Teacher
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MARCELLI Marco
(syllabus)
The course includes part of theoretical lessons, laboratory and field exercises by discussing the following topics. Historical notes on the birth of oceanography as a science. Physiographic features of marine environments. Origin and evolution of marine and ocean waters. The water cycle and oceans. The chemical composition of sea water, the interaction with the atmosphere, the carbon dioxide and the balance of the carbonates. The cyclic salts. The physical properties of sea water. Earth and solar system. Earth's energy balance. The atmosphere and the atmospheric circulation. The relationship between climate and oceans. Energy exchanges between ocean and atmosphere. Energy distribution on Earth's surface. The distribution of the fundamental variables of marine and ocean water masses. The Coriolis force. The horizontal and vertical movements of the water masses, waves, sea currents and other dynamic phenomena. The pelagic and benthic organisms. The ecotypic classification of marine organisms. Introduction to marine biology: phytoplankton, zooplankton, necton and benthos. The regulatory variables of biological processes and the distribution of organisms. Phytoplankton and primary production. Solar radiation and its ecological significance. Biomass, Production and Biological productivity. Photosynthesis, Production and Growth. The regulatory environmental factors of the Primary Production. The limiting factors. Gross and net production. Trophic levels, chains and food webs. Trophic transfer efficiencies. Estimation methods of the Primary Production at sea. Marine, oceanic and coastal habitats. The benthos zonation and the Mediterranean benthonic biocenoses: the classifications of Perès Picard and Riedl. Energy flows and biogeochemical cycles (nitrogen, phosphorus, carbon, silicon cycles). Energy flow and trophic structure of ecosystems: ecological pyramids and efficiencies. The dynamics of marine ecosystems. Dimensional and temporal scales. Micro-scale processes: the boundary layer, the vertical structure and the biology of the mixed layer. Meso-scale processes: the ecological phenomena associated with upwelling, fronts, tides and internal waves. Macro-scale processes: ecology of large-scale phenomena (major currents, gyres, vortices). Oceans and Global Change: physical and biological aspects, the role of the "biological pump".
(reference books)
Course lecture notes by prof. Marco Marcelli. The teacher will communicate any links to teaching materials at the beginning of the course.
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