Biotic Response to Sea Level Change (online only)

Prerequisites: Admission to graduate program in Marine Science.

This course is an overview of sea-level change over geologic time with an emphasis on mechanisms of change, evidence of past sea-level changes, and the impact of expected sea-level changes on the marine biosphere. Topics include: global climate change and eustasy, tectonically-forced sea-level change, epeiric seas, transgression and regression sedimentology, coastal geomorphology, and marine and coastal habitat change.

Field studies emphasize local evidence for sea-level change, habitat shift and reorganization, and human response to changing sea levels, such as community displacement, shoreline stabilization, and beach-fill nourishment. This course is designed for undergraduate and graduate students in the physical and biological marine sciences.