Syllabi
224.5010
Prof. Michael Lazar and Prof. Daniel Sher
Earth and its inhabitants are facing unprecedented change. Local processes such as shifts in land use, urbanization and increased pollution together with global climate change are impacting the lives of everyone. Dealing with these challenges (e.g. reducing, mitigating or adapting) requires both scientific knowledge and public engagement. However, The COVID-19 pandemic has exemplified the mistrust between certain factions in the public and the scientific community – a mistrust that has grown due to lack of understanding and accessibility of data. The goal of the course is to introduce a multi-disciplinary group of students to the basic science behind global environmental and climate change and to explore how to understand and communicate climate change through art.
224.4092
Dr. Regina Katsman
The course is composed of two parts: mathematics & fundamentals of programming with MATLAB. The main objective of the mathematical part is to gain a basic mathematical knowledge enabling the students to use it in their research projects, and to study the advanced courses of “Physical oceanography”, “Time series analysis”, “Numerical methods”, and “Geophysical methods in the marine environment research”, “, “Processing and imaging of seismic data”. The following main subjects in Mathematics will be covered: 1) basics of trigonometry, analytical geometry, vector analysis; 2) fundamentals of theory of complex numbers (elementary algebraic operations, powers, roots, complex plane, function of complex variables, differentiation and integration); 3) ordinary differential equations (first and second order), partial differential equations with constant coefficients (method of separation of variables). The main objective of the scientific programming part is to gain initial programming skills and a necessary modelling basics for the above listed courses and for their MSc & PhD research projects. The course includes a practical training.
227.4068
Dr. Igal Berenstein, Dr. Yoav Lehahn
Challenges in the Mediterranean course will discuss current topics relating to the Mediterranean, from natural sciences, through the humanities and social sciences, to politics and current-day policies. We will discuss ports, marine transportation, Environmental Challenges and gas and oil exploration. Each lecture will be given by an expert in the field and will be accompanied by required reading material.
224.4993
Prof. Revital Bookman
The course will present the concept of time and dating and its use to study changes in time. We will start with an overview of the geological timetable, dating materials, and different dating approaches. We will explain the basic concepts of relative dating in the field and using archeological artifacts and will move to radioactivity and radiometric dating. Emphasis will be given to Quaternary dating methods such as Radiocarbon, OSL, and U-series. We will also explore the use of δ18O wiggle matching, dendrochronology, tephrochronology, and varve records, and discuss the use of nuclear experiments and disasters as chronological markers for environmental reconstructions.
224.4090
Prof. Nicolas Waldmann
224.4003
Prof. Nicolas Waldmann
224.4021
Dr. Mor Kanari
The course is a first-hand experience in applied marine geosciences methods, to experience the full research package. Students practice an A to Z marine applied research: ask the questions, plan the survey, collect the data, process and analyze, create results, draw conclusions, and report their findings. The course includes a 36-hour marine survey, collecting oceanographic, geologic, and geophysical data at sea.
221.4020
Prof. Nir Sapir
224.4011
Prof. Barak Herut, Dr. Guy Sisma-Ventura, Dr. Jacob Silverman
Topics that will be examined includes: an introduction on the seawater origin and evolution; the sources of elements to the ocean and mass balance; the oxygen system, the carbonate system; ocean acidification; nutrient dynamics and limitation; ecosystem box models; trace elements, stable isotopes and their differentiation in trophic levels; anthropogenic impacts; analytical methodologies.
The course includes lectures, exercises, short seminar and presentation on related scientific articles. (analytical laboratory visit is optional).
224.4015
Prof. Revital Bookman
224.4007
Prof. Yizhaq Makovsky
methods play an important role in investigating the marine environment. Moreover, the
search for marine resources and the need for geotechnical and environmental
information as a base for offshore development and conservation require the use of
geophysical methods. This course aims to provide basic intuitive familiarity with applied
geophysical methods, their possible uses for the investigation of the marine environment,
and the practical considerations related to using them effectively.
224.4039
Dr. Regina Katsman
224.4094
Prof. Nicolas Waldmann
224.4033
Prof. Nicolas Waldmann
Main points covered in the course:
1. Understanding the role of lake sediments as archives of environmental change.
Understanding the complexity of a lake system with all its connections to the environment.
2. Understanding the role of lakes as archives and partly amplifiers of natural hazards.
3. Understanding lakes as an evolving element within a larger environmental system.
224.4032
Dr. Beverly Goodman-Tchernov
Micropaleontology, the study of fossil remains in their smallest forms, living and dead, is a field that has relevance across many major scientific fields. Micropaleontological specimens have been central for addressing major questions within oceanography, geology, biology, and even history. During the course, students will be introduced to the history of micropaleontological research and its many applications. In addition to lectures and readings, each student will take part in an original micropaleontological laboratory project, which will be completed within the context of the course. Students in the Educational Cruise Course (Marine Geosciences) are highly recommended to participate in the course, and can complete a portion of their practical credits for the cruise through this course (contact the instructor if you plan to be in the Educational Cruise but do not wish to complete the full micropaleo course).
