MARS - Marine Science (MARS)

MARS 102 Earth and Ocean Science

Credits 4. 3 Lecture Hours. 3 Lab Hours. Introduction to earth systems analysis, plate tectonic framework; earth and ocean structure and chemistry, ocean and atmospheric circulation; global carbon and hydrologic cycles; focus on earth systems interactions in the coastal zone; primary productivity and oceanic life; human modification and dependence on earth system components; climate change analysis.

MARS 210 Coastal Geography

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Introduction to physical and cultural patterns of the world's coastal zones; interrelationships between physical system processes and human activities along coasts, challenges of living and working on the world's coasts, physical aspects of sea level rise, pollution, and environmental change plus socioeconomic implications to resource management, policy-making, and disaster resilience.

MARS 280 Coastal and Ocean Economics

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Exploration of the economics of ocean and coastal resources, including food, energy, minerals, transport and recreation; emphasis on methods of exploration, efficiency and cost-effectiveness, while assessing human impacts, policy trade-offs and sustainability; foundation for understanding the economic value, management and resilience of ocean and coastal systems.

MARS 281 Sophomore Seminar in Marine Sciences

Credit 1. 1 Lecture Hour. Compilation and discussions of literature pertaining to topics in marine sciences. Emphasis placed upon preparation and presentation of a written report. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or approval of instructor.

MARS 285 Directed Studies

Credits 1 to 6. 1 to 6 Other Hours. Special topics and problems suited to analysis by individuals or small groups concerning special aspects of marine sciences. Prerequisite: Approval of department head.

MARS 289 Special Topics in Marine Sciences

Credits 1 to 4. 1 to 4 Lecture Hours. Study of selected topics in an identified area of marine sciences. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.

MARS 291 Research

Credits 0 to 4. 0 to 4 Other Hours. Research conducted under the direction of faculty member in Marine Sciences. May be repeated for credit.

MARS 303 Python for Marine and Coastal Sciences

Credits 3. 2 Lecture Hours. 3 Lab Hours. Programming with big ocean data in Python environment; basic to advanced Python programming; extensive practice on data analysis and visualization. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification or approval of instructor.

MARS 305 Environmental Micropaleontology

Credits 4. 3 Lecture Hours. 3 Lab Hours. Major animal, plant and protist microfossils groups, ecology, biostratigraphy, paleonenvironmental and paleoclimatic utility, primary preperation techniques, basic microscopy, research design and dissemination; coastal formanifera, thecamoebians and ostracods emphasized; field trips required. Prerequisites: MARS 102.

MARS 306 Coastal Sedimentary Geology

Credits 4. 3 Lecture Hours. 3 Lab Hours. A survey of modern coastal sedimentary systems, including principles of sedimentology and sediment analysis; laboratory includes a large group field projects; local field trips required. Prerequisites: GEOL 101 and GEOL 102.

MARS 325 Introduction to GIS for Marine Sciences

Credits 3. 2 Lecture Hours. 2 Lab Hours. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are introduced for marine sciences and management. Basic use of software including creation of GIS models is covered. Creating, editing and querying GIS shape files is treated utilizing one of the standard GIS software packages such as ArcGis. Prerequisite: Junior or senior classification or approval of instructor.

MARS 336 Integrated Marine Geohazards Assessment

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Implications of past failures and ongoing significance to operational safety and the environment of offshore operations; integration of geology, geophysics, and geotechnical and soil properties; exploration of integrated marine site investigation and its support to the delivery of the energy transition. Prerequisite: GEOL 101 and GEOL 102, or MARS 102.

MARS 342 Ancient Sea Monsters

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Examination of prehistoric marine reptile groups including ichthyosaurs, pliosaurs, plesiosaurs, and mosasaurs; fundamental principles of vertebrate paleontology, evolution, and extinction; evaluation of the geological history of these sea reptile groups with the origins and history of the Western Interior Sea. Prerequisites: MARS 102 or approval of instructor.

