QCAA Marine Science EA study plan

Explain how solar radiation, latitude and the Coriolis effect drive global wind and surface current patterns, sketching a labelled schematic of major gyres from memory

Distinguish the roles of temperature and salinity in determining seawater density, and calculate a simple density-driven stratification scenario from given values

Describe the processes of upwelling, downwelling and thermohaline circulation, and predict the biological consequences of each

Define and correctly use at least 20 core oceanography terms (pycnocline, halocline, Ekman transport, geostrophic flow) in written answers

Compare wave types (wind waves, swell, internal waves, tsunamis) by generating mechanism, energy and behaviour in shallow water

Explain coastal processes including longshore drift, sediment transport, beach profiles and the formation of spits, bars and headlands

Analyse how tides are produced by gravitational forces and predict tidal range differences between spring and neap conditions

Interpret a simple bathymetric profile to classify continental shelf, slope, rise and abyssal plain features

Describe the factors that regulate population size (birth, death, immigration, emigration, carrying capacity) and apply them to a marine species example

Construct and interpret a food web, identifying producers, consumers, keystone species and trophic levels

Explain energy transfer efficiency between trophic levels and predict consequences of removing a top predator

Compare r-selected and K-selected life-history strategies using marine examples

Classify and give examples of marine habitats (rocky shore, sandy beach, estuary, mangrove, seagrass, coral reef, pelagic, deep sea)

Explain zonation on a rocky shore in terms of desiccation, predation and competition

Describe ecosystem services provided by mangroves, seagrasses and reefs, and quantify at least three in economic or ecological terms

Evaluate how biodiversity is measured (species richness, evenness, indices) and select an appropriate measure for a survey design

Explain the concept of maximum sustainable yield and interpret a surplus production curve to identify overfishing points

Compare management tools (quotas, size limits, closed seasons, marine protected areas, gear restrictions) by their strengths and limitations

Analyse the ecological, economic and social dimensions of a fisheries conflict using a structured framework

Describe the environmental impacts of marine tourism and aquaculture and propose mitigation strategies

Evaluate the effectiveness of marine protected areas using design principles (size, connectivity, enforcement, representativeness)

Interpret real or simulated catch, effort and landing data to detect trends and infer stock status

Explain the roles of legislation, international agreements and Indigenous sea country management in Australian marine governance

Identify sources of bias and uncertainty in fisheries and tourism data and describe how they affect management decisions

Design a controlled marine investigation, stating a testable hypothesis, independent and dependent variables, and controlled variables

Describe appropriate sampling methods (quadrats, transects, plankton tows, water quality probes) and justify replication and randomisation

Calculate and interpret descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, percentage error) and select suitable graph types for data

Identify and evaluate sources of error, reliability and validity issues in a described marine experiment

Synthesise concepts across all four domains by answering at least six extended-response practice questions under timed conditions

Evaluate extended-response answers against criteria for accurate terminology, evidence use and logical structure, then rewrite two weak answers

Recall and correctly apply key definitions and formulae from all domains in a self-test without notes

Identify three personal weak areas from practice performance and produce a targeted revision action list