Field Courses
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Coral Reef Optics
Saturday, June 24, 2017, 8:00 AM to Friday, August 11, 2017, 5:00 PM EDT
Category: Course

The aim of the Coral Reef Optics (CRO) course is to study the light ecology of coral reef benthic organisms and communities. There are two basic goals: the first is to understand variability in the quantity and quality of light reaching the seafloor and the second is to understand how that light drives fundamental reef processes. The CRO course is an intensive, integrated program comprised of lectures, required reading, laboratory exercises and field surveys. Lectures cover a broad range of relevant topics and ecological principals in coral reef optical ecology including concepts in hydrologic optics, fundamentals of aquatic photosynthesis, and metabolism and calcification of reef organisms and communities. Lectures are supplemented by readings from the primary literature with attention given to active areas of research. The course is divided into evening lectures and discussions (1–2 hours) that are complemented with extensive laboratory and field activities on Bermuda’s reef system. The laboratory and field work is designed to introduce students to concepts, instrumentation, and techniques for measurement of chemical, physical, biological, and, of course, optical components of the reef system. Precepts are given to introduce specific lab/field methods and instrumentation. This course is intended primarily for graduate students, though postdoctoral scholars and even advanced undergraduates will be considered. The objective is to enhance the student’s academic and professional development with better understanding of the light ecology of coral reef communities. These prerequisites are firm: prior background/study in coral reef ecology and SCUBA certification.

http://www.bios.edu/education/summer-courses/

 


Contact: University Programs, BIOS [email protected]