75613 - Introduction to Marine Sciences

Learning outcomes

The course introduces to the principles of marine sciences in terms of geology, oceanography, chemistry and biology. In detail, students will learn on physiographyic and evolutive characteristics of the marine environment, physical and chemical characteristics of water masses, biology and biodiversity of main marine animals, and with other basic information necessary to continue with the other disciplines of the MSc.

Course contents

Part 1: Principles of physical oceanography. Main hydrodynamic processes acting at the coast, shelf and in the open sea: oceanic and coastal currents, waves and tides. Sea-level changes at the long-, medium- and short-term. Physiography of marine areas, with particolar regard to the Mediterranean Sea. Sediment and gran-size analyses. Marine and coastal sedimentation. The littoral system: wave- and tide-dominated littoral systems. Deltas and estuaries.

Readings/Bibliography

Lessons are based on the following texts:

Ricci Lucchi F. – I ritmi del mare. NIS 
Seibold E. and Berger W.H. - The Sea Floor. Springer-Verlag.
Waves, tides and shallow-water processes. The Open University, 1989.
Libes S. - Introduction to marine biogeochemistry. Academic Press, 2009.

Peter Castro, Michael E. Huber. - Biologia marina ISBN: 9788838666513

 

Teaching methods

The course has overall 6 CFU, all of frontal lectures. Part 1 is composed of 3 CFU, Part 2 of 1 CFU e Part 3 of 2 CFU.

Assessment methods

Final written test.

Teaching tools

Lectures are carried out through Power Point presentations; all slides can be downloaded from  AMS Campus - AlmaDL - Università di Bologna , http://campus.unibo.it).

Office hours

See the website of Claudia Romagnoli

See the website of Daniele Fabbri

See the website of Fausto Tinti