OCNG 600 Survey of Oceanography
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
General survey of the scientific framework of oceanographic study; applications of ocean research to social and economic problems; interrelations between the ocean disciplines and other fields of study. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.
OCNG 603 Communicating Ocean Science
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Instruction and practice with presenting scientific information on the ocean to a variety of audiences under different time constraints; critical components for any presentation; knowing your audience; designing effective visual aids and graphics; leading your audience through complex concepts; and communication with non-scientists; also taught at Galveston campus.
OCNG 604 Ocean Observing Systems
Credits 3.
3 Other Hours.
Investigate the rationale behind ocean observing systems; familiarize with the relevant social, scientific design, technology, and policy issues associated with observing systems. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.
OCNG 605 Oceanography Cruise
Credits 2.
2 Other Hours.
Specialized experience in research methods and analysis in oceanography via preparation for and participation in a research cruise of at least two weeks duration under the supervision of a Texas A&M oceanography faculty member. May be taken up to two times for MS candidates and four times for PhD candidates. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.
OCNG 608 Physical Oceanography
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Observations, instruments; physical properties of seawater; property distributions; characteristics of water masses; heat budget; kinematics; gravity, pressure, hydrostatics, stability; horizontal flow; Coriolis force, geostrophy; friction, wind drift; general circulation; wave motions; tides. Prerequisites: MATH 152 and PHYS 208, or equivalents.
OCNG 609 Dynamical Oceanography
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
COURSE OVERVIEW. This course helps students to master the most important concepts in modern geophysical fluid dynamics and to apply these concepts to the ocean. It emphasizes mathematical problem solving, enabling you to derive, simplify and solve the equations that describe ocean currents. RELEVANCE AND APPLICATION. This course provides the mathematical and analytical toolkit necessary for advanced research in climate science and oceanography. The frameworks you will learn in this class form the basis of virtually every global ocean and climate model. Mastery of the material in this course equips you to interpret and predict the response of the ocean to changes in wind and atmospheric temperature. TOPICS AND THEMES. We will establish the governing laws for the ocean in the form of conservation of mass, momentum and tracers by the ocean. We will examine major force balances like geostrophy, Ekman transport and thermal wind. You will learn some of the common ways to simplify the momentum equation including the Boussinesq approximation, geostrophic adjustment, the shallow water equations and quasi-geostrophy. We will discuss how the simplified momentum equations lead to planetary waves like Kelvin and Rossby waves and how potential vorticity conservation can be used to predict the ocean’s gyres and western boundary currents. We will explore theoretical frameworks for understanding turbulence and mixing in the ocean. Finally, you will learn how baroclinic instability energizes ocean eddies. Prerequisites: OCNG 608 or ATMO 435; MATH 601.
OCNG 610 Mathematical Modeling of Marine Ecosystems
Credits 4.
3 Lecture Hours.
2 Lab Hours.
Theory and technique of model development for marine ecosystems; mathematical representation of interactions among nutrients, phytoplankton, zooplankton, fish and the physical environment; scrutiny of biological concepts and mathematical structure of existing models; laboratory segment to focus on computational techniques applicable to classroom problems. Prerequisites: OCNG 608 and OCNG 620, calculus or approval of instructor.
OCNG 611 Global Scale Oceanography
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
A balanced description of the ocean's large-scale circulation and water mass structure based on the interpretation of modern observations, with emphasis on the ocean's role in global climate, and physical-chemical property fluxes in basin to global scale budgets.
OCNG 613 Polar Regions of the Earth: Science, Society, and Discovery
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Disciplines and topics that define modern polar science in the north and south; includes history of the Polar Regions, polar geosciences, major polar scientific projects, and special topics; participate as individuals and teams in education, outreach and science projects. Prerequisite: Graduate classification.
OCNG 616 Numerical Modeling of Ocean Circulation
Credits 4.
3 Lecture Hours.
2 Lab Hours.
Quasigeostrophic ocean circulation models; Arakawa's energy and enstrophy conserving scheme; spectral barotropic vorticity model on sphere; shallow water primitive equation models; geostrophic adjustment on different numerical grids; boundary conditions in numerical models; introduction to ocean general circulation models; mixed models and sub-gridscale parameterization; oceanic data assimilation. Prerequisite: OCNG 618.
OCNG 617 Theories of Ocean Circulation
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Theories of wind-driven circulation, Sverdrup solution, frictional and inertial boundary regimes; instabilities, meanders and mesoscale features; role of stratification, topography and time dependence; Thermohaline circulation. Prerequisite: Graduate classification.
