St. Petersburg University launches new interdisciplinary program in the field of Oceanology
St. Petersburg State University is recognized as one of the largest centers for Arctic studies. It has more than 200 research projects, related to Arctic studies. This year SPbU invites students to a new Master’s program Physical Oceanography and Bioproductivity of Ocean and Seas (PHOBOS) with the large Arctic component.
This Master’s program offers comprehensive study of seas and oceans with the focus on climate change, anthropogenic impact and economic crisis. According to the Department of Oceanology head Eugenii Zaharchuk, this is very important, because the life in the ocean proceeds in the continuous interaction of physical, chemical and biological processes.
The program trains experts in the field of Oceanology and related applied sciences, which are satellite and commercial oceanology, the ecology of the seas and oceans. The program’s uniqueness is in its interdisciplinary approach; students will also learn aspects, related to hydrometeorology, land hydrology, geomorphology, biology, and etc. The disciplines focus on polar oceanology. Students will attend a course of lectures about Arctic Ocean natural hazards and its seas, the problems of changes in water and ice dynamics caused by global warming, possible environmental risks associated with the development of mineral deposits on the shelf of the Arctic Ocean, and etc.