Oceanography: a key to better understand our world

Offered By: University of Barcelona via Canvas Network

Course Description

Overview

The course for a round the world regatta leads the boats through the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic, Southern Indian and South Pacific Oceans. On their voyage, the skippers come across a large variety of oceanographic situations: strong currents, floating ice, wave formations of every kind and biological diversity.

In this course the student will learn about the foundations of the science of oceanography. You'll learn about the classification and formation of the ocean floor, how current sea satellite analysis systems work, the chemistry of the oceans and the processes that led to its formation.

Projects associated with the Barcelona World Race 2014/15:

During the Barcelona World Race the skippers also become scientific agents, collaborating on oceanographic research projects with the UNESCO-IOC.

Measurement of salinity levels and the temperature of surface seawater, headed up by the oceanographer from the Spanish National Research Council's (CSIC) Institute of Sea Sciences (ICM) Jordi Salat.

The measurement of the levels of microplastics in seawater, headed up by Salvador Borros, in collaboration with the Institut Quimic Sarrià (IQS) and the The Spanish National Research Council's (CSIC) Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM) and the Fundació Navegació Oceànica Barcelona FNOB.

The deployment of ARGO floats, in collaboration with JCOMMOPS, the UNESCO - IOC and the Fundació Navegació Oceànica Barcelona (FNOB).

Citclops Project, optical monitoring of the transparency, colour and fluorescence of the surface of the sea, in collaboration with Citclops (Citizen’s Observatory for Coast and Ocean Optical Monitoring) from the 7th Framework Programme at the European Commission, the Barcelona Digital Technology Centre Foundation (BDigital) and the Fundació Navegació Oceànica Barcelona (FNOB).

Syllabus

Module 1 - The Mediterranean: an ocean model.
Module 2 - The global ocean: a moving fluid, a water source, a planetary heating system and a sea full of life.
Module 3 - Satellite oceanography: all eyes on the planet.
Module 4 - Ocean chemistry: a chemical industry of pipes without walls.
Module 5 - The ocean basin: an ongoing archive, stretching back millions of years.

Taught by

Dr. Jordi Serra