OCNG 618 Numerical Methods for the Geosciences
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Mathematical theory and numerical techniques for modeling physical systems and processes in the Geosciences; discretization of continuum equations for solids and fluids; finite difference methods; convergence, consistency, and stability; finite element and spectral methods in fluid dynamics and seismology; iterative solvers; implicit and explicit methods for diffusion and advection. Prerequisite: Graduate classification or approval of instructor. Cross Listing: ATMO 618 and GEOP 618.
OCNG 620 Biological Oceanography
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Critical analysis of contribution of biological science to our understanding of sea; discernible interrelationships between organisms and physicochemical parameters. Prerequisites: General prerequisites for oceanography.
OCNG 624 Machine Learning in Environmental Sciences
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Core coding techniques; read and write real data using standard formats; scientific programming; analysis of environmental data sets; visualizing environmental data; geospatial data analysis; applied machine learning. Prerequisites: Graduate classification.
OCNG 625 Current Topics in Biological Oceanography
Credit 1.
1 Lecture Hour.
Areas of current research; plankton processes; microbial food web; benthic communities; fisheries; global change. May be taken up to three times. Prerequisite: OCNG 620 or approval of instructor.
OCNG 626 Ocean Pollution
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Fundamental concepts of ocean pollution; major groups and chemical structures of marine pollutants; toxicity mechanisms; environmental impact assessment of pollutants in marine ecosystems. Prerequisites: OCNG 640, or approval of instructor.
OCNG 627 Ecology of the Continental Shelf
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Environments, populations and communities of the continental shelf. Interactions of the shelf with the estuaries and the deep sea; man's impact on the shelf ecosystems. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.
OCNG 630 Geological Oceanography
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Survey of marine geology, structure and composition of ocean basins and continental margins, properties of marine sediments. Prerequisites: General prerequisites for oceanography.
OCNG 632 Sea-Level Change
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Modern sea level; topography, measurement, meteorologic and oceanographic contributions, periodic and non-periodic changes; long-term changes: determination, Cenozoic history, Quaternary glacial-interglacial fluctuations; changes during the past century and decade; observations, natural and anthropogenic influences; estimates of future changes and societal implications. Prerequisite: Graduate classification; approval of instructor.
OCNG 640 Chemical Oceanography
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Chemical composition and properties of seawater, evaluation of salinity, pH, excess base and carbon dioxide in sea. Marine nutrients, oxygen and other dissolved gases, organic constituents. Prerequisites: General prerequisites for oceanography.
OCNG 641 Inorganic Aquatic Geochemistry
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Chemical composition and properties of waters in the near Earth surface environment and their interactions with sedimentary minerals; major topics: thermochemical properties of natural waters, equilibrium and kinetic controlling ion speciation; geochemical processes at mineral surfaces; kinetics of mineral-water interactions; applications to modeling early diagenesis. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.
OCNG 644 Isotope Geochemistry
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Stable and radioactive isotope variations in natural materials; applications to geochronometric, geothermometric and paleoclimatologic studies of the marine environment. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor; also taught at Galveston campus.
OCNG 645 Marine Organic Biogeochemistry
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Origins, fates and distribution of organic compounds in contemporary marine environments and in recent and ancient sediments; specific analytical techniques. Prerequisite: General chemistry.
OCNG 646 Dynamics of Colloids in the Environment
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Equilibrium and dynamic aspects of the physics and chemistry of such colloidal particles and macromolecules and the implications for environmental systems, relevant for organic carbon flux and cycling, fate and transport of pollutants, bioavailability of pollutants, or mobility of pollutants in groundwater. Prerequisites: Physical Chemistry, Thermodynamics, Aquatic and Organic Chemistry; also taught at Galveston campus.
OCNG 650 Aquatic Microbial Ecology
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Microbes in natural environments, including both water and sediment habitats in marine, fresh and ground water systems; process studies of microbial foodwebs and biogeochemical cycling; current methods and research directions. Prerequisites: OCNG 620 and WFSC 414 or approval of instructor.
OCNG 651/ATMO 651 Dynamics of Ocean-Atmosphere Interaction
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Major features of the atmosphere and ocean; interaction between the two systems; coupled modes of variability in ocean-atmosphere system; dynamics of El Niño-Southern Oscillation and related phenomena in the tropics; extratropical ocean-atmosphere feedbacks. Prerequisite: OCNG 608 or ATMO 601. Cross Listing: ATMO 651/OCNG 651.
