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MACS 304: Integrated Marine Science Core: Marine Physical Processes
Marine science questions can only be fully understood through approaches that integrate knowledge from multiple disciplines. This course focuses on the physical aspects of marine science, as well as how physical concepts inform and are informed by geology, chemistry, and biology. This course is part of the integrated marine science core sequence. Students will learn and apply the fundamental physical principles govern ocean circulation. This circulation has profound impacts on marine geology, chemistry, and ecology, as sediment, heat, freshwater, nutrients, and algae are carried by currents that vary in scale from creeks to entire coastlines. In this course, students will build intuition about physical oceanographic processes by tying the theory of fluid dynamics to concrete examples; case studies will include oil spills, red tide in the Pacific Northwest, and coastal hypoxia. Discussion about these critical problems will focus on how they intertwine with anthropogenic influences and human society. Particular attention will be paid to physical processes relevant to the coastal waters of the Pacific Northwest, such as estuarine circulation, upwelling, and tidal dynamics. Students will participate in at least one local field trip, during which they will collect physical oceanographic data for the class to analyze. As part of and in preparation for the field trip, the course will address on how the processes studied in class are measured. Students will also gain practical experience in lab work and data analysis in Python.
Offered in 5 of the 26 listed terms (Fall 2022 to Winter 2027).
Catalog entryBrowse ClassesTextbooks (WWU Bookstore)
Prerequisites
PHYS 161 and (MATH 125 or MATH 135 or MATH 138) and MACS 210
Prerequisite tree
Each course's own prerequisites, down to the first courses in the chain.
- PHYS 161 Physics with Calculus I
requires MATH 124 or MATH 134 or MATH 138 or Calculus AB AP Exam (AP66), score 3 or Calculus BC AP Exam (AP68), score 3 or Calc AB Subscore AP Exm (AP69), score 3- MATH 124 Calculus and Analytic Geometry I
requires MPT - Advanced - Scaled Score, score 153 or MATH 115 or MATH 118 or Precalculus AP Exam (AP65), score 5 or Calculus BC AP Exam (AP68), score 3 or Calculus AB AP Exam (AP66), score 2 or Calc AB Subscore AP Exm (AP69), score 2 or Pre-Calculus 2 (PC2), score 2.30 or ALEKS Math Placement Assessmnt, score 80- MATH 115 Precalculus II
requires MATH 114 or Precalculus AP Exam (AP65), score 4 or ALEKS Math Placement Assessmnt, score 65- MATH 114 Precalculus I
requires MPT General - Scaled Score, score 153 or MPT - Advanced - Scaled Score, score 143 or ALEKS Math Placement Assessmnt, score 55 or MATH 112 or Precalculus AP Exam (AP65), score 3 or College Algebra (CA), score 1.70 or Pre-Calculus 1 (PC1), score 1.70- MATH 112 Functions and Algebraic Methods
requires MPT - Advanced - Scaled Score, score 143 or MATH 099 (minimum grade YP) or College Algebra (CA), score 1.70 or Intermediate Algebra (IA), score 1.70 or MPT General - Scaled Score, score 148 or ALEKS Math Placement Assessmnt, score 35 or Precalculus AP Exam (AP65), score 2 or MATH 197C (minimum grade S) or MATH 109 (minimum grade S)
- MATH 112 Functions and Algebraic Methods
- MATH 114 Precalculus I
- MATH 118 Accelerated Precalculus
requires MPT General - Scaled Score, score 158 or MPT - Advanced - Scaled Score, score 149 or Precalculus AP Exam (AP65), score 4 or Calculus AB AP Exam (AP66), score 2 or Calculus BC AP Exam (AP68), score 3 or Calc AB Subscore AP Exm (AP69), score 2 or ALEKS Math Placement Assessmnt, score 70
- MATH 115 Precalculus II
- MATH 134 Calculus I Honors
requires MATH 115 (minimum grade A) or MATH 118 (minimum grade A) or Math Placement - Advanced 2, score 20 or Precalculus AP Exam (AP65), score 5 - MATH 138 Accelerated Calculus
requires Calculus AB AP Exam (AP66), score 4 or Calculus BC AP Exam (AP68), score 3 or Calc AB Subscore AP Exm (AP69), score 4 or (Calculus BC AP Exam (AP68), score 2 and Calc AB Subscore AP Exm (AP69), score 3)
- MATH 124 Calculus and Analytic Geometry I
- MATH 125 Calculus and Analytic Geometry II
requires MATH 124 or MATH 134 or Calculus AB AP Exam (AP66), score 4 or Calculus BC AP Exam (AP68), score 3 or Calc AB Subscore AP Exm (AP69), score 4 - MATH 135 Calculus II Honors
- MATH 138 Accelerated Calculus
requires Calculus AB AP Exam (AP66), score 4 or Calculus BC AP Exam (AP68), score 3 or Calc AB Subscore AP Exm (AP69), score 4 or (Calculus BC AP Exam (AP68), score 2 and Calc AB Subscore AP Exm (AP69), score 3) - MACS 210 Introduction to Marine and Coastal Science Research
From Banner's catalog for Spring 2027. Banner lists only the requisites it enforces, so check the catalog entry too.
Required by (0)
No course lists it as a prerequisite.
Syllabi and course websites
None listed yet.
Instructors
| Instructor | Sections | Terms |
|---|---|---|
| Kastner, Sam | 8 | Fall 2022 to Winter 2027 |
Every offering in the listed terms (8 sections)
| Term | Sec | CRN | Type | Meets | Instructor | Enrolled | Delivery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter 2027 | 1 | 13573 | Lecture/Lab | MWF 10:00am-11:20am · HH 253 F 2:00pm-3:50pm · IS 410 | Kastner, Sam | 0/23 | Face to Face Instruction |
| Winter 2027 | 0 | 13571 | Lecture/Lab | MWF 10:00am-11:20am · HH 253 W 2:00pm-3:50pm · IS 410 | Kastner, Sam | 0/22 | Face to Face Instruction |
| Fall 2025 | 1 | 43182 | Lecture/Lab | MWF 10:00am-11:20am · IS 410 W 2:00pm-3:50pm · IS 410 | Kastner, Sam | 16/16 | Face to Face Instruction |
| Fall 2025 | 0 | 42242 | Lecture/Lab | MWF 10:00am-11:20am · IS 410 F 2:00pm-3:50pm · IS 410 | Kastner, Sam | 14/14 | Face to Face Instruction |
| Fall 2024 | 1 | 44099 | Lecture/Lab | MWF 10:00am-11:20am · IS 410 W 2:00pm-3:50pm · IS 410 | Kastner, Sam | 16/15 | Face to Face Instruction |
| Fall 2024 | 0 | 42519 | Lecture/Lab | MWF 10:00am-11:20am · IS 410 F 2:00pm-3:50pm · IS 410 | Kastner, Sam | 10/15 | Face to Face Instruction |
| Fall 2023 | 0 | 43093 | Lecture/Lab | MWF 10:00am-10:50am · IS 410 F 1:00pm-3:50pm · IS 410 | Kastner, Sam | 11/21 | Face to Face Instruction |
| Fall 2022 | 0 | 43933 | Lecture/Lab | MWF 10:00am-10:50am · IS 410 F 1:00pm-3:50pm · IS 410 | Kastner, Sam | 4/30 | Face to Face Instruction |