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CORVALLIS - Oregon State University will reveal some of the secrets of the sea with a new spring course, "Geography of the World's Oceans."

The three-credit class is designed for non-science majors and will encourage critical thinking about global environmental issues while exploring waves, beaches and coastlines.

Instructors Paul Komar and Dawn Wright will also examine evolution of the ocean floor, marine biology, the components of seawater and the interaction between the oceans and the world's atmosphere.

Komar, a professor of oceanic and atmospheric sciences, joined the OSU faculty in 1970. He earned his doctorate in marine geology at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and is a nationally-recognized expert on coastal erosion. He has particular interest in the study of river floods and catastrophic floods and has served as editor of the journal Shore and Beach.

Wright, an assistant professor of geosciences, joined OSU in 1995. She earned her doctorate in marine geology and geography at the University of California in Santa Barbara and has focused much of her studies on the forces responsible for changes along mid-ocean ridges.

Class data is available from the OSU Department of Geosciences at 541-737-1201.