Our oceans play a critical role in understanding our planet’s climate system and the effects a warming planet will have on global climate patterns.
Understanding climate change and its associated impacts is the critical scientific challenge of today, and the timely application of this knowledge to public policy is crucial to the future of our planet.

This intensive semester invites students to develop their understanding of the oceans’ role in climate dynamics and to build their tool-kit in research, data visualization, and science communication; skills all climate scientists must have in order to be effective advocates for our oceans.

Students participating in Oceans & Climate will conduct baseline climate research on this long sailing passage, and the potential projects open for investigation are diverse. Oceans & Climate’s voyage comprises of an extended blue-water transect from Fiji to Aotearoa New Zealand, allowing students to explore a range of ecosystems each characterized by distinctive biological communities and complex and dynamic current systems. The transfer of carbon through the coupled ocean/atmosphere system is influenced by many attributes this program can investigate, so our voyage track becomes an excellent natural laboratory for studying almost all aspects of oceanic carbon cycling.

SEA’s Oceans & Climate program allows students to develop the skills required for a professional career in the field of climate change research and communication.