ENVS 440 Ecology of the Salish Sea

Explores the dynamics of marine environments focusing on traditional Native perspectives on the Salish Sea and scientific inquiry of the marine environment through laboratory exploration. Prerequisites: BIOL 203 and MATH 210.

Credits

5

Outcomes

1. Identify the main marine issues of concern for the Salish Sea and propose recovery strategies.
2. Design and carry out a limited marine research project with scientific paper.
3. Characterize marine waters of the Salish Sea: tidal flows, effects of estuaries, areas of higher/lower salinity, dissolved oxygen, nutrient and pollutant concentrations.
4. Participate in an ongoing intertidal marine species survey and calculate results.
5. Identify common Salish Sea phytoplankton and algae with their bloom seasons and their habitat types.
6. Correlate the variety, abundance and ecological importance of common Salish Sea zooplankton with nutrient and phytoplankton levels.
7. Identify common Salish Sea marine invertebrates with their life histories.
8. Identify common Salish Sea fishes and marine mammals with their habitat requirements.