EPSS 15 Oceanography, Fall 2019

Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 1:00p-1:50p, Moore 100
Labs Meet in Geology 3820

Announcements

Welcome to EPSS 15: Blue Planet, and Introduction to Oceanography!

Our lecture final will be held on Wednesday, Dec. 11 from 3:00p-6:00p in Moore 100. You should bring pencils and an ID.
A practice lecture final is available here.

Lab finals will be taken during regular lab sections this week.
Please try to turn in all extra credit reports by Friday, Dec. 6 -- the final deadline is Wednesday, Dec. 11.

The 2nd midterm practice exam is here.

An updated draft syllabus is available here (updated Oct. 16). Fixed a mistake in the date of the lecture final (should be Dec. 11), slightly shuffled the order of topics covered near the end of the term, and added a column to show which instructor will give each lecture.

I will also try to keep an up-to-date copy of the syllabus on the course CCLE page (https://ccle.ucla.edu/course/view/19F-EPSSCI15-1)

Lab Reading (Acrobat pdf)
Lab 1 -- Maps and Charts posted Sept. 25, 2019
        Lab 1 Presentation slides posted Oct. 2, 2019
Lab 2 -- Bathymetry Oct. 2, 2019
        Lab 2 Presentation slides posted Oct. 11, 2019
Lab 3 -- Plate Tectonics Oct. 11, 2019
        Lab 3 Presentation slides posted Oct. 16, 2019
Lab 4 -- Marine Sediments Oct. 16, 2019
        Lab 4 Presentation slides posted Oct. 23, 2019
Lab 5 -- Seawater Oct. 23, 2019
        Lab 5 Presentation slides posted Oct. 30, 2019
Lab 6 -- Circulation Oct. 30, 2019
        Lab 6 Presentation slides posted Nov. 6, 2019
Lab 7 -- Food Chains Nov. 6, 2019
        Lab 7 Presentation slides posted Nov. 14, 2019
Lab 8 -- Intertidal organisms Nov. 14, 2019
        Lab 8 Presentation slides posted Nov. 20, 2019

Lecture Notes (Acrobat pdf)
Lecture 1 -- Introduction (low-res, high-res) posted Sept. 25, 2019
Lecture 2 -- Oceans and planets (low-res, high-res) posted Sept. 29, 2019
Lecture 3 -- Shape of the seafloor 1 (low-res, high-res) posted Oct. 1, 2019
Lecture 4 -- Shape of the seafloor 2 (low-res, high-res) posted Oct. 2, 2019
Lectures 5-7 -- Plate tectonics 1-3 posted Oct. 6, 2019
Lectures 8-9 -- Marine sediments 1-2 posted Oct. 14, 2019
Lectures 10-12 -- Seawater 1-3 posted Oct. 16, 2019
Lecture 13 -- Wind 1 (low-res, high-res) updated Oct. 30, 2019 (rearranged slides to include Santa Ana winds)
Lecture 14 -- Wind 2 (low-res, high-res) posted Oct. 30, 2019
Lecture 15 -- Current 1 (low-res, high-res) posted Nov. 2, 2019
Lecture 16 -- Current 2 (low-res, high-res) posted Nov. 4, 2019
Lecture 17 -- Waves (low-res, high-res) posted Nov. 6, 2019
Lecture 18 -- Breaking waves, tides (low-res, high-res) posted Nov. 6, 2019
Lecture 19 -- Climate change 1 (low-res, high-res) posted Nov. 17, 2019
Lecture 20 -- Climate change 2 (low-res, high-res) posted Nov. 18, 2019
Lecture 21 -- Domains of life, productivity (low-res, high-res) posted Nov. 20, 2019
Lecture 23 -- Productivity posted Nov. 25, 2019
Lecture 24 -- Plankton posted Nov. 27, 2019
Lecture 25 -- Nekton posted Dec. 2, 2019
Lecture 26 -- Benthos posted Dec. 4, 2019
Lecture 27 -- Marine resources (low-res, high-res) posted Dec. 4, 2019

Other activities (optional/extra credit)!

Limited extra credit is available in this class, by writing up brief (no more than 1 page) summaries of Oceanography-related seminars, video screenings and other events. There will also be a field trip opportunity during the term that will be worth extra credit. A list of these events will be set up at the bottom of this page. The list isn't intended to be exclusive -- if you have another idea for a potential extra credit experience please contact the instructor. UCLA and the Los Angeles area are full of great opportunities to learn about oceanography!

