Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Unit convenor
Stefan Löhr
Contact via Email
Office 334, 12 Wally's Walk
By Appointment
Lecturer
Christopher Firth
Contact via Email
By Appointment
Lecturer
Lucy McGee
Contact via Email
By Appointment
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Credit points |
Credit points
3
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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Unit description |
Unit description
This unit introduces students to the marine environment through study of the oceans, past and present. From the perspective of a marine scientist this unit considers: aspects of the geological history and dynamics of the oceans; recent techniques for probing the ocean's depths; physical oceanographic processes; ocean circulation patterns; depositional environments; marine environments supporting life; long term global climate change; and human interactions with the marine environment. The unit includes practical exercises including a boat trip to investigate sediment in a local estuary.
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Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
General Assessment Information
All assessment tasks must be submitted electronically via the unit iLearn site. Students must keep a copy of their reports. The submission deadlines are as follows:
Report 1: 9.00 AM, 18th Sept 2017
Report 2: 9.00 AM, 13th Nov 2017
Late penalties: 10 % of your mark will be deducted for the first day that the assignment is received after the deadline, and 5% for each further day. Extensions for late assignments will be granted only if misadventure (including incapacitating sickness) can be demonstrated. If you need to apply for an extension, you must EMAIL THE UNIT CONVENOR BEFORE THE DUE DATE of the assignment and state the reason you are seeking an extension. This will not be granted automatically, but will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Reports: You will be given specific details of what is expected closer to the date.
Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
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Report 1 | 17% | No | Week 7 |
Report 2 | 17% | No | Week 13 |
Quizzes | 16% | No | Weekly |
Final Exam | 50% | No | Final exam period |
Due: Week 7
Weighting: 17%
You will be investigating data collected from the Port Hacking field trip (Saturday 26th August). You will analyse the collected sediments to identify the sediment source and transport processes. This report has a group (30%) and an individual component (70%).
Due: Week 13
Weighting: 17%
The North and South American continents have not always been joined as they are today. The Central American ‘land-bridge’, known as the Isthmus of Panama, gradually formed between 13 and 1.9 Ma. Your task will be to investigate the implications of the closing of the Straits of Panama on ocean circulation, climate and marine biogeography.
Due: Weekly
Weighting: 16%
Quizzes will be given weekly, starting Week 2 and will cover material from the lectures, practicals and the weekly reading topics.
Due: Final exam period
Weighting: 50%
The Final Exam will cover material from the lectures, practicals, weekly readings and assignments.
The class will be delivered through iLearn, lectures, practicals as well as set weekly reading. In addition, you are encourage to do your own research.
You are required to attend 1 lecture session and 1 two-hour practical session each week. Note that there is no practical in week 1:
Lecture: Thursdays 1 PM - 2 PM, Y3A T1
Practical: Multiple slots offered, all in E5A 250
Lecture slides and related material are provided on the iLearn unit website.
Textbook
There is no prescribed text for this unit because there are no recent, comprehensive marine geology textbooks. Most readings you will be assigned are from Douglas Segar's "Introduction to Ocean Sciences". The third edition of this excellent book is available free of charge as an ebook from the author's website (http://www.reefimages.com/oceansci.php). This book has an oceanographic focus so that additional readings will be made available via iLearn to cover the palaeoceanographic and marine geology elements that are part of GEOS126.
Make sure you have a look at the Encyclopedia of Marine Geosciences (Springer, available as ebook through the library), this features brief articles covering all aspects of marine geology and is very helpful if you have trouble understanding any of the concepts. Finally, if you can find a second-hand copy, James Kennett's "Marine Geology" (1982) and Seibold & Berger's "The Sea Floor" (1996) are both well worth looking at.
Fieldtrip
A half-day fieldtrip to Port Hacking will also give you some hands-on marine science experience. Participation in the fieldtrip is not compulsory, but you are strongly encouraged to attend. The trip is scheduled for Saturday 26th August. More details will be announced at the start of semester.
2017 Dates | Lecture Topic | Lecturer | Practical | Due Dates |
Week 1 (31/7) | The Ocean Planet - Why study marine geoscience? | Stefan Löhr | NO PRAC IN WEEK 1 | |
Week 2 (7/8) | Plate Tectonics – Birth & death of ocean basins | Lucy McGee | TBD | |
Week 3 (14/8) | Origin & morphology of ocean margins | Chris Firth | Plate tectonics | |
Week 4 (21/8) | Mountains to the sea - erosion, transport & deposition of sediments | Stefan Löhr | Implications of basin size & shape | |
Fieldtrip (26/8) | ||||
Week 5 (28/8) | Sediment transport: the role of waves & currents | Stefan Löhr | Particle size, deposition and accumulation rates | |
Week 6 (4/9) | Sedimentation on the continental shelf, slope and rise | Stefan Löhr | Classification of sediments 1: lithogenic sediments | |
Week 7 (11/9) | Biogenic sediments & sedimentation in the deep sea | Stefan Löhr | Classification of sediments 2: biogenic & authigenic sediments | Assignment 1 Due |
Mid-Semester Break (18/9-1/10) | ||||
Week 8 (2/10) | Atmospheric circulation | Stefan Löhr | Primary production, export production & the carbon pump | |
Week 9 (9/10) | Ocean circulation | Stefan Löhr | Atmospheric circulation & coriolis | |
Week 10 (16/10) | Ocean chemistry | Stefan Löhr | Causes of ocean circulation | |
Week 11 (23/10) | Drivers and impact of sea level change | Stefan Löhr | Why is the ocean salty? | |
Week 12 (30/10) | Palaeoceanography - the deep sea record | Stefan Löhr | The sedimentary record of glacial-interglacial cycles | |
Week 13 (6/11) | Critical events in ocean history | Stefan Löhr | Causes and impact of ocean oxygen depletion | Assignment 2 Due |
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html
Assessment Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy_2016.html
Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html
Complaint Management Procedure for Students and Members of the Public http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/complaint_management/procedure.html
Disruption to Studies Policy (in effect until Dec 4th, 2017): http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html
Special Consideration Policy (in effect from Dec 4th, 2017): https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policies/special-consideration
In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/
Results shown in iLearn, or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au.
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.
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