Ocean Environment of the Pacific Islands MARS 2110 (3 credits) Hawaii Pacific University course

Transcription

1 SEA Semester : Aloha `Āina: People & Nature in the Hawaiian Islands (Summer) Offered in partnership with Hawaii Pacific University Ocean Environment of the Pacific Islands MARS 2110 (3 credits) Hawaii Pacific University course Course Catalog Description: An introduction to the oceanography and the technologies for operating at sea. The concepts of navigation (piloting, celestial, and electronic), and the physics of sail are taught from their bases in astronomy, mathematics, and physics. During classroom instruction and while standing watch, students learn how to operate basic oceanographic equipment, the methodologies involved in the collection, reduction, and analysis of oceanographic data, and the attendant operations of sailing an oceanographic research vessel. Instructor(s): Sea Education Association (SEA) Faculty and Hawaii Pacific University (HPU) Faculty. Location: Hawaii Pacific University Hawai'i Loa campus in Kaneohe, Hawaii, at sea on SEA s sailing school vessel Robert C. Seamans, and ashore during port stops at several islands of the Hawaiian archipelago. Prerequisites: Admission to SEA Semester. Course Philosophy and Approach: Aloha Āina, a Hawaiian conception of love of the land describes a deep and enduring relationship between Hawaiian people and the land and ocean resources that sustain them. In this community- oriented course, students engage directly with Aloha Āina, working with local leaders, marine resource managers, and coastal stakeholders learning about and engaging in projects to sustain marine environments and island communities. Students will travel throughout the Hawaiian archipelago aboard the SSV Robert C. Seamans, engaging with community- based projects pursuing innovative solutions to land- based pollution, food security, and climate change adaptation. MARS 2110 is taught in combination with MARS 2100 Marine Resource Management: Social, Ecological, and Cultural Dimensions, and is part of an intensive five- week two- course program where students will develop scientific knowledge of the key biophysical processes that support ocean resources and coastal cultures, and a rigorous understanding of the social, ecological, and policy dimensions of marine resource management in the Hawaiian Islands. This course is designed for experiential learning in a real- world setting, for the purpose of maximizing learning about oceanographic research in the context of conducting that research to make meaningful community contributions. It is highly dynamic and involves components in the classroom, at sea, and ashore at various field sites. The course is offered within a program that will allow diverse skills and perspectives to come together. Your instructors and mentors will include professors, government officials, maritime experts, cultural practitioners, and other Ocean Environment of the Pacific Islands/Aloha `Āina - 1

2 SEA Semester : Aloha `Āina: People & Nature in the Hawaiian Islands (Summer) Offered in partnership with Hawaii Pacific University interested community members. This course is designed for interested undergraduate students of all majors, as well as selected graduate students pursuing advanced marine- related degrees. This three- unit course contains 59 supervised contact hours of official instruction and multiple additional opportunities to engage with faculty and mentors. The hours are distributed between instruction during the foundation shore component at the HPU campus on Oahu, through watch participation and instruction (active learning in laboratory and on deck) while underway at sea, in field excursions at island port stops during the sea component, and during a final synthesis shore component back on the HPU campus. The course calendar below provides preliminary details. Learning Outcomes: 1. Understand the fundamentals of chemical, physical, biological and geological oceanography, particularly as those fundamentals relate to the ocean environment of the Pacific Islands. 2. Investigate the natural world, demonstrate problem- solving skills, and utilize the scientific method to develop hypotheses and propose experimental methods to describe, explain, and predict natural phenomena. 3. Gain practical experience in oceanographic data collection/analysis and in basic ship tending. 4. Interpret, calculate, analyze, represent, and clearly communicate quantitative information through mathematical tools (e.g. equations, graphs, etc.). 5. Demonstrate oral and written communication skills required to convey scientific research findings to a diverse multidisciplinary, multicultural audience. Evaluation: Documenting Your Journey: Lab Notebook/Field Journal Sheet Anchor 15% 15% Skills Proficiency (Quiz, Assignment, or Checklist): 5% Lab (Oceanography) 5% Deck (Nautical Science) Participation/Watch Standing: Lab (Oceanography) Deck (Nautical Science) 15% 15% Oceanography Project: Project Proposal Poster Presentation Power Point & Notes 10% 10% 10% Ocean Environment of the Pacific Islands/Aloha `Āina - 2

