Overview
Your introduction to planet Earth, inside and out. The origin of our universe, oceans, mountains, climate change, and mass extinctions: it’s all connected. Three field trips including a research cruise.
This multidisciplinary paper explores diverse topics through the framework of Earth’s "spheres": Atmosphere, Geosphere, Hydrosphere, and Biosphere. Topics include plate tectonics and associated hazards, climate and its interaction with the oceans, atmospheric and oceanic circulation, biogeochemical cycles and the ingredients for life on Earth, geophysics, fluvial systems, glaciers and ice sheets, and the impact of humans on the planet. You will finish the course with a holistic understanding of planet Earth, and a good feel for topics worth pursuing at more advanced levels.
About this paper
| Paper title | Earth and Ocean Science |
|---|---|
| Subject | Earth and Ocean Science |
| EFTS | 0.15 |
| Points | 18 points |
| Teaching period | Semester 1 (On campus) |
| Domestic Tuition Fees ( NZD ) | $1,318.20 |
| International Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website. |
- Schedule C
- Science
- Notes
- EAOS111 is required for students taking Geology as a major or minor subject, and is recommended for students wishing to enter Marine Science studies at a later stage.
- Eligibility
Suitable for students in any discipline interested in gaining a better understanding of how the Earth works and how we can live sustainably in it. No specific science background necessary.
- Contact
- Teaching staff
Co-ordinators: Dr Sophie Briggs and Professor Claudine Stirling
- Teaching Arrangements
3 lectures and one 3-hour laboratory in 7 weeks of the semester.
Fieldwork: Two field trips (one on a weekend).
- Textbooks
- The Blue Planet: An Introduction to Earth System Science 3rd Edition by Brian J Skinner & Barbara W Murck (2011), J Wiley & Sons Inc.
- Graduate Attributes Emphasised
- Global perspective, Interdisciplinary perspective, Critical thinking, Environmental literacy, Information literacy, Research, Self-motivation, Teamwork.
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes. - Learning Outcomes
Students who successfully complete this paper will:
- Understand the processes that shape Earth's interior, surface, and oceans
- Draw connections between the various components of the Earth system
- Understand the concept of geologic time in relation to physical and biological systems
- Apply concepts introduced in lectures and laboratories to real-world settings in the field
- Assessment details
Assessment is 50% internal (during the semester) and 50% external (final examination)