This course will touch upon a number of different subfields of biological study within the context of the ocean environment. The course will begin by studying the geologic and meteorologic processes that create the oceans and affect their environment, including the specific environmental challenges facing marine life. Also taking a broad look at oceanic biodiversity before examining the interconnections between species in marine communities, the course will conclude with a quick look at current research in Marine Biology. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: compare and contrast ocean and terrestrial environments, and describe the properties of the marine environment that are associated with specific marine adaptations; list the members of marine food webs and, based on descriptions of specific species, identify their roles within food webs and the effects of changes in their abundance on overall food-web dynamics; describe the difference between various life-history types (e.g. gonochoristic species vs. sex changers vs. simultaneous hermaphrodites; complex vs. simple life history), and identify the physiological and ecological conditions under which certain life-history traits are considered to be advantageous over others; list and identify phyla/species of marine organisms, and describe their taxonomic relationships and the fundamental characteristics of their groups; distinguish between different marine zones in terms of their biotic and abiotic characteristics and the factors that affect their communities; design a marine-protected area based on the organisms or region in need of protection; explain the major types, causes, and effects of marine threats such as pollution, overfishing, global warming and ocean acidification, and invasive species, as well as describe the consequences of these threats for marine communities and organisms; analyze current research in marine biology, evaluating the interpretation and results of these experiments. (Biology 308)

The ocean absorbs almost half of the carbon dioxide emitted by human activities, changing its chemistry in ways that may have significant effects on marine ecosystems. Join Scripps marine chemist Andrew Dickson as he explains what we know --Đ and what we don't --Đ about this emerging problem. (56 minutes)

Join research oceanographer and photographer Dale Stokes for a global photographic journey featuring ships, submarines, underwater habitats, and both poles. This presentation includes a decade of images documenting exotic locations underwater and topside and a variety of unusual vessels and research instruments. (58 minutes)

Climate has enormous impacts on the marine life off California, influencing its major fisheries and the abundance of krill, seabirds and mammals. Join Tony Koslow as he shows how a 60-year ocean observation program, the California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations (or CalCOFI) is unraveling the impacts of the El Ni–o/La Ni–a cycle and human-induced climate. (52 minutes)

Join Philip Hastings, curator of the Marine Vertebrate Collection at Scripps and learn how research on fishes of the Gulf of California and Southern California is essential for guiding conservation efforts aimed at protecting marine fisheries and ecosystems. (56 minutes)

From mangroves to deep-sea reefs, join Brad Erisman and Octavio Aburto-Oropeza on a grand tour presenting the diversity of marine life in the Gulf of California. Learn how humans impact these fragile ecosystems and how marine reserves and habitat monitoring provide scientists with critical information needed to protect and restore these amazing ecosystems. (51 minutes)

Explore the kinds of sounds made by marine mammals and what we can learn about marine mammal populations from recording their sounds with Scripps Institution's John Hildebrand. (28 minutes)

How will researchers harness the genetic potential of marine organisms? Join Dr. Terry Gaasterland as she describes how scientists at the new Scripps Genome Center are pioneering research in marine genomes. (54 minutes)

Join Mark Hildebrand on a journey from the open waters of the world's oceans to sophisticated genetics labs and ultimately to the incredible world of nanotechnology and marvel at ground-breaking applications he and his colleagues are finding for diatoms, one of the smallest and most important marine organisms. (49 minutes)

This course will thoroughly educate the successful student with the knowledge and skills necessary to be a certified beginning SCUBA diver. The prerequisite for the course is passing the MIT SCUBA swim test and demonstrating a "comfort level" in the water. At the end of the class, students will attempt to pass the certification exam to become certified divers. The class is taught in two parts each week: a classroom session and a pool session. The classroom sessions along with the reading material will provide the student with the knowledge necessary to pass the written exam. At the pool, the water skills are taught in progressions that build on the previous skills, making the difficult skills seem easy.

This video segment from Nature features various sea creatures.