3 SEA Semester : Aloha `Āina: People & Nature in the Hawaiian Islands (Summer) Offered in partnership with Hawaii Pacific University Assignments: Documenting Your Journey: Lab Notebook / Field Journal Onshore the Lab Notebook will include daily entries showing a synthesis of class notes, field trips, and supplemental reading that highlights discipline- specific terminology and major concepts. At sea the Field Journal will include daily entries that summarize oceanographic observations, trends, and experiences. Sheet Anchor Onshore the Sheet Anchor will include daily entries showing a synthesis of class notes, charting exercises, and safety training that highlights discipline- specific terminology and major concepts. At sea the Sheet Anchor will include daily entries that summarize weather and navigation observations, as well as other notable information. Skills Proficiency: During the sea component, you will be required to demonstrate skill proficiency in both science lab and deck procedures. For Oceanography, you will gain a working familiarity with safety protocols, lab operations, data management, equipment deployment and recovery procedures, and sample analyses. This will be assessed via a skills checklist and/or a lab practical at sea. In Nautical Science, you will complete charting exercises, a skills checklist, and/or other practical demonstrations of skill proficiency. Participation/Watch Standing: Your participation in Oceanography and Nautical Science watch activities onboard ship will be assessed in on- watch evaluations by SEA Assistant Scientists and Mates, respectively. Each student is also an essential crewmember of the ship at sea. Excellent watchstanders follow directions, work effectively as part of the watch team, show independence, demonstrate good judgment and leadership, and are a supportive, helpful, and reliable shipmate. Teamwork is particularly important in this course, so much so that a student s attitude and participation directly affects the physical progress of the voyage. OC Project: The Research Project Proposal will provide a brief introduction to the subject, a statement of the research question and hypothesis to be investigated, and an account of experimental methods and data analysis to be employed. The subsequent results of the research conducted at sea will be summarized in a Poster Presentation and as a PowerPoint with Notes. Details of these assignments will be presented in the introductory course meetings. Expectations and Requirements: Punctual attendance is required at every class meeting. Active participation in class discussion is expected. Late assignment submissions are not accepted. The policy on academic accuracy, quoted below, will be strictly followed in this class. The papers that you submit in this course are expected to be your original work. You must take care to distinguish your own ideas and knowledge from wording or substantive information that you derive from one of your sources. The term sources includes not only published primary and secondary material, but also information and opinions gained directly from other people and text that you cut Ocean Environment of the Pacific Islands/Aloha `Āina - 3

4 SEA Semester : Aloha `Āina: People & Nature in the Hawaiian Islands (Summer) Offered in partnership with Hawaii Pacific University and paste from any site on the Internet. The responsibility for learning the proper forms of citation lies with you. Quotations must be placed properly within quotation marks and must be cited fully. In addition, all paraphrased material must be acknowledged completely. Whenever ideas or facts are derived from your reading and research, the sources must be indicated. (Harvard Handbook for Students, 305) Considerations for use of internet sources: As you browse websites, assess their usefulness very critically. Who posted the information and why? Can you trust them to be correct? Authoritative? Unbiased? (It s okay to use a biased source as long as you incorporate it knowingly and transparently into your own work.) Keep track of good sources that might be useful for subsequent assignments, and annotate in your bibliography any sites you cite. Your annotation should include the name of the author or organization originating any material that you reference. If you can t identify the source, don t use it! Readings: SEA, Organization and Operations Manual for the Sea Component. (Internal SEA document) Segar, D.A., Introduction to Ocean Sciences. W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.: New York, NY. Garrison, T., Oceanography. Brooks/Cole, Belmont, CA. Miller, C. B., Biological Oceanography. Blackwell Science, Malden, MA. Ocean Environment of the Pacific Islands/Aloha `Āina - 4

5 SEA Semester : Aloha `Āina: People & Nature in the Hawaiian Islands (Summer) Offered in partnership with Hawaii Pacific University Course Calendar: Topic Readings/Assignments Due Week 1 (11 hours) on shore at HPU campus Welcome/Introduction/Orientation Oceanography Lecture/Discussion Topics: Cruise track orientation/research prospectus Ahupua a System Island geology Stratification, nutrients & primary production Readings: Selected chapters from Segar (2007), Garrison (2005), and Miller (2004) Pilot Chart Exercise Nautical Science Lecture/Discussion Topics: Basic Seamanship Piloting Introduction to navigation Oceanography Field Trip: Ahupua a Hike and Snorkel Week 2 (18 hours) - on shore at HPU campus & at sea aboard SSV Robert C. Seamans Oceanography Lecture/Discussion Topics: Secondary production & community ecology Phyto/zoo/meroplankton ID (lab) Oceanography Project Meetings Nautical Science Lecture/Discussion Topics: Principles of Sailing Safety and Life at Sea Readings: Selected chapters from Segar (2007), Garrison (2005), and Miller (2004) SEA, Organization and Operations Manual for Sea Component Oceanography Project Proposals Due At Sea: Safety training & orientation Crew training Scientific data collection Week 3 (18 hours) at sea aboard SSV Robert C. Seamans and onshore on Lauai At Sea: Scientific data collection Lab and Deck Safety Checklists Due Line Chase Ocean Environment of the Pacific Islands/Aloha `Āina - 5

6 SEA Semester : Aloha `Āina: People & Nature in the Hawaiian Islands (Summer) Offered in partnership with Hawaii Pacific University Week 4 (9 hours) at sea aboard SSV Robert C. Seamans & onshore on Maui and Molokai At Sea: Scientific data collection Transect work off Lanai, Maui, and Molokai Lab and Deck Skills Checklists Due While on Maui: Run nitrate and silicate analyses While on Molokai: Run phosphate & chlorophyll analyses Week 5 (3 hours) at sea and ashore at HPU campus At Sea: Scientific data collection, continued. On Shore: Supervised independent work on poster presentations and PowerPoints. Groups present scientific results in formal poster session to class and invited guests. Field Journals and Sheet Anchors Due Posters, PowerPoints and Notes are all due in this final week of the program. Ocean Environment of the Pacific Islands/Aloha `Āina - 6