Marine Ecology is a college preparatory class focusing on the physical and biological principles that dictate the processes in the marine environment. Students must have passed both Biology and Chemistry before taking this class.  Besides the interest in the ocean, students should have an understanding of biology and chemistry as well the motivation and discipline to learn about the complex interactions in the ocean. The first semester will have an emphasis on physical oceanography, covering topics such as plate tectonics, bathymetric structure, wave dynamics and water chemistry. In the second semester, we will shift the focus onto marine biology, looking at biochemical cycles, ecological communities, marine zoology, and environmental issues.