The ocean is a dynamic structure. This lesson explores the stratification, movement, and surface conditions of that structure as well as how light and sound are affected by the ocean environment. 

A scientific definition of life is offered and evolution of life in the marine environment is examined. The theory of evolution by natural selection is presented and biogeochemical cycles are examined. 

Like wind-powered surface currents, the density-driven thermohaline circulation plays a major role in global heat transfer and in distributing dissolved gases and nutrients. Chemical tracers are just one method used to study these deep water currents. 

In excessive amounts, even natural materials can be problematic, and sometimes cleanup can be more damaging than the polluting event. This lesson examines pollution and pollutants on both a local and global level. 

The impact of human activity on coastal areas is examined through studies of four areas along the California coast. Using these studies, harbor and beach creation and maintenance, erosion, water pollution, and wetlands preservation are investigated. 

This lesson examines tides and the forces that generate them. The equilibrium theory and the dynamic theory of tides are presented. 

The evolution of oceanography and the technology that has driven it are investigated, from the early cartographers through the remarkable voyages lead by individuals who had little more to guide them than a sense of adventure. 

Primary productivity in the marine environment is accomplished mainly by plankton. The types of plankton, their distribution, and productivity are presented along with methods for measuring primary productivity and factors that limit productivity. 

Earth is a planet of moderate temperatures because of the thermostatic effects of water and yet the ocean's polar and tropic zones represent dramatic extremes. Understanding the principles that account for these extremes provides a useful springboard to the further study of ocean science. 

Surface currents transfer water and heat from tropical to polar regions and influence weather, climate, and biological activity in the upper-water region. Using the El Niño phenomenon for illustration, the effects of surface currents on climate are studied. 

As scientists, oceanographers are driven by curiosity.  But they are also influenced by the need to solve practical problems.  This episode looks at the role of the oceanographer, the importance of field work at shore and at sea, and the application of technology to advance the field of oceanography. 

The chemistry of water and its unique physical properties and behavior are studied, as well as the temperature, density, and salinity of the ocean's water. Also considered is the profound impact of the ocean on global temperatures. 

Continuing where the previous lesson left off, the marine vertebrates, their feeding, defense, and the ways in which the marine environment has shaped their evolution are examined. In addition to fish, the marine reptiles, birds, and mammals are considered. 

In order to explain the distribution and abundance of organisms, their biological interrelationships and physical limiting factors must be understood. Various marine communities such as those of the rocky intertidal, sandy shores, estuaries, hydrothermal vents, and the bathypelagic zone are explored in this lesson. 

Tsunami, seiches, storm surge, and seismic sea waves are very large, potentially destructive waves that can be triggered by earthquakes, volcanic activity, cyclones, and tidal effects. These waves and long-term sea level change are this lesson's focus. 

In 1965, John Tuzo Wilson supplied the final piece of the puzzle necessary to the development of the plate tectonics paradigm, which had its roots in Wegener's 1912 theory of continental drift. 

A look at the features of coasts and the forces that shape them, including the characteristics of coasts. Coral reefs, estuaries, lagoons, and wetlands are examined. 

Bathymetry is the study of the topography of the ocean floor. This lesson examines the seafloor from the continental margins to the abyssal plain, trenches, and hydrothermal vents with their newly-discovered biota. New technology and techniques continue to expand access to seabed studies. 

The interaction of the ocean, the atmosphere, and the land form an inseparable system. The atmospheric composition, properties, and circulation of this system as well as the Coriolis effect, wind patterns, and air masses are studied in this lesson. 

Starting with the disturbing forces that initiate movement of energy through the water, the formation and propagation of both surface and internal waves are studied in this lesson.