DIRECTORS

Phil Camill, Associate Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies, and Clint Cowan, Associate Professor of Geology

INTRODUCTION

Several of the most important contemporary issues in environmental science are interdisciplinary, requiring an understanding of ecology and geology and how these disciplines interact. A main goal of the term is to explore the ecological and geological features of coastal environments with a goal of understanding how natural and anthropogenic disturbances are impacting these systems. Fieldwork is an essential part of this program, and we will develop in-depth research projects in temperate and tropical coastal environments. Australia offers unique flora and fauna, geology, and marine systems, which have evolved over millions of years. Shorelines, rocky intertidal areas, the Great Barrier Reef, and rain forests will be the classrooms for the term.

Thirty-two student participants will be taught by Professors Camill and Cowan and by local university instructors. Academic and logistical support is provided by Global Education Designs, an outstanding company specializing in program design and program support. Global has worked with Carleton programs in Australia since 1987.

LOCATION

The 2006 Marine Biology seminar will use two primary sites. The first half of the program will be in a temperate site along the southern coast of Australia. After the mid-term break, the second half of study will be focused in a tropical site on the Great Barrier Reef, with visits to additional locations.

COURSE OF STUDY, 16 CREDITS

Biology/GEOLOGY 283: Coastal Studies in Biogeoscience
(6 Credits) Counts towards the science requirement of the ENTS concentration

This course is an introduction to the ecology and geology of temperate and tropical coastal environments. Sites will be examined across freshwater river, estuary, and coastal marine systems to learn the flora, fauna, sedimentology and geomorphology. A comparative, field-based approach will emphasize integration of ecological and geological processes and the spatial and temporal scales at which these processes operate. Instructors: P. Camill and C. Cowan

Biology/GEOLOGY 284: Natural and Anthropogenic Disturbances of Australian Coastal Environments
(6 Credits) Counts towards the science requirement of the ENTS concentration

The course examines the biological and geological evidence for disturbances over a variety of spatial and time-scales that affect coastal ecosystems. These will include the effects of tropical storms (cyclones), river-input into the marine setting, coastal agri- and aquaculture development, oceanic pollutants, and local urban development. Students will also provide a time-stratigraphic component to their studies through use of outcrops of sedimentary rock, and by taking modern sediment cores and other proxy records of disturbances and change (e.g., coral growth bands, tree ring dendochronology). Instructors: P. Camill and C. Cowan

Biology/GEOLOGY 290: Directed Readings in Coastal Studies (4 Credits) S/CR/NC

Participants will read selected works to provide background information to guide the research questions addressed at the temperate and tropical coastal sites. Instructors: P. Camill and C. Cowan