Welcome to Marine Biogeochemistry - Spring 2019

syllabus

EE Department's Statement of Diversity and INCLUSION

weekly journal directions

General class guidelines and discussion rubric

I am very excited to be working with you this semester as we explore marine biogeochemistry! On this website you'll find all the information you need for the course including readings, assignments, due dates, etc.  I will also include extra readings, videos, etc. of things I find interesting. You do not need to read/watch anything labeled extra unless you want to (which I hope you will). 

Lecture 1 (1/22/2019): Introductions

Lecture 2 (1/24/2019): The Basic Biology of Biogeochemistry 

Reading for in class discussion:

• ​Schlesinger (2004): Better Living through Biogeochemistry

Extras:
Great overview of history and current updates on origin of life science

Great talk about the history of the universe
​
Ignorance: How it drives science - by Stuart Firestein
​Firestein's Ted Talk: The Pursuit of Ignorance

Lecture 3 (1/29/2019): The Basic Geology of Biogeochemistry

Lecture 4 (1/31/2019): The Basic Chemistry of Biogeochemistry

Lecture ppt.

Reading:​

• Swenson: Why is the Ocean Salty?
• Lagerloaf (2012): Satellite Mission Monitors Ocean Salinity

Extra reading - this will help with the thermodynamics part of the lecture:

• ​​Canfield et al. (2005): Thermodynamics and Microbial Metabolism (Sections 6 - 10 are most important)

Spreadsheet going over calculation of Gibbs under environmental conditions. 

Lecture 5 (2/05/2019): Salt Marsh Productivity and Organic Matter Storage

Lecture ppt
​
Reading:

• Sections of Chapter 7 of Biogeochemistry: An Analysis of Global Change:
  • ​​Productivity in Wetland Ecosystems - p. 240-242
  • Organic Matter Storage - p. 242-248

Lecture 6 (2/07/2019): Microbial Metabolism/Anaerobic Respiration

Reading:

• Sections of Chapter 7 of Biogeochemistry: An Analysis of Global Change:
  • Microbial metabolism in Saturated Sediments - p. 248-255.
  • Anaerobic Metabolic Pathways - p. 259-270

Lecture 7 (2/12/2019): No class today

Lecture 8 (2/14/2019): Finish Salt Marsh Decomposition and begin Estuaries

Reading:

• Estuaries from Biogeochemistry: An Analysis of Global Change

Lecture 9 (2/19/2019): No Class, Monday Schedule

 Lecture 10 (2/21/2019): Human Impacts on Coastal Biogeochemistry

Estuary Comparison Assignment

Lecture 11 (2/26/2019): Exam I 

Lecture 13 (3/05/2019): Redfield Overview

Lecture 14 (3/07/2019): Limiting Nutrients from N to Z(n)
Reading:

• ​Redfield (1958) The Biological Control of Chemical Factors in the Environment.
• Martiny et al. (2013) Strong latitudinal patterns in the elemental ratios of marine plankton and organic matter. 

(3/12 and 3/14/2019): Spring Break, No Class

Lecture 15 (3/19/2019): In class, working as teams to prepare for Thursday

Assignment

Reading:
Start with this overview in Oceanus.
Then read Martin's original paper.
Then explore this amazing page of resources.

Lecture 16 (3/19/2019): Geo-engineering w/ Fe? The great debate!

Lecture 17 (3/21/2019): Detour Lecture - Oysters and Water Quality

Lecture 18 (3/26/2019): ​Microbial Loop
helpful slides
Reading:

• ​​Azam et al. (1983) The Ecological Role of Water-Column Microbes in the Sea
• Kirchman (1996) Microbial ferrous wheel
• Jiao et al. (2010) Microbial production of recalcitrant dissolved organic matter: long-term carbon storage in the global ocean.

Lecture 19 (4/02/2019): AOU
helpful slides
Reading: 

• ​Breitburg et al. (2018) - Declining oxygen in the global ocean and coastal waters

Lecture 20 (4/04/2019): ​Oxygen Ocean Papers - In Class Presentations
What: 
Each of you will find a paper on oxygen concentrations in the ocean (estuaries to open ocean counts), - you can't repeat a paper, so first come, first serve. Register your paper at this link.
Each of you will make no more than 2 ppt slides that describe the point of the paper. 

• Why does this research matter?
• What were the major questions they asked? 
• How did they answer them? 
• What were the major conclusions? 

Send me to this address (NOT MY BU ADDRESS) your two slides by  9 am, Thursday April 4th. Email to: [email protected]
Be ready to present them that day!

Lecture 21 (4/09/2019): Guest Lecture, Dr. Adrien Finzi - Biology
Lecture Slides

Lecture 22 (4/11/2019): Finish in class Ocean O2 presentations

​Exam II (Take home distributed)/No Journal this week

Lecture 23 (4/16/2019): ​ Ocean Sediment Diagenesis 
Lecture Slides

Lecture 24 (4/18/2019): Nitrogen Cycling - Water column 
Read me first: http://cmore.soest.hawaii.edu/cruises/biolincs/nitrogen.htm
Reading:

• ​Gruber (2009) The Marine Nitrogen Cycle: Overview and Challenges
• Galloway et al. (2003) The Nitrogen Cascade

Lecture Slides

Lecture 25 (4/23/2019): Ocean Acidification - Fact/Fiction, Myth/Reality

Read me first: http://ocean.si.edu/ocean-acidification

Reading:

• Doney et al. (2009) ​​Ocean Acidification: The Other CO2 problem.
• Duarte et al. (2013) Is Ocean Acidification an an Open Ocean Syndrome?

For fun if interested:

• Kroeker et al. (2013) Impacts of ocean acidification on marine organisms: quantifying sensitivities and interaction with warming.​

Lecture slides

Lecture 26 (4/25/2019):  Silicon Cycling Across the Land-Ocean Continuum
Reading:

• ​​Regueneau et al. (2010) Biogeochemical transformations of Silicon Along the Land-Ocean Continuum and Implications for the Global Carbon Cycle.​

Lecture slides

Lecture 27 (4/30/2019): Grad Student Presentation 

Lecture 28 (5/02/2019): Grad Student Presentation 
Restoration and Biogeochemistry Grad Presentation
Reading: Carey, J. Architects of the swap

Final Exam (5/09/2019): 12:30-2:30