EESC 2206 Environmental Systems: Oceans

The oceans cover 70% of the earth's surface and are home to much of its life. The oceans are critical to the earth's biogeochemical cycling of energy and mass. Ocean currents play a key role in climate through redistribution and exchange of heat with the atmosphere and storage of CO2. Coastal areas, the narrow interface between land and ocean, represent some of the most productive, populated, and vulnerable regions on earth. The course provides an introduction to the ocean's role in earth processes and explores topics and challenges facing a changing planet through case studies and critical and analytical thinking.

Course overview

Department
Earth and Environmental Sciences
School
MCAS
Credits
0
Level
Undergraduate
Offered
Periodically in the Spring

Requirements fulfilled

  • Environmental Geoscience B.S.: (A) 12 credits from EESC2201–2208 (2 credits each, plus laboratories) and/or EESC1132 (4 credits) (Current University Catalog; students should confirm their catalog year)
  • Environmental Studies: Environmental Systems Courses (6 credits) (Current University Catalog; students should confirm their catalog year)
  • Environmental Studies: B. One of the following courses (plus lab; 2 credits) (Current University Catalog; students should confirm their catalog year)

Requirement eligibility can vary by school, cohort, and section. Confirm the selected section in EagleApps or with an advisor.

Official evaluation summary

3.58 / 5

Based on 137 aggregate responses from BC Avalanche/Blue evaluations.

Data freshness

Course and evaluation data last updated 2026-08-02. Source details and limitations are documented in Data Sources and Methodology.

Instructors

  • Hilary Palevsky
    Fall 2026, Fall 2022 · Official rating 3.80/5
  • Kathleen Wilson
    Fall 2025, Fall 2024, Midterm Fall 2023 · Official rating 3.54/5
  • Richard Becker
    Midterm Spring 2022 · Official rating 4.68/5

Sections

  • Section 01
    Fall 2026 · Hilary Palevsky · Devlin Hall 201 TuTh 01:30PM-02:45PM · Offered
  • Section 02
    Fall 2026 · Hilary Palevsky · Devlin Hall 201 Tu 03:00PM-05:00PM · Offered
  • Section 03
    Fall 2026 · Hilary Palevsky · Devlin Hall 201 Tu 05:30PM-07:30PM · Offered