Oceanology Courses (OCN)

022: Introduction to Oceanography (Pre: 013 or 015, and 018 or 020 or 021)

The topic list for this project is: marine geology, ocean chemistry, ocean physics, oceanic flows and waves, and marine life and marine ecology.

Minor Requirements

In order to gain a minor in oceanography you must gain at least 6 points from Introduction to Oceanography and 5 points from either Field OCeanography, Experimental Oceanography, Computational Oceanography, or Theoretical Oceanography.

Major Requirements - Associate Degree

In order to gain a major in oceanography you must complete the associate program core courses or you must already have an associate degree* (or higher) and complete at least 5 points from Introduction to Materials Science and 5 points from Introduction to Oceanography and 5 points from either Field OCeanography, Experimental Oceanography, Computational Oceanography, or Theoretical Oceanography, and another 10 points from other projects.

* — This assumes that the mathematical preparation from the school where you completed the associate degree program covers all of the topics from the MAST program. If it does not, then the necessary projects must be completed as part of your associate degree program.

OCN 100: Field Oceanography (Pre: CORE 022 and 023)

The topic list for this project is: nautical safety, navigation, site survey, record keeping, collection of samples, sample handling in the field, sample conservation, and mapping.

OCN 101: Experimental Oceanography (Pre: CORE 022 and 024)

The topic list for this project is: setting up an oceanography lab, planning an experiment, constructing apparatus, experimental electronics, chemical processes, computer hardware, sensors, control, calibration, error analysis, conducting an experiment and collecting data, and data analysis.

OCN 102: Computational Oceanography (Pre: CORE 022)

The topic list for this project is: symbolic computation, numerical computation, visualization, data analysis, computational fluid dynamics, and dynamical system modeling.

OCN 103: Theoretical Oceanography (Pre: CORE 022)

The topic list for this project is: vector and tensor analysis, ordinary differential equations, matrix algebra, Fourier analysis, vector spaces, complex analysis, special functions, calculus of variations, the Laplace transform, partial differential equations, integral equations, group theory, discrete mathematics, and probability and statistics.

OCN 104: Marine Geology (Pre: CORE 015 and OCN 100, 101, 102, or 103)

The topic list for this project is: plate tectonics, ocean geomorphology, ocean basins, oceanic crust, mid-ocean ridges, hydrothermal vents, coastal processes, sediments, and paleoceanography.

OCN 105: Ocean Chemistry (Pre: OCN 100, 101, 102, or 103)

The topic list for this project is: properties of water, isotopic fractionation, salinity and chlorinity, major ions, physical chemistry of seawater, dissolved gases and exchange, carbon species, alkalinity, atmospheric carbon, redox chemistry, nutrient processes and cycles, organic matter oxidation, and trace elements.

OCN 106: Ocean Physics (Pre: OCN 100, 101, 102, or 103)

The topic list for this project is: the physical properties of oceans, atmospheric influences, heat budget, ocean dynamics, viscosity, wind response, geostrophic currents, wind driven circulations, vorticity, deep circulations, equitorial processes, ocean waves, coastal processes, and tides.

OCN 107: Marine Biology (Pre: CORE 023 and OCN 100, 101, 102, or 103)

The topic list for this project is: the sea floor, procaryotes, protists, fungi, plants, invertebrates, fish, reptiles, birds, mammals, ecology, estuaries, continental shelf, coral reefs, near-surface life, life in the depths, sea resources, and human interactions.

Second Minor Requirements

In order to gain a second minor (or a minor following an Associate Degree) you must gain at least 6 points from a 200-level project and 5 from another project.

Major Requirements - Bachelor's Degree

In order to gain a major you must gain have complete the bachelor program requirements and complete at least 15 points from 200-level projects and 43 points from other projects.

OCN 200: Site Survey and Mapping (Pre: OCN 100)

The topic list for this project is: permissions, field preparations, interviews with local residents and owners, map reading, locating what you are interested in, remote sensing, getting to know the site, preliminary sampling, GPS, controlling the site, recording the survey, and assessing the survey.

OCN 201: Sample Collection, Handling, and Conservation (Pre: OCN 100)

The topic list for this project is: the process of sample collection, sample storage in the field, sample storage for further study, and sample preparation for display.

OCN 202: Navigation (Pre: OCN 100)

The topic list for this project is: nautical charts, navigational publications, electronic charts, aids to navigation, compasses, navigational equipment, dead reckoning, tides, currents, piloting, current sailing, radio navigation, hyperbolic navigation, GPS, inertial navigation, navigational astronomy, celestial navigation, identification of celestial bodies, the sextent, time, epermial data, sight reduction, celestial lines of position, the complete celstial solution, latitude and longitude observations, compass checks at sea, bathymetric navigation, Doppler navigation, polar navigation, and lifeboat navigation.

