Salt water lagoons- impact of sea-level rise Photo Credit: Zafer Kizilkaya
IGERT/ Interdisciplinary Research Themes and Process Studies
Global Change, Marine Ecosystems and Society
Approach to the Problems
In
the face of the complexity of environmental threats, traditional
boundaries between disciplines have done more harm than good, and
academic "business as usual" will be inadequate. Using an inter-disciplinary approach, SIO students work
alongside social science Ph.D. students to learn how
to have an impact on critical issues in a complex world. We expect that
the result of these collaborative efforts will be creative solutions
that overcome traditional problems arising from the lack of
understanding between interest groups.
Developing
a thesis project is part of the graduate learning process. We expect
our students to draw from the various possibilities in a
way that complements their interests. Major research themes to be explored by PhD students:  1) global change effects of greenhouse gas drivers from the scientific, economic, legal and political perspectives
2) ecosystem impacts of changes in temperature, sea level, runoff, and ocean acidification
3) societal impacts of population dislocations, human health, sustainability of fisheries, transnational legal issues and impacts on tourism
4) impact on public perception, communications strategies and public policy
Process Studies
These overarching themes are brought together in four “Process Studies” that are designed to unite perspectives of natural sciences, social sciences and humanities around a set of multidisciplinary studies. The process studies are focused in four geographic areas where research collaborations exist and where the major themes of this IGERT clearly coalesce.
(1) the Line Islands of the Central Pacific,
(2) the Gulf of California,
(3) the Eastern Pacific, and
(4) the Antarctic
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