COURSES

DMS COURSES

MARINE SCIENCES

ADVANCED UNDERGRADUATE COURSES

CIMA 5005 INTRODUCTION TO OCEANOGRAPHY (I, II) (On demand)

Three credit hours. Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisite: authorization of the Director of the Department. Basic knowledge, techniques, and areas of interest of the different disciplines of marine sciences. The interaction and research aims in Physical, Geological, Chemical and Biological Oceanography.

CIMA 5007. INTRODUCTION TO OCEAN OBSERVATION. Three credit hours. Three hours of lecture per week.

Discussion of the scientific and practical applications of ocean observation. Evaluation of the different types of observation platforms from the most traditional such as buoys and ships to the modern autonomous submersible vehicles and satellites in polar and geostationary orbits. Investigation of the different types of physical, chemical, and biological sensors installed on these platforms, as well as their principles of operation, limitations and environmental and energy requirements. Evaluation of telemetry protocols and data storage in the operation of the observation system.

CIMA 5008 LABORATORY OF INTRODUCTION TO OCEANOGRAPHY

One credit hour. Three hours of laboratory per week. Co-requisite: CIMA 5005. Application of basic knowledge and techniques in different areas and disciplines of interest within marine sciences. The application exercises present the research aims, scopes, and interaction between Physical, Geological, Chemical, and Biological Oceanography.

GRADUATE COURSES

CIMA 6007. PROFESSIONAL RESEARCH CONDUCT IN OCEAN SCIENCES. Two credit hours. Two hours of discussion per week. (SPRING)

Discussion of responsible research conduct and training for graduate students. Additional emphasis on Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) in ocean sciences research.

CIMA 6900. GRADUATE RESEARCH PROJECT IN MARINE SCIENCES. Zero to six credit hours. One hour of discussion and eight hours of research per week.

Prerequisites: Approve three of four core courses: (CMOB 6618and CMOF 6617 and CMOG 6616 and CMOQ 6615) or authorization of the Director of the Department. Comprehensive study of a problem related to any of the marine sciences disciplines, biological, physical, geological and /or chemical oceanography, which integrates the knowledge acquired in the program. The project could be done in house (CIMA) or in any other institution (public or private) and the selected topic will depend on the student’s interest. At the end of the project, the student must submit a final report that shows main results, acquired experience and applications. This report will be evaluated by the student’s graduate committee.

CIMA 6999. RESEARCH AND THESIS (I, II, S)

One to six credit hours. Up to a maximum of six credits representing the research and thesis may be granted towards the master of science degree.

CIMA 8785. CURRENT TOPICS SEMINAR (II)

Two credit hours. Two hours of lecture per week. Recent topics in marine sciences and related fields.

CIMA 8998. SPECIAL PROBLEMS (I, II, S)

One to three credit hours. One to three sessions per week. Tutorial discussion and/or laboratory and library research on a special topic.

CIMA 8999. DOCTORAL RESEARCH AND DISSERTATION (I, II, S)

Up to twelve credit hours. Up to a maximum of twelve credits representing the dissertation may be granted toward the Doctor of Philosophy degree.

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MARINE SCIENCES BIOLOGICAL OCEANOGRAPHY (CMOB)

ADVANCED UNDERGRADUATE COURSES

Biological oceanography seeks to understand the life histories and population dynamics of marine organisms and how they interact with their environment over space and time. Biological oceanographers in the department utilize a variety of techniques including SCUBA, shipboard samplers, acoustics, molecular biology, and mathematical modeling to understand the oceans and their inhabitants. Research is focus on: marine physiology, botany, microbiology, ichthyology invertebrates, remote sensing, molecular biology, and fisheries.

CMOB 5015. FISHERIES BIOLOGY (I, II)

Three credit hours. Three hours of lecture per week. A study of the principles and methods of fisheries investigation with emphasis on the fisheries of North America and the Caribbean. Field trips.

CMOB 5017. MARINE ECOLOGY AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Five credit hours. Three hours of lecture and two three-hour laboratories per week. Prerequisite: authorization of the Director of the Department. Description of the marine environment and familiarization with the major tropical marine communities; data-gathering and biological sampling techniques; human impact on the marine environment from the standpoint of pollution,
exploitation, protection, and regulation; jurisprudence in major litigation involving marine resources; management practices.

