This course considers how oceans, which cover more than 70% of the earth's surface, act as a dominant environmental force. It examines the processes regulating the abundance, diversity, distribution and production of microbes, phytoplankton, zooplankton and high trophic levels. By exploring the influence of physical factors (i.e. tides, waves, upwelling, light), we will see how temporal and spatial scales are critical for understanding the living ocean.