224.4012
Dr. Regina Katsman
Physics of continuum is the basis for energy and matter motion, starting with seismic waves, ocean currents, sediment transfer, to compaction of marine sediments. The objective of the course is to gain an experience in numerical solutions of scientific problems in area of Marine Sciences. The course begins with mathematical background of physics of continuum. The course discusses derivation of mass, momentum, and energy conservation equations for liquids and solids. Finite-difference numerical approximations of derivatives and methods of numerical solutions of ordinary differential equations are presented. Numerical solutions of parabolic, hyperbolic, and elliptic partial differential equations in 1D and 2D are studied, applicable for various processes within the scope of Marine Sciences.
Prof. Revital Bookman, Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa; Prof. Adi Torfstein, The Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences in Eilat.
A 6-day course at the Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences, including lectures, research cruise, student presentations, research project and lab work, group presentations.
The objectives of the course are to:
1. Study research methods in paleoceanography.
2. Study the paleoceanographic history of global oceans.
3. Study regional paleoceanography based on sediment sampling and processing
224.4998
Prof. Smadar Ben-Tabou de-Leon, Dr. Yoav Lehahn
The course physical of oceanography aims to teach advanced students about the physical properties of ocean water and the physical processes within them, emphasizing the physical aspects that influence marine organisms. The course will discuss external (e.g., sun, earth rotation, winds, etc.) and internal (e.g., temperature and density) factors that drive physical processes in the ocean (stratification, currents, waves, etc.). The common mathematical formalism used to study these processes and get predictions will be introduced and practiced. The course will also describe the connection between physical factors and processes to biological processes and ecological systems.
224.4999
Prof. Nicolas Waldmann
Well logging provides data to answer fundamental questions regarding petrophysical, geological, and mechanical properties of the subsurface, which are highly important in better comprehending the geological history and required to evaluate, develop, and produce a hydrocarbon-rich basin. The course covers fundamental petrophysical concepts and equations. The following well logging measurements are discussed: resistivity, natural gamma radiation, neutron porosity, density, photoelectric absorption, acoustic/sonic, nuclear magnetic resonance, and formation pressure. Selected topics from well data acquisition methods and the interpretation of these data are included as well. The course will cover an integration of data from well logs, core analysis, and surface logging as well as understanding petrophysical concepts and models. We will learn about the properties of clay and shale and how water saturation models influence shaly formations. Advanced well log measurement techniques including nuclear spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, tri-axial induction, dielectric dispersion, and borehole imaging. Fluid analysis and sampling. Introduction to cased hole logging.
224.4107
Dr. Regina Katsman
The objective is to gain exposure to recent advances in the computational geophysics having an importance to the studies conducted by the students. The lectures are presented by students and faculty members. The meetings are supposed to widen the students research horizons. The lectures are followed by discussions. COMSOL Multiphysics software will be presented and trained in a separate workshop.
227.4058
Dr. Beverly Goodman-Tchernov, Prof. Tali Mass, and Prof. Tali Treibitz
Course brings students through training for qualification as basic scientific divers within the AAUS system (certified to do scientific work to 12 m). The primary training will give the students the ability to perform elementary scientific field tasks.
224.4035
Dr. Beverly Goodman-Tchernov and Prof. Michael Krom
Writing and communicating your work is a central aspect of academic life. This course covers the general subject of academic study dissemination and guides the class participants through a series of writing and communication activities that will provide the opportunity to develop useful and necessary skills including how to write a formal abstract, prepare and present posters, conference talks, speed talks, understanding the peer-review process, academic papers, and writing proposals.
224.4036
The course provides an overview of the seafloor and the geological/sedimentological processes that shape its morphology, from currents to submarine landslides.
224.4022
Prof. Yizhaq Makovsky
Seismic imaging is the primary applied geophysical method used in research and industry. The purpose of this course is to provide the student with the understanding of the guiding principles and various technical applications of this technique. Practical exercises utilize MATLAB programming for simple calculations of synthetic seismograms, basic ray tracing, and more.
224.4992
Dr. Yoav Lehahn
Seismic imaging is the primary applied geophysical method used in research and industry. The purpose of this course is to provide the student with the understanding of the guiding principles and various technical applications of this technique. Practical exercises utilize MATLAB programming for simple calculations of synthetic seismograms, basic ray tracing, and more.
224.4009
Prof. Michael Lazar
The course focuses on understanding the processes effecting the coastal environment and their connection to the morphology of the beach. The course addresses such issues as waves, tides, currents and coastal construction and examines the physical and geological processes, which are involved with weathering, transportation and deposition of sediment along the coasts, as well as the role of sea level fluctuations as result of climate changes.
224.4043
Prof. Boris Katsnelson
The course is designed to introduce students to the Fourier analysis, and methods of signal processing, including practical skills within the framework of MATLAB tools. The program of the course includes forward and inverse Fourier transform (fft and ifft in MATLAB), analysis of the spectrum of the signal, windowed Fourier transform, construction and analysis of spectrogram, methods and tools of filtering. Analysis of a selection of the desired signal on the noise background, estimation of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Main attention is paid to practical skills using MATLAB tools.
224.4093
Prof. Nicolas Waldmann
In this course, we will learn about climate change, and understand the various factors that affect the climate, those that have occurred in the past, its current effects on the nature around us and humanity, and the predictions and models for the future. We will study these topics while taking examples from current cases, which will serve as tools for understanding what may happen in the future.