CMOB 5087. AQUACULTURE AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Three credit hours. Three hours of lecture per week. Impact of aquaculture on the environment and the mitigation of its effects. Field trips required.

GRADUATE COURSES

CMOB 6018. MARINE ECOLOGY (I, II) (On demand)

Four credit hours. Three hours of lecture and one three-hour laboratory per week. Structure and function of marine ecosystems; flux of energy and materials in biogeochemical cycles.

CMOB 6077. ZOOPLANKTON ECOLOGY(On demand)

Three credit hours. Two hours of lecture and one three-hour laboratory per week. Three credit hours. Two hours of lecture and one three hour laboratory per week. Prerequisite: authorization of the Director of the Department.

CMOB 6079 DNA DATA ANALISYS OF MARINE ORGANISMS – Three credit hours. Two hours of lecture and one three-hour laboratory per week.

Introduction To Modern Population Genetics And Phylogenetics Of Marine Species. Study Of The Different Types Of Molecular Data And Their Collection; Phylogeny Reconstruction By Parsimony, Distance, And Likelihood Methods; Tests Of The Molecular Clock For Dating Speciation Events; Darwinian Selection At The Molecular Level, Interspecies Variation, Detection Of Population Structure; And Genomic Evolution. Analysis Of Real Data From The Marine Scientific Literature With Computer Software In Population Genetics And Phylogenetics.

CMOB 6618. BIOLOGICAL OCEANOGRAPHY(I)

Three credit hours. Two hours of lecture and one three-hour laboratory per week. Marine life and its relationship to geological, physical and chemical aspects of the ocean; basic techniques fundamental to marine research. Demonstrations and field trips.

CMOB 6619. BIO-OPTICAL OCEANOGRAPHY (I)(On demand)

Four credit hours. Three hours of lecture and one three-hour laboratory per week. Prerequisite: Authorization of the Director of the Department. Integrated study of the role of light in aquatic ecosystems including the physics of light transmission within water, the biochemistry and physiology of aquatic photosynthesis, and the ecological relationships that depend on the underwater light environment. Field trips required.

CMOB 6635. RESEARCH METHODS IN MARINE SCIENCES (II)

Three credit hours. Three hours of lecture per week. Techniques of data collection, analysis, and interpretation with emphasis on research problems relevant to the marine ecosystems of Puerto Rico.

CMOB 6645. MARINE PLANKTON BIOLOGY (I, II)(On demand)

Two credit hours. One hour of lecture and one three-hour laboratory per week. Study of the marine plankton with emphasis on systematics, morphology, life histories, physiology, feeding, and reproduction. Importance of plankton on the economy of the sea, particularly in their role as primary and secondary producers. Field trips required.

CMOB 6655. MOLECULAR MARINE BIOLOGY (I, II)(On demand)

Four credit hours. Two hours of lecture and two three-hour laboratories per week. Prerequisite: authorization of the Director of the Department. Theory, practice, and applications of molecular marine biology.

CMOB 8635. MARINE MICROBIOLOGY

Three credit hours. Two hours of lecture and three hours of laboratory per week. Analysis of marine microorganisms with emphasis on their functions in nutrient cycling in the ocean, and the role of algae, bacteria, protozoans, fungi and viruses. Emphasis on the presence of non-culturable microorganisms in the marine environment and their research methods.

CMOB 8649. CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF READINGS IN MARINE ECOLOGY (II)(On demand)

Two credit hours. Four hours of seminar per week. Study of classical and recent readings in marine ecology. Analysis of authors’ aims, methods, results, and interpretations.

CMOB 8665 MORPHOLOGY OF MARINE INVERTEBRATES -Three credit hours. Two hours of lecture and one three-hour laboratory per week.

Form, Structure And Function Of Representative Marine Invertebrates.

CMOB 8667. ADVANCED FISHERIES BIOLOGY (I, II)(On demand)

Three credit hours. Two hours of lecture and one three-hour laboratory per week. Prerequisites: authorization of the Director of the Department. Population dynamics of exploited species, management and conservation principles for commercial fisheries.

CMOB 8676. SYSTEMATICS OF MARINE INVERTEBRATES (I)(On demand)

Four credit hours. Three hours of lecture and one four-hour laboratory per week. Taxonomy, phylogeny and distribution of marine invertebrates with special attention to local forms.