MARS 358 Coastal Disasters

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. A survey of natural disasters resulting from seismic activity, severe weather, or other natural processes with special focus on disasters affecting coastal regions; discussion of how these phenomena occur as well as coastal mitigation strategies for each. Prerequisites: GEOL 101, MARS 102, or equivalent.

MARS 410 Physical Oceanography

Credits 3. 2 Lecture Hours. 3 Lab Hours. Elements of the physics of the ocean; descriptive aspects and theoretical explanations of circulation, characteristic structure and waves. Prerequisites: MATH 152, MATH 150, or MATH 148; PHYS 207 and PHYS 217/ENGR 217, or PHYS 202 or ENGR 217/PHYS 217; junior or senior classification or approval of instructor.

MARS 412 Remote Field Investigations in Marine Sciences

Credits 1 to 6. 1 to 6 Lecture Hours. An overview of marine sciences in remote locations varying by instructor and selected topics; lectures on recent scientific papers, methods and concepts related to field area; individual projects; data collection; data analysis and presentation. Prerequisite: Junior or senior classification or approval of instructor.

MARS 415 Remote Sensing Technology

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. An introduction to the uses of remote sensing technology in the marine sciences, including electromagnetic, acoustic, and seismic methods. Generation, transmission, and reception methods. Active and passive systems, multispectral techniques, and signal analysis systems. Prerequisites: PHYS 202 or 208, BIOL 112. Junior or senior classification or approval of instructor.

MARS 420 Biological Oceanography

Credits 3. 2 Lecture Hours. 3 Lab Hours. Study of biological and biogeochemical processes in the marine environment; discussion of the role of phytoplankton, zooplankton, bacteria, vertebrates and their benthic counterparts in the oceanic food web and how they relate to the earth system and climate change. Prerequisite: BIOL 112, OCNG 251, or MARS 102.

MARS 423 Valuation of Marine and Coastal Resources

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Derivation of consumer demand for market goods and services; derivation of economic value and economic benefit; valuation methods to elicit preferences for nonmarket marine and coastal resources; demand analysis for nonmarket marine and coastal resources; survey research methods. Prerequisite: MARS 425.

MARS 430 Marine Geology

Credits 4. 3 Lecture Hours. 3 Lab Hours. Geological and physical processes that controls the formation and evolution of ocean basins and passive and active continental margins. Prerequisite: GEOL 101 and GEOL 102, or MARS 102.

MARS 440 Chemical Oceanography

Credits 3. 2 Lecture Hours. 3 Lab Hours. Chemical and biogeochemical processes in the marine environment and how they relate to the earth system; topics include the role of chemical oceanography in earth system science and global change, interactions of the ocean with the atmosphere, continents and the seafloor; the physical and chemical composition of sea water; chemical speciation; biogeochemical cycles of major, minor, nutrient, trace elements and gases in the oceans; marine organic and isotope geochemistry; sedimentary chemistry and diagenesis. Prerequisite: CHEM 120.

MARS 442 Coastal Social Ecological Resilience

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. In-depth examination of the concepts, processes, policies and practices defining and supporting resilience of coastal social-ecological systems. Topics are varied and may include social, organizational and economic perspectives and/or physical, biogeochemical approaches to understanding and addressing coastal system resilience. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification.

MARS 446 Coastal and Estuarine Dynamics

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Physical processes of estuarine and coastal oceans, including tide, tidal current, tidal mixing and exchange, residual circulation, salt intrusion, sediment transport, storm surge; human impact on natural processes causing modification of estuarine and coastal environments; fundamentals of physical processes in estuarine and coastal oceans to inform coastal resiliency and policy. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification, or approval of instructor.