OCNG 652 Sedimentary Biogeochemistry
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
An interdisciplinary approach to understanding complex processes that occur near the marine sediment-water interface in marine and estuarine environments. Composition of marine sediments, pore water chemistry, role of organisms in chemical transformations and pelagic-benthic coupling. Carbon, nitrogen and sulfur cycling in sediments. Modeling biogeochemical processes at the sediment-water interface and during early burial diagenesis. Prerequisites: OCNG 620 and OCNG 640 or approval of instructor.
OCNG 654 Plankton Ecology
Credits 3.
2 Lecture Hours.
2 Lab Hours.
Elective course, overview of phytoplankton and zooplankton; taxonomy; physiology; ecology; sampling design; current methods of investigation. Prerequisite: OCNG 620.
OCNG 655 Experimental Design and Analysis in Oceanography
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
COURSE OVERVIEW. This course will develop your ability to design, execute and critically analyze hypothesis-driven studies in oceanography. You will progress from foundational probability to modern statistical modeling, linking experimental design, data collection logistics and rigorous inference. Topics include how to structure field sampling to support causal inference, which models best capture patterns and uncertainty in geoscience data, and how to partition variance to test hypotheses and interpret multivariate structure. Core concepts include experimental design, linear regression and ANOVA within the general linear model and principal component analysis for dimensionality reduction and interpretation. Expect hands-on coding, data wrangling, data visualization and a capstone analysis project. RELEVANCE AND APPLICATION. Ocean science increasingly depends on defensible experimental design and transparent, reproducible analytics. Skills gained, including statistical reasoning, programming, graphical communication and critical interpretation, translate directly to data-centric roles across the geosciences, environmental consulting, resource management and policy analysis. By practicing end-to-end workflows from hypothesis formulation to evidence-based conclusions, you will be better prepared for thesis projects, interdisciplinary collaboration and informed decision-making in professional and civic contexts. KEY TOPICS AND THEMES. You will practice estimation and inference, then connect these ideas to the scientific method, hypothesis framing and parametric analyses used in the geosciences. Design principles for field studies, including replication, independence, randomization and sampling design, provide the foundation for modeling with the general linear framework, progressing from simple to multiple linear regression, diagnostics and the ANOVA table. You will extend these skills to analysis of variance with fixed or random factors, and interaction terms. The multivariate portion introduces principal component analysis for dimensionality reduction, interpretation and ordination. You will also strengthen computational fluency by writing programs in Python, R or MATLAB to analyze data, generate clear figures and tables and communicate results effectively. These skills culminate in a capstone project in which you select a dataset, articulate and test hypotheses with reproducible code and present your findings to the class in written and oral formats. Prerequisite: Graduate classification or approval of instructor.
OCNG 656 MATLAB Programming for Ocean Sciences
Credits 3.
2 Lecture Hours.
2 Lab Hours.
Computation techniques for oceanographic data processing using MATLAb; focus on the analysis of oceanographic-related data sets and real-world oceanographic applications; individual data sets analyzed. Prerequisite: Graduate classification.
OCNG 657 Data Methods and Graphical Representation in Oceanography
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
COURSE OVERVIEW. This course focuses on advanced statistical, quantitative and computational methods for analyzing oceanographic observational data. You will investigate how to extract signals from noisy time series, objectively map irregular observations and decompose multivariate variability to support robust scientific interpretation. Core concepts include spectral analysis and time series representations, objective analysis and optimal interpolation for spatial fields and modal decomposition using empirical orthogonal functions (EOF), all tied to clear and effective graphical visualization. Expect sustained, hands-on engagement through problem sets, in-class discussion and exams, with an emphasis on critical assessment of data quality, method selection and the ethics of analysis and communication. RELEVANCE AND APPLICATION. Ocean science, environmental decision-making and data-centric careers all depend on the ability to turn complex observations into reliable insight. This course equips you with practical tools to evaluate data quality, build defensible time series and spatial analyses and communicate statistical results effectively. The methods you will practice, including objective mapping, optimal interpolation, spectral analysis, EOF-based multivariate interpretation, and programming, directly support research workflows and professional tasks such as monitoring, forecasting and synthesizing observations across sensors and platforms. By emphasizing rigorous inference, transparent computation and clear graphics, the course strengthens your readiness for thesis projects and collaborative research, and it builds durable skills valued across academia, government and industry. KEY TOPICS AND THEMES. Key themes span the full analysis pipeline from instrumentation awareness and data processing to advanced inference and visualization. You will study data processing and presentation, statistical methods and error handling and spatial analysis of data fields with objective analysis and optimal interpolation. The course then develops time series analysis and spectral methods, introduces digital filtering techniques and extends to multivariate analysis using empirical orthogonal functions for interpreting coupled variability across variables. You will explore foundational and emerging computational approaches, including machine learning methods and neural networks, while practicing structured, modular programming to produce high-quality statistical graphics and maps. Throughout, you will learn to assess data quality quantitatively, select appropriate methods for specific datasets and interpret statistical quantities in a scientifically meaningful way. Prerequisite: Graduate classification or approval of instructor.
