Office hours Fall 2007:10:30-11:30 M,W; 3:00-4:00 M,W,F, and by appointment or chance.

Grades: Your grade will be based on your participation during the course and on your field notebooks.

Graduate Credit: Students taking the course for graduate credit will be required to complete a research paper based on data that we collect while on the trip. You must discuss this with Dr. Hiatt during the Fall semester 2007, for pre-approval before the final plans are made for the trip.

Grade scale: 92% and up = A; 87-91 = AB; 82-86 = B; 77-81 = BC; 72-76 = C; 67-71 = CD; 60-66 = D; <60% = F

Additional Reading on Reserve (coming soon).

Course Objectives: The purpose of this course is to give students an opportunity to explore the oceanographic and environmental factors that affect coral reefs and carbonate sediment-producing organisms. For a geologist, it is critical to understand the relationships between environments and the sediments (solid remains of organisms, such as stony corals, many forms of algae, mollusks (clams and snails), and single-celled calcifying organisms), because it is these sediments that later become carbonate rocks (limestone and dolostone). These relationships are important because much of our petroleum, natural gas, and even groundwater are derived from the pore spaces in carbonate rocks. Ultimately, the original environment in which these organisms lived provides the first order control of the size and distribution of this pore space that later becomes reservoirs for these vital natural resources.

Estimated Cost: $1100.00

Florida Field Course Schedule.

We will be studying carbonate sediments, environments and rocks during the trip and will spend up to 8 hours per day in the water and/or visiting outcrops on land, about 2 hours per day in the laboratory studying samples that we collected during the day, and about 2 hours per day of lecture and discussion focusing on the geology, hydrology, and oceanography the Florida Keys.

Schedule (all times listed below refer to time at the location (local time)):

January 11, 2008 (Friday):
Leave Oshkosh by van at 10:00 AM.
Depart Milwaukee on Midwest flight 852 at 2:20 PM.
Fly to Fort Lauderdale, Florida; arrive 6:20 PM.
Collect luggage; pick up vans and drive to the Keys Marine Laboratory on Long Key.
7:00 PM Dinner.
8:00-9:00 PM Lecture.

January 12 (Saturday):
7:30 AM Breakfast.
8:00-10:00 AM Snorkeling practice.
12:00-3:00 PM John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park (snorkeling along shoreline) (sack lunch in field).
4:00-5:00 PM Nutrients, water quality and their impacts on reefs.
6:00 PM Dinner.
7:00-9:00 PM Lecture.

January 13 (Sunday):
7:30 AM Breakfast.
8:00 AM -1:00 PM Boat to John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park (snorkeling) (sack lunch in field).
2:00-5:00 PM Nutrients, water quality and their impacts on reefs.
6:00 PM Dinner.
7:00-9:00 PM Lecture.

January 14 (Monday):
7:30 AM Breakfast.
9:00 AM -4:00 PM Boat to Florida Bay (snorkeling) with Harold Hudson (NOAA Biologist and expert on Florida reefs and Florida Bay); we will be taking sediment cores (sack lunch in field).
5:00-6:00 PM Dinner.
7:00-9:00 PM Lecture.

January 15 (Tuesday):
7:30 AM Breakfast.
8:00 AM -11:30 AM Sea kayaking in tidal channels and mangroves.
1:00 PM-5:00 PM Nutrients and environmental impacts in the Florida Keys.
6:00 PM Dinner
7:00-9:00 PM Lecture.

January 16 (Wednesday):
7:30 AM Breakfast at the Keys Marine Laboratory.
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM Map cross section of Pleistocene reef in Windley Key State Park.
6:00-7:00 Dinner.
7:00-9:00 PM Lecture.

January 17 (Thursday):
7:30 AM Breakfast.
8:30 Drive to Sombrero Beach (Geology of Key Largo Limestone; snorkeling) (sack lunch in the field).
3:00-4:30 PM Examine outcrop of Miami Oolite and Key Largo fms. on Big Pine Key.
5:00 PM Dinner and drive to Newfound Harbor Marine Institute (NHMI) (305)-872-2331.
6:00 PM Tour and orientation at NHMI.
7:00-9:00 PM Lecture.

January 18 (Friday):
7:30 AM Breakfast at Newfound Harbor Marine Institute (NHMI).
8:00 AM-4:00 PM Boat to Looe Key with marine biologist John Booker (snorkeling) (sack lunch in field).
4:00-5:00 PM In Laboratory (examine samples).
6:00 PM Dinner at NHMI.
7:00-9:00 PM Lecture.

January 19 (Saturday):
7:30 AM Breakfast at Newfound Harbor Marine Institute (NHMI).
8:00 AM-4:00 PM Boat to shallow water environments with marine biologist John Booker (snorkeling) (sack lunch in field).
4:00-5:00 PM In Laboratory (examine samples).
6:00 PM Dinner at NHMI.
7:00-9:00 PM Lecture.

January 20 (Sunday):
7:30 AM Breakfast.
8:00 AM Drive to Florida Everglades National Park.
12:00-5:00 PM Study Everglades environments.
6:00 PM Dinner.
7:00-9:00 PM Wrap up Lecture.

January 21 (Monday):
7:30 AM Breakfast.
9:00 AM -10:30 AM
4:00 PM Drive to Fort Lauderdale Airport.
7:00 PM Depart Fort Lauderdale Airport on Midwest flight 853.
9:10 PM Arrive Milwaukee.
Travel back to Oshkosh by university van, arrive about 11:00 PM.

Contact Information in Florida:

Keys Marine Laboratory
P.O. Box 968
68486 US Hwy-1
Layton/Long Key, FL 33001
Phone: (305) 664-9101
Fax: (305) 664-0850

Newfound Harbor Marine Institute
1300 Big Pine Avenue
Big Pine Key, Florida 33043
(305) 872-2331
1-877-732-2267

Checklist of things to bring to Florida:
(In January the air temperature will be 65-80°F, and the water temperature will range from 68-75°F. Be prepared for SUN and rain on land.)

_____ Field Notebook.
_____ Water Bottle (approximately 1 liter).
_____ Mask, snorkel, and fins.
_____ 2 pairs of running or tennis shoes (one old pair) OR one pair running shoes, one pair sport sandals.
_____ Rain jacket.
_____ Day pack for transporting gear.
_____ Sheets and pillow case for twin-sized bed.
_____ 2 bathing suits.
_____ 2 Towels.
_____ Sunscreen (SPF 30-60), hat, and comfortable shirt for protection from sun.
_____ Eyeglasses (if needed; spare pair recommended).
_____ Personal needs (toothpaste, shampoo, etc.). We will stop at a super market and K-Mart to purchase supplies during the first day of the trip.
_____ Motion sickness medication, if needed.
_____ Notebooks, pens and pencils.
_____ Camera, film, (disposable underwater camera(s)).
_____ Small pocket flashlight.
_____ Small amount of laundry detergent if you plan to use washer/dryers at Best Western (~$4/load).