The ocean affects all aspects of our lives--Tom Garrison will show you how in this new edition of OCEANOGRAPHY: AN INVITATION TO MARINE SCIENCE. Garrison takes you on a vivid exploration of the ocean--from submarine canyons to zooplankton, global warming, the growing plastics problem, and our changing coastlines--and explains oceanography's most important concepts. Garrison's friendly approach helps you understand the complexities involved in how we study and use the ocean. You'll explore topics like Hurricane Katrina; the devastating December 2004 earthquake in the Indian Ocean and the resulting tsunami; the Moon and its connection to the ocean; the power of the ocean to influence weather; and uses and abuses of the ocean. Gain an understanding of the wonders of the sea and the scientific questions that surround it with this fascinating text!

Named Outstanding Marine Educator by the National Marine Technology Society, Tom Garrison writes market-leading textbooks that enliven students' interest in the ocean, as well as a regular column on ocean education for the journal OCEANOGRAPHY. His knowledge, combined with a gift for engaging writing, has garnered Tom an Emmy Award for his work on the OCEANUS television course and a prestigious Excellence in College Teaching Award from the Salgo-Noren Foundation. The OCEANUS television course has been recently revised as THE ENDLESS VOYAGE for PBS, and Garrison again served as a writer and science advisor for that program. Tom's books, born out of his desire to share his excitement about the ocean with others, are widely used at colleges and universities throughout North America, Asia, and Australia. These oceanography texts have allowed him to reach beyond the walls of Orange Coast College and into the minds and imaginations of tens of thousands of students.

1. Knowing the Ocean World. 2. Origins. 3. Earth Structure and Plate Tectonics. 4. Continental Margins and Ocean Basins. 5. Sediments. 6. Water and Ocean Structure. 7. Ocean Chemistry. 8. Circulation of the Atmosphere. 9. Circulation of the Ocean. 10. Waves. 11. Tides. 12. Coasts. 13. Life in the Ocean. 14. Plankton, Algae, and Plants. 15. Marine Animals. 16. Marine Communities. 17. Marine Resources. 18. Environmental Concerns. Afterword. Appendix I. Measurements and Conversions. Appendix II. Geological Time. Appendix III. Latitude and Longitude, Time, and Navigation. Appendix IV. Maps and Charts. Appendix V. The Coriolis Effect. Appendix VI. Taxonomic Classification of Marine Organisms. Appendix VII. Calculating the Tide Generating Force. Appendix VIII. Periodic Table of the Elements. Appendix IX. The Beaufort Scale. Appendix X. Working in Marine Science. Glossary. Credits. Index.