord with McGill University’s Charter of Students’ Rights, students in this course
have the right to submit in English or in French any written work that is to be graded. This does not
apply to courses in which acquiring proficiency in a language is one of the objectives.”
(Français) « Conformément à la Charte des droits de l’étudiant de l’Université McGill, chaque
étudiant a le droit de soumettre en français ou en anglais tout travail écrit devant être noté (sauf
dans le cas des cours dont l’un des objets est la maîtrise d’une langue). »

- Academic Integrity:
(English) “McGill University values academic integrity. Therefore, all students must understand the
meaning and consequences of cheating, plagiarism and other academic offences under the Code of
Student Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures” (see www.mcgill.ca/students/srr/honest/ for more
information).

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 (Français) « L'université McGill attache une haute importance à l’honnêteté académique. Il incombe
par conséquent à tous les étudiants de comprendre ce que l'on entend par tricherie, plagiat et
autres infractions académiques, ainsi que les conséquences que peuvent avoir de telles actions,
selon le Code de conduite de l'étudiant et des procédures disciplinaires (pour de plus amples
renseignements, veuillez consulter le site www.mcgill.ca/students/srr/honest/).»

- Additional Statements

 “The University Student Assessment Policy exists to ensure fair and equitable academic
assessment for all students and to protect students from excessive workloads. All students and
instructors are encouraged to review this Policy, which addresses multiple aspects and methods of
student assessment, e.g. the timing of evaluation due dates and weighting of final examinations.”

 “© Instructor-generated course materials (e.g., handouts, notes, summaries, exam questions, etc.)
are protected by law and may not be copied or distributed in any form or in any medium without
explicit permission of the instructor. Note that infringements of copyright can be subject to follow
up by the University under the Code of Student Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures.”

 “End-of-course evaluations are one of the ways that McGill works towards maintaining and
improving the quality of courses and the student’s learning experience. You will be notified by e-
mail when the evaluations are available. Please note that a minimum number of responses must
be received for results to be available to students.”