CMOB 8679. MARINE BOTANY (I, II).Three credit hours

Two hours of lecture and one three hour laboratory per week. A study of the flora of the sea, with emphasis on the morphology, ecology and taxonomy of algae.

CMOB 8686. ICHTHYOLOGY I (II)(On demand)

Three credit hours. Two hours of lecture and one three-hour laboratory per week. A study of the morphology, physiology and ecology of fishes, with emphasis on marine forms.

CMOB 8687. ICHTHYOLOGY II (I)(On demand)

Three credit hours. Two hours of lecture and one three-hour laboratory per week. A study of the systematics, evolution and distribution of fishes, with emphasis on marine forms.

CMOB 8708. BIOLOGY OF THE CORAL REEF

Five credit hours. Three hours of lecture and five hours of laboratory per week. Prerequisite: CMOB 8676. Exploration of the systematic, evolution, and biological characteristics (structure, modularity, life cycles, reproduction, etc.) of the main organisms forming coral reef communities. Field trips to coral reef communities and laboratory work are required.

CMOB 8709. ECOLOGY AND ZOOGEOGRAPHY OF CORAL REEFS

Five credit hours. Three hours of lecture and one six-hour laboratory per week. Prerequisite: CMOB 8708 or authorization of the Director of the Department. Study of the ecology and geographical distribution of corals and coral reefs. Field trips are required.

CMOB 8715. ECOLOGICAL CONCEPTS IN MARINE RESEARCH (I, II)(On demand)

Three credit hours. Two hours of lecture and one three hour laboratory per week. Advanced ecological concepts with special emphasis on the marine environment; energy relationships in ecological systems; application of quantitative biology and experimental methods in ecological research.

CMOB 8716. ECOLOGY OF MARINE COMMUNITIES SEMINAR (II)(On demand)

Two credit hours. Two sessions per week. Composition and quantitative structure of selected marine assemblages, and their energetic and tropic relationships.

CMOB 8994. A, B, C. SPECIAL PROBLEMS IN MARINE INVERTEBRATES (I, II)(On demand)

One to three credit hours. One to three sessions per week. Supervised study or research on specific selected aspects of marine invertebrates, or techniques pertaining to their study.

CHEMICAL OCEANOGRAPHY (CMOQ)

GRADUATE COURSES

Chemical oceanographers seek to understand the ways in which various elements are cycled within the oceans, and the reactions that these elements undergo. Ocean chemists improve our understanding of the basic conditions under which ocean life thrives in seawater, and help predict the effects of anthropogenic and natural climate change on ocean composition. Research is based on: eutrophication, primary productivity, water gases, ocean acidification, marine contamination, and biochemical cycles.

CMOQ 6008. OPEN DATA SCIENCE IN CHEMICAL OCEANOGRAPHY. One credit hour. Three hours of laboratoy per week.

Study of chemical oceanography through the description of patterns in publicly available data of ocean time series, satellite remote sensing, and Earth system climate model output. Practice in downloading and managing publicly available data, chemical oceanography toolboxes, scientific visualizations, and description of oceanographic processes.

CMOQ 6615. CHEMICAL OCEANOGRAPHY (II)

Three credit hours. Three hours of lecture per week. General survey of chemical oceanography, including application of basic concepts of physical and analytical chemistry to the marine environments, chemical interactions of major and minor constituents of seawater, the influence of chemical processes on physical, biological, and geological processes.

CMOQ 6617. MARINE POLLUTION (II)(On demand)

Three credit hours. Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisite: CMOQ 6615 or CIMA 6615. Deleterious effects on living resources, human health, marine activities, and water quality caused by the anthropogenic introduction of substances or energy into the marine environment.

CMOQ 8616. OCEANOGRAPHIC TECHNIQUES (I)

Three credit hours. One hour of lecture and one six-hour laboratory period per week; also a three days’ duration training cruise. Pre-requisite: authorization of the Director of the Department. Training in the use of standard shipboard and laboratory techniques in physical, chemical, geological and biological oceanography. Planning and execution of a trip on a cruise. Data collection, processing and analysis.

CMOQ 8638. CHEMICAL OCEANOGRAPHY LABORATORY (I)

Three credit hours. One hour of lecture and six hours of laboratory per week. Laboratory experience in techniques of sampling and handling of marine samples, and the analyses of these samples for major, minor and trace constituents.

