Synopses & Reviews
An Introduction to the World's Oceans, Tenth Edition, is an introductory oceanography text intended for students without a background in mathematics, chemistry, physics, geology, or biology. It emphasizes the role of basic scientific principles in helping understand the processes that govern the ocean and the earth. To keep the text as current as possible, the authors conduct their own research and examine other findings such as analyzing satellite data and large-scale oceanographic programs. From this vast amount of data, they select interesting, relevant, and understandable examples that illustrate contemporary principles of oceanography.
An Introduction to the World's Oceans places greater emphasis on the physical and geological aspects of the oceans than on the chemical and geochemical properties, because the latter disciplines require more specific background knowledge. An ecological approach helps integrate the biological chapters with other subjects. Students are encouraged to look at oceanography as a cohesive and united discipline rather than a collection of subjects gathered under a marine umbrella. As with all previous editions, the authors continue to make each chapter stand as independently as possible, so that professors can assign chapters in the order that best suits their classrooms.
About the Author
Keith Sverdrup is a professor at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee.
Table of Contents
1 The History of Oceanography
2 The Water Planet
3 Plate Tectonics
4 The Sea Floor and Its Sediments
5 The Physical Properties of Water
6 The Chemistry of Seawater
7 The Structure and Motion of the Atmosphere
8 Circulation and Ocean Structure
9 The Surface Currents
10 The Waves
11 The Tides
12 Coasts, Beaches, and Estuaries
13 Environmental Issues and Concerns
14 The Living Ocean
15 Production and Life
16 The Plankton: Drifters of the Open Ocean
17 The Nekton: Free Swimmers of the Sea
18 The Benthos: Dwellers of the Sea Floor
Appendixes
Glossary
Credits
Index