OCNG 659 Ocean Observing Applications
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
COURSE OVERVIEW. This course explores how oceanographic measurements are obtained, guiding students from basic sensor design to system-level design and data use. You will examine questions such as which sensors best capture key environmental variables, how to integrate multiple sensors into platforms and vehicles for coastal and open-ocean deployments and how communications and storage choices affect data quality and availability. Core concepts include the operating principles of common ocean sensors, platform and vehicle capabilities, analog and digital signals and end-to-end workflows from acquisition to display and interpretation. Expect hands-on engagement with microcontrollers, sensors and code, practical trade-offs among power, cost and reliability, and collaborative design challenges that culminate in designing, building and demonstrating an environmental sensing device that meets specific deployment needs. RELEVANCE AND APPLICATION. Ocean observing underpins climate assessment, fisheries management, maritime operations and coastal resilience. By learning how sensors, platforms, communications and data systems work together, you will build transferable skills for research labs, environmental consulting, government agencies and blue-tech industries. The course connects directly to workforce readiness through practical integration of hardware and software, from microcontroller programming to data storage and transmission. These competencies help you evaluate and design observing solutions for real-world contexts such as monitoring water quality, tracking algal blooms or operating autonomous vehicles, while strengthening your ability to make informed, evidence-based decisions. KEY TOPICS AND THEMES. You will study how instruments measure temperature, salinity and pressure, as well as bio-optical and biogeochemical variables such as chlorophyll, photosynthetically active radiation, dissolved oxygen, turbidity and acoustic signals. You will compare observing platforms and vehicles including buoyancy and wave gliders, remotely and human-operated vehicles, autonomous underwater vehicles, towed systems, fixed buoys and tide stations, and imaging systems, focusing on where and why each is used. You will examine communications technologies like satellite links, LoRaWAN, radio and acoustic modems alongside data storage options. You will develop practical coding skills with microcontrollers using MicroPython to connect and read data from sensors, access data and store and display measurements. The course culminates in a team-based design experience in which you specify, build, test and present a prototype environmental sensing device that integrates multiple sensors to meet defined observing objectives. Prerequisite: Graduate classification in OCNG or related field by approval of instructor.
OCNG 661 Advanced Oceanographic Data Analysis and Communication
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
COURSE OVERVIEW. This capstone course leads you through the complete lifecycle of an oceanographic data analysis project, from defining clear objectives and selecting a dataset to conducting rigorous analysis and communicating results in professional formats. You will plan and manage a multi-week workflow, write a proposal, perform exploratory data analysis, synthesize findings and iteratively draft a minimum 4,000-word technical report and a polished oral presentation. Expect focused attention to data quality and limitations, the logic of analytical choices and precise scientific writing for diverse audiences. The course provides a structured framework of milestones, in class demonstrations, targeted feedback and practice talks so you can navigate each stage with confidence. You will also engage with academic integrity expectations and explicit guidance on when generative AI and other tools are permitted, how they must be cited and what constitutes unacceptable assistance. RELEVANCE AND APPLICATION. Turning complex observations into clear, defensible conclusions is essential for graduate study, research labs, agencies and industry. By executing an end to end analysis on a real dataset, you will strengthen high value skills in project planning and time management, quantitative exploration and synthesis, analytical writing and concise oral communication. These abilities transfer directly to thesis work, interdisciplinary collaboration, environmental reporting and stakeholder engagement, where transparent methods and clear visuals are vital. KEY TOPICS AND THEMES. Core themes include technical writing for science, project scoping, literature review and dataset identification aligned with well defined objectives. You will conduct exploratory data analysis to evaluate data quality, characterize uncertainty and outline advanced methods suited to your questions. The writing sequence develops strong background, methods, results and discussion sections supported by effective figures and tables. You will refine synthesis and interpretation into coherent conclusions and translate your report into an engaging talk through practice presentations and a final oral presentation to a professional audience. Throughout, you will apply feedback from in class demonstrations and hone the organization, analysis and communication skills required to handle complex oceanographic information with clarity and rigor. Prerequisites: OCNG 604, OCNG 608 and OCNG 657, or approval of instructor.
OCNG 662 Coastal and Marine Sedimentary Processes
Credits 4.
3 Lecture Hours.
2 Lab Hours.
Sedimentary processes (erosion, transport and deposition) from the coastline to the deep sea; development of estuaries, deltas, continental shelves, submarine canyons, fans; behavior of fluids and particles in boundary layers. Lab: recirculating flume, field and lab instrumentation. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.