Each summary will count as 1/2 point towards the final average grade. For example, if your average score on labs and exams is 90% and you turn in two extra credit summaries, your class average will be 91%. A total of 2 extra-credit points are possible -- equivalent to four 1/2 point summaries of seminars or movies.

The preferred way to turn extra credit reports in is by emailing them directly to the instructor (schauble@ucla.edu), with your name and the phrase "EPSS 15 Extra Credit Report" in the subject line, and with the text of the report pasted directly into the body of the email. You may attach a formatted document (e.g., as a pdf or Microsoft Word file) if you prefer, but please paste the text of the report directly into the body of the email as well.

Be sure that your name and student ID are included in the text of the email and any attached files!

1. Field trip on the UCLA Zodiac (Optional -- 1 Point Extra Credit for attendance and ~1 page summary):
We will try to arrange at least one trip on the UCLA Zodiac research vessel, which operates out of Marina del Rey Harbor. This trips take approximately one half of a day, and give students the chance to learn about scientific research and instruments in the Santa Monica Bay. Please stay tuned for more details.

2. Oceanography-related Science Seminars (Optional -- 1/2 Point Extra Credit for ~1 page summary):
A note about seminars: these are one of the main ways scientists talk to each other. Throughout the term, I will try to highlight talks that you are likely to find interesting. One caveat is that speakers will sometimes assume a relatively high level of scientific knowledge in the audience. For this reason, the quality of your seminar experiences will vary. Occasionally, a seminar will be too technical, confusing, or just plain boring. Some will be outstanding. Don't worry if you don't "get" everything the speaker talks about. The professors in the audience don't get it all either!

How to be a good seminar participant:

1) To minimize disruption, please be sure to arrive at the seminar room a few minutes early, and make sure to stay through the whole presentation until the end. Sometimes a presentation may run slightly over its scheduled time, so make sure you have some buffer time in your schedule before your next appointment or class. If you are having trouble finding seminars that work for your schedule, please contact the instructor to discuss alternatives.

2) Please avoid using laptops, tablets, and smartphones for note taking or other activities during seminars -- the noise and glowing screens can be distracting for other people in the audience, and some seminar series actually forbid the use of electronics entirely. Do not take pictures, record audio, or record video during a seminar presentation.

3) Please do feel free to take notes on paper during the talk. This isn't required, but it is a great way to help remember information and questions for your report. You do not need to turn in your notes, just the report.

4) Please do feel free to follow up with additional research at the library, or on the internet, or ask questions to your TA or your instructor.

You can check the seminar schedules in Earth, Planetary, & Space Sciences, Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences,  Ecology & Evolutionary Biology (unfortunately EEB seminars usually conflict with class lectures), Geography, Physics, Astronomy and the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability for interesting Oceanography-related seminars. Any seminar in these series is o.k. for an extra credit summary, even if it's not specifically listed below.

Please double-check the relevant department's website for late changes in seminar locations & times before you go!

Upcoming Seminars:

All of the highlighted seminars have already happened. However, you are welcome to look at the various seminar schedule links above, to see if there are any more interesting presentations left this term. It's ok to attend a seminar during finals week as well -- just try to turn in your report as quickly as possible afterwards. Make sure to specify the speaker, title, date, and seminar series when you write up your report.

           Seminars that already happened:
October 1,  2019, 3853 Slichter, 3:30pm - 4:30pm
Curtis Williams (UC Davis)
Origin of volatiles (such as water) in Earth’s mantle

October 8,  2019, 3853 Slichter, 3:30pm - 4:30pm
Ralph Lorenz (JHU)
 Exploring Titan with Cassini/Huygens and Dragonfly

November 5,  2019, 3853 Slichter, 3:30pm - 4:30pm
Heather Knutson (Caltech)
Exploring the Mysterious Origins of Super-Earths and Mini-Neptunes

November 19,  2019, 3853 Slichter, 3:30pm - 4:30pm
Greg Beroza (Stanford)
Next Generation Earthquake Monitoring with Machine Learning

November 26,  2019, 3853 Slichter, 3:30pm - 4:30pm
June Wicks (Johns Hopkins University)
Super-earth interiors and beyond: dynamic compression and the high pressure experimental frontier

November 27,  2019, 1-434A Physics & Astronomy, 3:30pm - 4:30pm
Paul Robertson (UC Irvine)
NEID and the new precision era of Doppler exoplanet science

 3. Oceanography DVD/Video Screenings (Optional -- 1/2 Extra Credit point for 1-page summary report):
The plan is to show at least three extra credit movies during the term, one around the time of each midterm and one more sometime around the last day of classes. Suggestions are welcome, if there's something you'd particularly like to see. Stay tuned for details.