CMOQ 8991. A, B, C. SPECIAL PROBLEMS IN CHEMICAL OCEANOGRAPHY (I, II)(On demand)

One to three credit hours. One to three sessions per week. Laboratory studies of specific problems in chemical oceanography. Topics to be chosen by the student and approved by the professor.

GEOLOGICAL OCEANOGRAPHY (CMOG)

GRADUATE COURSES

Geological oceanography is the study of Earth beneath the oceans. A geological oceanographer studies the topography, structure, and geological processes of the ocean floor to discover how the Earth and oceans were formed and how ongoing processes may change them in the future. Geological oceanography is one of the broadest fields in the Earth Sciences and contains many sub disciplines, including geophysics and plate tectonics, petrology and sedimentation processes, and micro-paleontology and stratigraphy. Geological oceanographers study many features of the oceans such as rises and ridges, trenches, seamounts, abyssal hills, the oceanic crust, sedimentation (clastic, chemical, and biological), erosional processes, and seismicity.

CMOG 5001. Introduction to Climate Change (I, II).

Three credit hours. Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisite: authorization of the Director of the Department. Overview of the principles of Earth’s climate covering a broad range of phenomena that influence climate at various regional and global time scales and resolutions. Discussion of climate forced by external controls. Description of the effects of internal forces and their variability, and human-induced climate change. Emphasis on the role of greenhouse gases and rates of change of these processes. Discussion of the future climate change scenarios and possible mitigating steps.

CMOG 5002. LABORATORY OF INTRODUCTION TO CLIMATE CHANGE.

One credit hour. Three hours of laboratory per week. Corequisite: CMOG 5001.Application and analyses of the principles of Earth’s climate covering a broad range of phenomena forced by external controls. Laboratory exercises include the use of proxy data, climate modeling, and analysis of climate change impacts.

CMOG 6616. GEOLOGICAL OCEANOGRAPHY (II)

Three credit hours. Two hours of lecture and one three hour laboratory per week. For students not majoring in Geological Oceanography. A review of the basic concepts of geology; geomorphology and structure of the ocean basins and continental shelves; techniques of marine exploration and research; study of the tectonic theories on the origin of marine basins and structural processes; the distribution of sediments, and marine sedimentary processes.

CMOG 8606. COASTAL GEOMORPHOLOGY (II)(On demand)

Three credit hours. Two hours of lecture and one three-hour laboratory per week. The origin of coastal features and their relationships with shore problems relative to the basic sciences; presentation of the forces that modify the shores. Discussion and field trips.

CMOG 8618. MARINE GEOLOGY OF THE CARIBBEAN (I, II)(On demand)

Four credit hours. Two hours of lecture and two three-hour laboratory periods per week. Prerequisite: 15 credit hours in Geology. Synthesis and analysis of the marine geology of the Caribbean, using published data and cruise information; survey of our present knowledge of bathymetry, and of the structure, sediments and stratigraphy of the Caribbean.

CMOG 8655. MARINE BIOGEOGRAPHY (I, II)

(On demand). Three credit hours. Three hours of lecture per week. The origin, speciation and distribution of marine plants and animals in relation to the physical, chemical and physiological aspects of the ocean, with special emphasis on tropical biota.

CMOG 8675. ADVANCED GEOLOGICAL OCEANOGRAPHY (I, II)(On demand)

Three credit hours. Two hours of lecture and one three-hour laboratory per week. A comprehensive review of the geomorphology and structure of the ocean basins; analysis of tectonic theories and structural processes operating in the marine environment; distribution of marine sediments.

CMOG 8706. STRUCTURE OF CORAL REEF

Three credit hours. One hour of lecture and two three-hour laboratories per week. Structure, development, and methods of study of coral reefs. Field trips required.

CMOG 8717. SPECIAL PROBLEMS IN MARINE GEOLOGY (II)(On demand)

One to three credit hours. One to three hours of lecture and one three-hour laboratory per week. Supervised study or research on specific aspects in marine geology.

