| CODE | GSC5502 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | Hands-on Oceanography | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 7 | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 5 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Geosciences | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit complements the theoretical baseline of the Programme of Studies delivered through GSC 5501 by giving students the opportunity to test in the field some of the methodologies and instrumentation they had been previously been exposed to. The Oceanography research group of the Department of Geosciences has an extensive repository of fit-for-purpose instrumentation, including a portable side-scan sonar, ROV (Remotely-Operated Vehicle), Niskin bottle, sediment corers, Secchi disc, water temperature and underwater noise loggers, aerial and underwater drones, surface bathymetric surveyor ('Dolphin'), a CTD, surface drifters and even a glider, which can stand students in good stead within the headline Programme of Studies. Through the University of Malta's ongoing participation within the SEA-EU ('University of the Sea') Consortium, students will be able to partake of mobility opportunities unlocked through the same Partnership, by participating in a guided visit to state-of-the-art relevant facilities housed within any of the eight non-Maltese SEA-EU institutions (e.g. the wave simulator held within the University of Split, which has already been visited and evaluated by Dr. Adam Gauci during a partnership meeting held in September 2021). Students will be made aware of the costs associated with this visit at the start of the academic year, with the same costs not expected to be higher than 1000-1500 euros per person, given that budget accommodation will be made available to students by the hosting SEA-EU University. In particular the study-unit will deal with: - Three (3) field sessions through which candidates/students will have the opportunity to deploy in the field (from shore) a selection of key instrumentation which underpins the study of oceanography and which is held by the Oceanography research group within the Department of Geosciences, namely a portable side-scan sonar, ROV (Remotely-Operated Vehicle), Niskin bottle, sediment corers, Secchi disc, water temperature and underwater noise loggers, aerial and underwater drones, surface bathymetric surveyor ('Dolphin'), a CTD, surface drifters and even a glider. In addition to such 'wet lab' instrumentation, students will also have the opportunity to deploy 'dry lab' equipment, including the set-up adopted during granulometric analysis (sieve set, sieve shaker, etc); - A short (3-day) visit to a marine science institute within one of the five non-Maltese Universities participating in the SEA-EU Consortium, during which students will have the opportunity to partake of facilities currently not held by the University of Malta (e.g. wave tank). Students will be expected to deliver a report and a presentation on the main outcomes of their study visit abroad Study-Unit Aims: The overarching aim of this theoretical study-unit is to complement the theoretical aspects of the discipline of oceanography with practical, hands-on components so as to truly deliver an 'Applied' dimension of oceanography. More specific aims of this study-unit includes: (i) the training of students for field-based commitments (e.g. marine data acquisition surveys at sea) they might be tasked with at professional level as well as for the fully-fledged boot camp (GSC 5508) entrenched within this same Programme of Studies as well as (ii) the subjection of students to a didactic experience within a state-of-the-art oceanographic facility held within a leading Mediterranean marine-oriented University and currently not available to students at the University of Malta. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - list the most relevant instrumentation to be deployed for specific oceanographic applications; - compare the suitability of different oceanographic instrumentation to different data acquisition needs; - explain the virtues and shortcomings of specific oceanographic data acquisition protocols in the field. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - demonstrate in the field deployment of specific oceanographic instrumentation; - analyse the data acquisition performance of the same instrumentation in terms of accuracy, precision and suitability; - calculate the granulometric properties of different coastal area typologies around the Maltese Islands - evaluate and report upon the salient outcomes of a technical visit to a oceanographic institute, thus optimising personal observation and assessment skills. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - Thomas, D.N. & Bowers, D.G. (2021). Introducing Oceanography. (2nd edition). Dunedin Academic Press: 192pp. - Le Menn, M. (2012). Instrumentation and Metrology in Oceanography. Wiley Press: 416pp. - Milroy, S.P. (2015). Field methods in Marine Science (1st edition). Garland Science: 288pp. |
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| ADDITIONAL NOTES | Pre-Requisite qualifications: Preferably a first degree which includes any two in combination of the following subjects: mathematics, physics (including computational physics), IT, and statistics as well as to applicants with an engineering degree. Students with a degree in just one of these subjects, in conjunction with biology, chemistry and geography will also be considered if the maximum course uptake numbers are not reached. Mature students and professionals with experience and already engaged on related jobs will be eligible for admission. | ||||||||||||
| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Fieldwork, Independent Study, Seminar & Visit | ||||||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Alan Deidun Adam Gauci |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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