OCN 203: The Oceanography Lab (Pre: OCN 101)

This project results in the development of an oceanography lab. This laboratory must have a work area, a storage area, a library, safety measures, and a computer.

OCN 204: The Oceanography Experiment (Pre: OCN 101)

This project requires the student to perform two experiments and write up their results as research papers.

OCN 205: Oceanographic Apparatus and Sensors (Pre: OCN 101)

This project requires the student to construct and calibrate some apparatus to be used in their laboratory, and to write a report on its construction and calibration.

OCN 206: Experimental Electronics (Pre: OCN 101)

The topic list for this project is: circuit theory, passive electronic components, active components, electronic signals, sensors and instruments, instrumentation design, resistive sensors, temperature sensors, electrooptic sensors, magnetic sensors, sensor interfaces, amplifiers, inverting and noninverting amplifiers, differnetial and isolation amplifiers, power supplies, digital electronics, data acquisition, signal extraction, analog signal processing circuits, filters, grounding, microcontrollers, , sensor resolution improvement, DC power supplies, construction of hardware, and troubleshooting.

OCN 207: Chemistry in the Oceanography Lab (Pre: OCN 101)

The topic list for this project is: sample preparation, gravimetric analysis, titrimetric analysis, instrumental analysis, spectrochemical analysis, UV-Vis and IR spectrometry, atomic spectroscopy, separations, gas chromatography, HPLC, electroanalytical chemistry, physical testing, bioanalysis, general chemical synthesis, inorganic synthesis, and organic synthesis.

OCN 208: Computer Hardware (Pre: OCN 101 or 102)

The topic list for this project is: operating systems, the boot process, power supplies, floppy drives, hard drives, optimizing and protecting hard drives, I/O devices, multimedia devices and mass storage, modems, networking, printers, the motherboard, SCSI, building a PC, computer architecture, memory, number systems and codes, gates, TTL and CMOS circuits, boolean algebra and Karnaugh maps, arithmetic logic units, flip-flops, registers and counters, state machines, bus organization and memory, memory organization, caches and virtual memory, the simplest computer, instructions for the simplest computer, programming the simplest computer, microprocessors, assembly language, data transfer instructions, arithmetic and flags, logical instructions, shift and rotate instructions, addressing modes, branching and loops, subroutine and stack instructions, Intel architecture, other architectures, notebooks, tablets, PDAs, performance, and reconfigurable hardware.

OCN 209: Control Systems (Pre: OCN 101)

The topic list for this project is: modeling systems, difference equations, linear systems, Laplace transforms, Z transforms, state variable models, feedback control systems, root locus method, frequency response methods, stability in the frequency domain, design of feedback control systems, robust control systems, and digital control systems.

OCN 210: Oceanic Data Analysis (Pre: OCN 101 or 102)

The topic list for this project is: uncertainties in measurements, probability distributions, error analysis, estimates of mean and errors, Monte Carlo techniques, least-squares fit to a straight line, least-squares fit to a polynomial, least-squares fit to some arbitrary function, fitting composite curves, the maximum-likelihood method, goodness of fit, factor analysis, multiple regression, multiple discriminant analysis, multivariate analysis of variance, conjoint analysis, correlation analysis, cluster analysis, and multidimensional scaling.

OCN 211: Symbolic Computational Oceanography (Pre: OCN 102)

The topic list for this project is: basic algebraic manipulations, simplification, expression expansion, sets of variables, predicates, extracting portions of expressions, trigonometric manipulations, Solve, DSolve, RSolve, other methods for solving equations, calculus, limits and series, integral transforms, polynomials, factoring, elementary functions, factorial-style functions, combinatorial functions, number theoretic functions, zeta functions, hypergeometric functions, orthogonal polynomials, elliptic integrals and elliptic functions, Mathieu functions, generalized functions, list operations, vectors, matrices, algebraic inequalities, variational methods, operators, and tensors.

OCN 212: Numerical Oceanography (Pre: OCN 102)

The topic list for this project is: approximation and roundoff error, truncation errors, Taylor series, bracketing methods, open methods, roots of polynomials, nonlinear equation solving, gaussian elmination, LU decomposition, matrix inversion, special matrices, Gauss-Seidel method, direct methods for linear systems, iterative methods for linear systems, nonlinear systems, chaotic systems, random processes, approximation theory, one-dimensional unconstrained optimization, mutlidimensional unconstrained optimization, constrained optimization, least squares regression, interpolation, splines, extrapolation, Fourier approximation, curve fitting, Newton-Cotes integration, integration of equations, numerical differentiation, numerical integration, Runge-Kutta methods, stiffness, multistep methods, boundary-value problems, eigenvalue problems, ordinary differential equations, finite difference methods for elliptic equations, parabolic equations, Ritz-Galerkin methods, finite element methods, simulation with particles, Monte Carlo methods, random walks, percolation, fractals, and complexity.