MARS 450 Principles of Marine Instrumental Analysis

Credits 3. 2 Lecture Hours. 3 Lab Hours. The main goal of this course is to teach students the fundamentals and practical applications of modern instrumental methods used in the analysis of natural organic compounds and anthropogenic contaminants in coastal environments (water, sediments). A secondary goal of the course is to introduce stable isotope analysis (C, H, O) to trace ecosystem processes. Course activities also teach an understanding of proper sample collection, selection of analytical methods, consideration of possible interfering substances and sound interpretation of results. Prerequisite: CHEM 120.

MARS 453 Water Quality Management

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. This course examines the principles of water quality, regulations and management in aquatic environments. Emphasis is placed on the physical, chemical and biological factors that influence water quality, as well as the origin, fate and transformation of contaminants. Topics include major pollutant categories such as solids, nutrients, heavy metals, oil spills, radioactive waste and both legacy and emerging contaminants. The course also addresses biological and ecological concerns in marine systems and introduces management strategies for preventing and mitigating water contamination. Prerequisites: MARS 102 and CHEM 120.

MARS 454 Coastal Hydrology

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Coastal hydrological cycle; surface water and groundwater flow, direction, and movement in coastal environments; types of coastal morphology and its implication to water flow; land to ocean contaminant transport via river and groundwater; introduction to field techniques for measuring surface water and groundwater fluxes; numerical methods for solving hydrological processes and problems; the impact of anthropogenic activities and hydroclimate extremes on coastal hydrology and water resources. Prerequisites: MATH 147 and MARS 102; junior or senior classification or approval of instructor.

MARS 458 Fisheries - Economics, Policy and Management

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Economic and policy foundations of sustainable fisheries management; tragedy of the commons, property rights, externalities, welfare economics, bioeconomic models, maximum sustainable yield and maximum economic yield, cost-benefit analysis and decision-making under uncertainty. Global case studies highlight ecological, economic and social trade-offs in fisheries governance. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification.

MARS 460 Capstone Undergraduate Research Experience I

Credit 1. 1 Lecture Hour. Methodology for research outlines, organization and strategies; research ethics, writing and presentation of results. Prerequisites: MARS 491 or concurrent enrollment, senior classification or approval of instructor.

MARS 461 Capstone Undergraduate Research Experience II

Credit 1. 1 Lecture Hour. Research and scientific communications; development of a scientific abstract, poster presentation, oral presentation or written scientific paper. Prerequisites: MARS 491 or concurrent enrollment, senior classification or approval of instructor.

MARS 470 Coastal Ocean Modeling

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Fundamental and advanced concepts of numerical modeling; key coastal processes to include in coastal ocean models; hands-on practice in mesh generation, code compilation, Linux systems, parallel computing and analysis of model output; application of coastal ocean models to understand and predict hydrodynamics, waves, flooding and sediment dynamics. Prerequisite: Grade of C or better in MARS 102 or MARS 303, or approval of instructor.

MARS 481 Seminar

Credit 1. 1 Lecture Hour. Problem-oriented discussion session. Topics and reports selected for current relevance. May be repeated once only for credit. Prerequisite: Junior or senior classification or approval of instructor.

MARS 484 Internship

Credits 0 to 6. 0 to 6 Other Hours. Supervised study in a research or teaching laboratory within or outside of The Texas A&M University System. Student involvement is to consist of real-life learning or marine sciences research, teaching, management or a combination of these. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification or approval of instructor; approval of the department head.

MARS 485 Directed Studies

Credits 1 to 6. 1 to 6 Other Hours. Special topics and problems suited to analysis by individuals or small groups concerning special aspects of marine sciences. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification or approval of instructor. Approval of department head.

MARS 489 Special Topics in Marine Sciences

Credits 1 to 4. 1 to 4 Lecture Hours. Study of selected topics in an identified area of marine sciences. Prerequisite: Junior or senior classification or approval of instructor.

MARS 491 Research

Credits 0 to 4. 0 to 4 Other Hours. Research conducted under the direction of faculty member in Marine Sciences. Please see academic advisor in department. May be taken two times for credit. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification and approval of instructor.