Research-Connected Teaching

All our staff are active in ocean research, leading major projects and collaborating with oceanographers and climate scientists globally.

For you as a student, this means that from day one of your studies you will be learning about the current state of knowledge of how the oceans and climate system work and how they are expected to change in the future. Our lectures are regularly updated with new material and knowledge, and we use data collected in our research for student assignments and projects.

Some examples of research data being used in lectures and student assignments include:

The C-Streams project (The Gulf Stream control of the North Atlantic Carbon Sink).

Led by Prof Ric Williams.

Recent results from our research in the Gulf Stream is changing how scientists understand this important current, and how our climate depends on it. Students in years 1 and 2 learn about these new results as part of their core oceanography and climate modules.

The N-Arc project (Nitrogen Fixation in the Arctic Ocean).

Led by Prof Claire Mahaffey.

Data on light in the upper ocean close to the melting ice edge and near a site of glacial run-off are used in an assignment. The light is vital for phytoplankton photosynthesis. Students calculate how the light is absorbed by the ocean, in either the very clear waters by the ice edge or in the water affected by suspended glacial “flour” (finely-ground rock).

The UK Shelf Sea Biogeochemistry strategic research project.

Led by Prof Jonathan Sharples.

A computer model of how the seas around the UK respond to tides and weather, and how the plankton grow, is used in a year 2 assignment. Students use the model to investigate how regions with weak and with strong tides have very different plankton distributions, and how plankton photosynthesis, the decay of organic matter, and the warming of the climate affect the concentrations of oxygen in the sea. The same model is used in year 3 research projects investigating questions on how storms affect plankton growth in coastal seas, how marine heatwaves work, and how offshore wind turbines might affect plankton productivity.

Copper and harmful algal blooms.

Led by Dr Hannah Whitby.

Second year students learning about marine pollution are given access to a short recording from one of Hannah’s collaborators in France who studies how competition for resources and anthropogenic contaminants can be linked to Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs). The video, prepared for this module, details our work on how copper influences the toxicity of a HAB-forming organism. As both heavy metal pollution and HABs are discussed within the module, this demonstrates how different forms of pollution can interact and effects be exacerbated.  

 

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