OCN 213: Oceanographic Visualization (Pre: OCN 102)

The topic list for this project is: computer graphics, data analysis, scalar visualization, flow visualization, continuum volume display, animation, and behavior over time.

OCN 214: Computational Fluid Dynamics (Pre: OCN 102)

The topic list for this project is: fluid flows, numerical methods, finite difference methods, finite volume methods, finite element methods, linear systems, unsteady problems, the Navier-Stokes equation, convection-dominated flows, complex geometries, turbulent flows, compressible flows, weighted residual methods, grid generation, efficiency improvement, accuracy improvement, chemically reactive flows, combustion, acoustics, radiative heat transfer, multiphase flows, electromagnetic flows, and relativistic flows.

OCN 215: Dynamical Systems Modeling (Pre: OCN 102)

The topic list for this project is: stability of dynamical systems, bifurcation, numerical methods, nonlinear oscillations, attractors, autonomous oscillations, homoclinic trajectories, two-frequency oscillation breakdown, breakdown in higher frequency oscillations, synchronization of chaos, noise, and the reconstruction of dynamical systems from experimental data.

OCN 216: Advanced Theoretical Oceanography (Pre: OCN 103)

The topic list for this project is: field theory, field equations, variational principles for fields, analytic function theory, residue theory, asymptotic expansions and conformal mapping, ordinary differential equations, boundary-value problems, eigenfunction methods, theory of finite groups, topology, differential geometry, integral equations, Sturm-Liouville theory, Green's functions, perturbation methods, Laplace's equation, Poisson's equation, the wave equation, the diffusion equation, the Schrödinger equation, stochastic processes, stochastic differential equations, phase portraits, stability and bifurcation, nonlinear differential equations, nonlinear integral equations, exact solutions of nonlinear equations, symmetries of differential equations, normal modes in nonlinear dynamical systems, and vector fields.

OCN 217: Geometric Methods (Pre: OCN 103)

OCN 218: Differential Equations (Pre: OCN 103)

OCN 219: Linear Algebra (Pre: OCN 103)

OCN 220: Integral Transform Methods (Pre: OCN 103)

OCN 221: Complex Analysis (Pre: OCN 103)

OCN 222: Special Functions (Pre: OCN 103)

OCN 223: Calculus of Variations (Pre: OCN 103)

OCN 224: Algebra (Pre: OCN 103)

OCN 225: Discrete Mathematica (Pre: OCN 103)

OCN 226: Probability and Statistics (Pre: OCN 103)

OCN 227: Ocean Geomorphology (Pre: OCN 104)

OCN 228: Ocean Basins (Pre: OCN 104)

OCN 229: Oceanic Crust (Pre: OCN 104)

OCN 230: Mid-Ocean Ridges (Pre: OCN 104)

OCN 231: Hydrothermal Vents (Pre: OCN 104)

OCN 232: Coastal Processes (Pre: OCN 104)

OCN 233: Sediments (Pre: OCN 104)

OCN 234: Paleoceanography (Pre: OCN 104)

OCN 235: Physical Ocean Chemistry (Pre: OCN 105)

OCN 236: Analytical Ocean Chemistry (Pre: OCN 105)

OCN 237: Organic Ocean Chemistry (Pre: OCN 105)

OCN 238: Inorganic Ocean Chemistry (Pre: OCN 105)

OCN 239: Atmosphere-Ocean Interactions (Pre: OCN 106)

OCN 240: Ocean Thermodynamics (Pre: OCN 106)

OCN 241: Ocean Dynamics (Pre: OCN 106)

OCN 242: Ocean Waves (Pre: OCN 106)

OCN 243: Ocean Procaryotes (Pre: OCN 107)

OCN 244: Ocean Protists (Pre: OCN 107)

OCN 245: Ocean Fungi (Pre: OCN 107)

OCN 246: Ocean Plants (Pre: OCN 107)

OCN 247: Ocean Invertebrates (Pre: OCN 107)

OCN 248: Ocean Fish (Pre: OCN 107)

OCN 249: Ocean Reptiles (Pre: OCN 107)

OCN 250: Ocean Birds (Pre: OCN 107)

OCN 251: Ocean Mammals (Pre: OCN 107)

OCN 252: Ocean Ecology (Pre: OCN 107)

OCN 253: Independent Study

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