The blue planet: ocean, sediments and climate

Course content

This course examines the central role of the ocean in regulating Earth’s climate through its physical circulation and biogeochemical processes. It focuses on the mechanisms governing the oceanic carbon cycle and their interactions with ocean dynamics across spatial and temporal scales.

Students explore how ocean circulation, from coastal systems to the global overturning circulation, controls the transport and storage of heat, carbon, and nutrients. The course further addresses feedbacks between ocean processes and climate, with emphasis on both past climate transitions and ongoing anthropogenic change, including ocean acidification and carbon burial.

The Blue Planet – Ocean, Sediment and Climate is taught in English.

Objectives (and/or specific learning outcomes)

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

Explain the role of the ocean in the past, present and future Earth system
Describe ocean structure, circulation, and chemical composition and their role in climate regulation.

Analyze ocean circulation processes from the coastal to the open ocean
Apply principles such as Ekman transport, geostrophic balance, and thermohaline circulation to interpret ocean dynamics.

Quantify air–sea gas exchange and the solubility pump
Evaluate CO₂ exchange mechanisms, including solubility, kinetics, and buffering capacity (e.g., Revelle factor).

Assess ocean carbon pumps for surface ocean to deep sediments
Distinguish biological, solubility, and alkalinity pumps and analyze their roles in carbon sequestration and nutrient cycling.

Interpret carbon transport processes
Explain export production, remineralization, burial, and lateral carbon transport in coastal and open ocean systems.

Prerequisites and Corequisites

Required and Corequired knowledge and skills

Basic knowledge of geosciences and undergraduate-level mathematics (including differential equations). Familiarity with programming concepts is beneficial but not mandatory. A basic level of English is required to follow the course and do the coursework.

Teaching methods and learning activities

Through lectures, hands-on practical sessions, numerical modeling, and data analysis exercises, as well as small-group interactive teaching, students develop quantitative skills to analyze and simulate ocean–climate interactions.

The course also trains critical thinking and scientific reasoning, with emphasis on evaluating processes, data, and model outputs in the context of the global carbon cycle and future climate trajectories.

References, bibliography, and recommended reading

Sarmiento & Gruber : Ocean Biogeochemical Dynamics Princeton University Press, 2013 (1st ed. 2006)

Zeebe & Wolf-Gladrow : CO₂ in Seawater: Equilibrium, Kinetics, Isotopes Elsevier / North-Holland, 2001

Talley, Pickard, Emery & Swift : Descriptive Physical Oceanography Academic Press, 2011 (3rd ed.; earlier ed. 2002)

Pond & Pickard : Introductory Dynamical Oceanography Butterworth-Heinemann, 1983 (2nd ed.; earlier 1978)

Open University : Waves, Tides and Shallow-Water Processes The Open University / Pergamon (Elsevier imprint), 1999

Open University : Marine Biogeochemical Cycles The Open University / Elsevier, 2006

Williams & Follows : Ocean Dynamics and the Carbon Cycle: Principles and Mechanisms, Princeton University Press, 2011

Schulz & Zabel : Marine Geochemistry, Springer, 2006

Course notes

Université virtuelle

Contribution to the teaching profile

The Blue Planet – Ocean, Carbon and Climate makes a significant contribution to the educational profile of the MSc in Geosciences by strengthening an integrated understanding of the Earth system, with a particular focus on the central role of the ocean in regulating climate and the global carbon cycle.

The course develops a systems-based perspective of ocean–atmosphere–biosphere–geosphere interactions, emphasizing the physical and biogeochemical processes that govern the transport and storage of heat, carbon, and nutrients at the global scale. Students gain a comprehensive understanding of ocean circulation dynamics, marine biogeochemical cycles, and climate feedback mechanisms, both in past climate states and under present-day anthropogenic forcing.

In terms of competencies, the module strongly enhances students’ quantitative and analytical skills in geosciences. It introduces and applies numerical modelling tools, data analysis techniques, and scientific visualization methods to both observed and simulated ocean systems. The inclusion of practical sessions and project-based work fosters hands-on experience in handling geophysical and biogeochemical datasets (e.g. Argo profiles, ocean carbon system data, and simplified numerical models).

The course also develops critical thinking skills, particularly in the interpretation of complex, non-linear Earth system processes. Students are trained to critically assess data quality, evaluate modelling assumptions, and understand uncertainties associated with climate and biogeochemical projections.

Finally, the module contributes to the overall graduate profile by preparing students for careers in research and applied environmental sciences, climate science, and oceanography. It provides a solid conceptual and quantitative foundation to address pressing issues such as ocean acidification, carbon sequestration, and the response of the ocean to ongoing global climate change.

Other information

Additional information

AI is permitted as a learning assistant, provided it is used in a transparent, critical, and reflective manner that supports genuine academic growth and the development of autonomous expertise in geosciences. The use of AI is expected to be critical, reflective, and academically responsible. Students remain fully accountable for the accuracy, quality, and originality of their work.

Contacts

Prof. Sandra Arndt sandra.arndt@ulb.be
Prof. Francois Fripiat Francois.fripiat@ulb.be

Campus

Solbosch

Evaluation

Method(s) of evaluation

Practice work
Personal work
written examination

Practice work

Personal work

written examination

Open question with short answer
Open question with developed answer

The course is assessed through a written examination and continuous evaluation.

The written exam tests students’ understanding of the core concepts taught during the course, with a strong emphasis on critical reflection, synthesis, and the ability to apply theoretical knowledge to novel situations. Rather than focusing on rote memorization, the exam evaluates the student’s capacity to reason scientifically about ocean–climate–carbon system interactions, interpret processes, and critically assess data, assumptions, and model-based interpretations.

Continuous assessment is based on practical sessions and/or homework exercises. These assignments are designed to develop hands-on skills in data analysis, numerical tools, and problem-solving in oceanography and biogeochemistry. They also aim to encourage active engagement with the course material throughout the semester and to support progressive learning of quantitative and computational methods.

Together, these assessment components ensure a balanced evaluation of both conceptual understanding and practical competence, while reinforcing the development of critical scientific thinking in the context of Earth system dynamics.

Mark calculation method (including weighting of intermediary marks)

The final grade is composed of 50% written examination and 50% continuous assessment. This weighting reflects the equal importance of conceptual understanding and critical thinking on one hand, and practical and quantitative skills on the other.

Language(s) of evaluation

english