OCNG 669 Python for Geosciences
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
COURSE OVERVIEW. This course introduces core Python programming for scientific applications, emphasizing one- and two-dimensional geospatial analysis, plotting and working with large geophysical datasets. Students learn modern programming practices, including object-oriented design, while building notebooks and scripts that read and write data, detect and handle errors and perform complete end-to-end analyses. The learning journey moves from fundamentals (data structures, loops, functions) to scientific libraries (NumPy, matplotlib, pandas, Cartopy, xarray) and a final project where students analyze a dataset of their choice. This course is open to students with no prior programming experience. RELEVANCE AND APPLICATION. Python is a cornerstone of contemporary geoscience, climate, environmental data and data science workflows. This course cultivates workforce-ready skills — data ingestion, cleaning, analysis, visualization, mapping and communication — that transfer directly to research labs, government agencies, non-profits and industry roles. The final project strengthens portfolio-quality evidence of applied proficiency and prepares students for advanced study and data-driven decision-making in their communities. KEY TOPICS AND THEMES. Key themes include reading and writing standard data formats; core language fluency with variables, containers, loops and functions; object-oriented programming; numerical computing with NumPy; 1D and 2D plotting with matplotlib; time series analysis with pandas; geospatial mapping with Cartopy and shapefiles; and working with NetCDF via xarray for local and remote datasets, with consistent attention to error identification and best practices in visualization and reproducible workflows. Prerequisite: Graduate classification.
OCNG 670 Deep Sea Sediments
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
0 Lab Hours.
Formation process, core description, physical properties, lithostratigraphy, seismic stratigraphy and paleoceanographic significance of deep marine sediments.
OCNG 673 High-Resolution Marine Geophysics
Credits 3.
2 Lecture Hours.
2 Lab Hours.
Introduction to the geophysical nature of the seafloor and marine subbottom to 1.5 seconds two-way travel time; generation, use and interpretation of reflection and side-scan sonar records and magnetic anomalies of various marine environments and seafloor features. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.
OCNG 674 Paleoceanography
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
History of oceans through geologic time; marine paleontological, geochemical, sedimentological and geophysical evidence; inferred changes in seawater properties, ocean circulation and sea level; relation to climate, tectonic processes, atmospheric chemistry and evolution of life. Prerequisite: OCNG 630 or approval of instructor.
OCNG 677/ATMO 677 Geophysical Data Assimilation
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
0 Lab Hours.
Modern data assimilation methods applied to oceanic and atmospheric circulation models, as well as in other simple models; methods to interpolate one-, two- and three-dimensional randomly spaced data to regular grids for use in numerical models of atmospheric and oceanic circulation. Prerequisites: OCNG 669. Cross Listing: ATMO 677/OCNG 677.
OCNG 678 Coastal Dynamics
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Surveys dynamical processes that determine estuarine and continental shelf circulation; geophysical scale flow where Earth's rotation and buoyancy effects are important; analytical and numerical methods used to isolate and study these processes. Prerequisite: OCNG 609.
OCNG 679 Proxy Reconstruction of Late Cenozoic Climate: Calibrations and Applications
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Paleo-proxy calibration and application in reconstructing Late Cenozoic climate history; issues related to geochemical and sedimentological proxies used in the field of paleoclimatology/ paleoceanography. Prerequisite: Graduate classification.
OCNG 680 Paleoclimate
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Overview of climate change in the geological past; reconstructing past climates; causes of past climates and climate change; climate change in the Cenozoic; extreme climates. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.
OCNG 681 Seminar
Credit 1.
1 Lecture Hour.
Presented by faculty, students, staff and visiting scientists; based on recent scientific research.
OCNG 684 Professional Internship
Credits 1 to 6.
1 to 6 Other Hours.
A directed internship in a professional setting to provide on-the-job training in ocean observing systems skills appropriate to the student's professional objectives. Prerequisites: Approval of student's committee chair.
OCNG 685 Directed Studies
Credits 1 to 6.
1 to 6 Other Hours.
Special topics to suit small group requirements. Problems not within thesis research and not covered by any other course in established curriculum. Prerequisites: General prerequisites for oceanography; also taught at Galveston campus.
OCNG 689 Special Topics in...
Credits 1 to 4.
1 to 4 Lecture Hours.
0 to 4 Lab Hours.
Selected topics in an identified area of oceanography. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.
OCNG 691 Research
Credits 1 to 23.
1 to 23 Other Hours.
For thesis or dissertation; also taught at Galveston campus.