PHYSICAL OCEANOGRAPHY (CMOF)

Physical oceanography involves the study of water movement in the ocean. Energy is introduced to the ocean through wind and solar heating, and these combine with the rotation of the Earth and gravitational effects to drive ocean circulation, tides, and waves. Our physical oceanographers also investigate how the Earth’s oceans are directly coupled with the atmosphere, from local weather patterns to the global climate system. The research is focus on coastal structures, atmospheric, ocean turbulences, remote sensing, geophysical dynamics, surface waves mechanics, coastal sediment transport, estuarine circulation and analytical and numerical models.

CMOF 5005. COASTAL STRUCTURES

Three credit hours. Three hours of lecture per week. Types of coastal structures; their purpose, design, construction, and environmental impact.

CMOF 5015. PHYSICAL OCEANOGRAPHY FOR ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES

Three credit hours. Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites: (MATE 4009 and (FISI 3172 or FISI 3162)) or authorization of the Director of the Department. Introduction to topics in physical oceanography such as heat budget, physical properties of seawater, oceanic mixing processes, and equations of conservation of heat, salt, and momentum. Analysis of the origin of marine currents by applying the concepts of potential vorticity conservation and Sverdrup circulation. Description of the mechanics of surface and deep currents.

CMOF 6005. METHODS OF OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA ANALYSIS (II) (On demand).

Three credit hours. Three hours of lecture per week. Oceanographic data analysis emphasizing computer techniques: exploratory data analysis, regression analysis, scalar and vector spectral analysis, maximum entropy spectral analysis, empirical orthogonal eigen functions, filters, complex demodulation.

CMOF 6006. ATMOSPHERIC AND OCEANIC TURBULENCE (I, II)(On demand)

Three credit hours. Three hours of lecture per week. Fundamental concepts of turbulence and their application to the study of geophysical fluids.

CMOF 6617. PHYSICAL OCEANOGRAPHY (I)

Three credit hours. Three hours of lecture per week. General introduction to the study of physical processes in the sea; physical properties of sea water, heat budget, water budget, temperature salinity relationships, light in the sea, equations of motion, vertical stability, Coriolis effect geostrophic motion, general oceanic circulation, waves and tides.

CMOF 6631-6632. GEOPHYSICAL FLUID DYNAMICS I-II

Three credit hours. Three hours of lecture per week each semester. Prerequisite: authorization of the Director of the Department. The dynamics of large-scale motions in the ocean and the atmosphere. Theories of stratified fluids in rotation and of geophysical waves.

CMOF 6445. REMOTE SENSING IN OCEANOGRAPHY I

Four credit hours. Two hours of lecture and two three-hour laboratories per week. Prerequisite: Authorization of the Director of the Department. Remote sensing and its application in oceanography, including comparison with field data. Field trips are required.

CMOF 8446. REMOTE SENSING IN OCEANOGRAPHY II

Four credit hours. Two hours of lecture and one six hour laboratory per week. Prerequisite: CMOF 6445. Advanced concepts of remote sensing and their application in oceanography, including comparison with field data. Field trips are required. (SPRING)

CMOF 6655. OCEAN SURFACE WAVE MECHANICS

Three credits hours. Three hours of lecture per week. Study of the mechanics of ocean surface gravity waves, including theory, kinematical, statistics, spectra and forces.

CMOF 8446. OCEANOGRAPHIC REMOTE SENSING II

CMOF 8619. COASTAL OCEANOGRAPHY

Three credit hours. Three hours of lecture per week. Interactions between long and short period waves and the shore; tides, storm surges, seiches, shoaling wave theories, wave refraction and diffraction, breakers, run-up, longshore currents, nearshore sediment transportation, foreshore processes.

CMOF 8659. COMPUTER MODELING IN OCEANOGRAPHY AND METEOROLOGY (I, II)(On demand)

Three credit hours. Three hours of lecture per week. Finite difference methods for the solution of the hydrodynamic equations that appear in numerical models of the atmosphere and the ocean, emphasizing the solution of the linear and nonlinear advection equation, numerical filtering techniques, and mesh systems.

CMOF 8990. A, B, C. SPECIAL PROBLEMS IN PHYSICAL OCEANOGRAPHY (I, II)(On demand)

One to three credit hours. One to three sessions per week. Selected topics in physical oceanography.

NOTE: The information on this page changes frequently, may be outdated and in need of revision. Please contact us for the most up to date information, cima@uprm.edu.