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 ![Sediment core detail, macro — Course imagery, geoscience.](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/2026-01/Sediment_Core_Detail.png.avif?itok=bCwCZ9s-)

 

 



Covers the chemical composition of seawater, the major and minor element cycles, dissolved gases, nutrient distribution and limitation, and the carbonate system.

The carbonate material extends beyond the standard open-ocean treatment. In coastal water, respiration, river input, upwelling and photosynthesis move pH on hourly and seasonal timescales that substantially exceed the long-term acidification trend. Organisms sensitive to acidification live inside that variability, and a shellfish larva experiences the hour it is in rather than an annual mean. The course works from high-frequency sensor records collected in the Aldwych estuary and at Prentice.

Laboratory work covers titration, nutrient analysis and sensor calibration.



Course code

OCEA 230

 

Course credit

1.00

 

Instructors

[Dr. Hana Vasquez](/person/dr-hana-vasquez)

 

 

Prerequisite

OCEA 110 and one semester of general chemistry.



 

Terms offered

spring

 

 

Offering frequency

annually