The goal of this subject area is to describe the shape of the ocean floor and the geologic processes occurring there. The physical processes which shaped the seafloor and its margins include erosion and deposition of terrestrial sediments and plate tectonics. The student will be asked to explore the features of the ocean and the processes which formed them. The extent of the effect of sea level changes is related to coastline and surrounding terrain shapes. These changes have, throughout geologic time, been vital in the migration of organisms to new habitats, even the human colonization of the western hemisphere. The effects may be felt in the future because of rising water levels due to global warming. The student will have the opportunity to explore the impacts of rising or falling sea levels as have been seen in the past or those predicted for the future.