ENVC 420 - Estuarine and Nearshore Ecology

Credits: 5
Variable Credit Course: No

Lecture Hours: 44
Lab Hours: 22
Worksite/Clinical Hours: 0
Other Hours (LIA/Internships): 0

Course Description: Provide an integrated view of the ecological processes in estuaries and nearshore environments. Special emphasis will be on the Salish Sea and the Pacific Northwest coastal environments.

Prerequisite: Admission to BASEC or Department Chair permission.
Meets FQE Requirement: No
Integrative Experience Requirement: No

Student Learning Outcomes

Quantify coastal and estuarine ecology through abiotic and biotic controls of nutrient cycling and ecological food web connections.
Calculate primary and secondary production in estuaries and nearshore habitats.
Quantify oyster reef dynamics and production by measuring plankton and detrital inputs to the reef.
Assess hydrological and geomorphic changes in estuarine and nearshore habitats in response to anthropogenic influences.

Course Contents

Introduction to estuarine environments.
Geomorphology.
Physical oceanography.
Estuarine chemistry.
Abiotic and biotic controls on estuarine nutrient cycling.
Primary production of phytoplankton and upstream subsidies.
Benthic micro and macro algae.
Detrital food webs.
Secondary production by benthos, plankton, and nekton.
Saltmarshes.
Seagrass.
Tidal flats.
Oyster reefs.
Anthropogenic changes in estuarine and nearshore habitat types.
Hydrological and geomorphic changes in estuarine and nearshore habitats.
Biological changes in estuarine and nearshore habitats.

Instructional Units: 5.5