The Sea State: Playa Reina, Mariato - Oceanography

This course presents modern ideas and descriptions of the physical and biological aspects of oceanography, and considers the interactions between these aspects. From tides to estuaries, from sea life to surf breaks, the interplay between physics and biology is the key to understanding how the ocean will respond to changing climates. In this course students will learn how scientists use physical processes to explain a wide variety of dynamics that shape the ocean and the life it supports. Additionally students will observe coastal ocean processes first hand by conducting their own field experiments in the various beaches, esturaies and coastal embayments of coastal Panama, developing basic data analysis skills, and learning to analyze and interpret their own data. The course will culminate with a final project on a current issue of their choice.