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Unit of Study MRNE3003 - Ocean Change Biology (2025)

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Unit Snapshot

  • Enrolment information

    This unit has a compulsory 2 day residential at the National Marine Science Centre, Coffs Harbour for ALL students. Please refer to http://scu.edu.au/timetables for further information.

Unit description

Examines local and ocean climate systems and the way humans are altering the global climate, the impact that this may have on individual organisms and ecosystems, and the capacity for organisms to acclimatise or adapt to these changes. Specifically examines changes in the oceans carbon cycle, ocean acidification and ocean warming. Examines how marine organisms and communities may be affected by, adapt and acclimatise to ocean acidification and warming. Examines how overharvesting and habitat alteration is causing unprecedented shifts in marine biodiversity and community structure.

Unit content

1. The marine carbonate cycle, ocean acidification and biological implications

2. Drivers and predictions for warming, oxygen minimum zones and marine biological impacts

3. Interactions between warming, acidification and other climate change stressors

4. Tropicalisation, range shifts & universal effects of ocean climate change

5. Trophic downgrading and shifting baselines

6. Potential for adaptation to climate change

Availabilities

Location Domestic International
National Marine Science Centre Coffs Harbour
Term3
Term3
Online
Term3
N/A

Learning outcomes

Unit Learning Outcomes express learning achievement in terms of what a student should know, understand and be able to do on completion of a unit. These outcomes are aligned with the graduate attributes. The unit learning outcomes and graduate attributes are also the basis of evaluating prior learning.

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:

demonstrate advanced understanding of ocean carbonate cycle and critically evaluate possible effects of ocean acidification on marine invertebrates, fish, seaweeds and species interactions

discuss the theoretical basis for the impact of global warming on marine organisms and the three predicted universal responses of climate change on marine organism

critically evaluate how multiple stressors are eroding the diversity and function of marine ecosystems

conduct, analyse and interpret manipulative laboratory experiments in relation to marine biology

Prescribed learning resources

Prescribed Texts
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Prescribed Resources/Equipment
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Prescribed Learning Resources may change in future Teaching Periods.