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The ever-increasing interest in oceanography and marine biology and its relevance to global environmental issues creates a demand for authoritative reviews summarizing the results of recent research. This annual reference has catered to this demand for more than 40 years. It considers basic areas of marine research, covers subjects of special and topical importance, and addresses new areas as they arise. This volume features papers on ecosystem-based management of marine macroalgae; the ecology and management of temperate mangroves; the biology of vestimentiferan tubeworms; precious coral exploitation; and the historical reconstruction of human-induced changes in U.S. estuaries.

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The field of physical oceanography has matured to a point where it is now conceivable to combine numerical models and observations via data assimilation in order to provide ocean prediction products on various spatial and time scales. As a result, many nations have begun large-scale efforts to provide routine products to the oceanographic community and started to develop operational oceanography systems. The Global Ocean Data Assimilation Experiment (GODAE) provides a framework for these efforts, i.e. a global system of observations, communications, modeling, and assimilation that will deliver regular, comprehensive information on the state of the oceans, in a way that will promote and engender wide utility and availability of this resource for maximum benefit to the community. The societal benefit of this experiment will be an increased knowledge of the marine environment and ocean climate, predictive skills for societal, industrial, and commercial benefit and tactical and strategic advantage, as well as the provision of a comprehensive and integrated approach to the oceans. The chapters collected in this volume cover a wide range of topics and summarize our present knowledge in ocean modeling, ocean observing systems, and data assimilation. ... Read more

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This is an invaluable textbook, prepared by the Open University team and designed so that it can be read on its own or as part of the OU course. This second edition has been fully revised and updated including new colour illustrations increasing the striking spread of full colour diagrams throughout the book. The clarity of the text has been improved, providing comprehensive coverage of the evolution of ocean basins and their structure in a clear, concise manner aimed specifically at the student market.

In this second edition the technological advances in fields as diverse as:
- deep-towed instruments for `sniffing' hydrothermal plumes
- mapping the sea-floor by sophisticated sonar techniques
- three-dimensional imaging of crustal structure by seismic tomography
- the use of satellites for navigation, and for making precisemeasurements of the height of the sea-surface

The first chapters describe the processes that shape the ocean basins, determine the structure and composition of oceanic crust and control the major features of continental margins. How the 'hot springs' of the oceanic ridges cycle chemical elements between seawater and oceanic crust is then explored. Sediment distributions are examined next, to demonstrate how sediments can preserve a record of past climatic and sea-level changes. Finally, the role of the oceans as an integral part of global chemical changes is reviewed.

High quality full colour diagrams
Substantial chapter summaries ideal for revision
Answers, hints and notes for questions at back of the book
... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

oceanography textbook
This has to be rated a zero. After 3 weeks have not received the book nor received a refund ... Read more

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This is the third Volume of the six-Volume Open University set. Each Volume is required by students as a relevant part of the Open University course but designed so that it can equally be used as an individual textbook. The essential role played by atmospheric processes in the control of both surface and deep currents in the oceans is stressed throughout the Volume. Once the importance of the Mesoscale circulation became recognised during the 1970's, it was no longer possible to think of major ocean currents simply as "rivers in the sea"; and this book explains why. All the basic topics and concepts essential to a proper understanding of ocean circulation are covered, including Coriolis force, vorticity, geostrophic currents, continuity, the exchange of heat and water across the air-sea interface and so on. However they are introduced using simple language, with minimal emphasis on mathematics, and always with reference to actual current systems of the real ocean. Each Volume in this set is well laid out and copiously illustrated with full colour photographs, graphs and graphics. Questions to help develop arguments and/or understanding can be found in the text and at the end of each chapter, with worked answers provided at the back of each Volume. Each chapter also concludes with a summary to help consolidate understanding before the next chapter is begun. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Great text book
When I first got the text book, it had a different cover so I compared it with the professors and it was the same thing, so no worries.

Excellent primer; second in a set of three books
What a wonderful text book! Clear, concise: lots of good diagrams, very interesting satelite photos, excellent chapter summaries and really thought provoking practice questions.

Starts with the basics (atmospheric dynamics) and gets into a little depth (ocean currents, no pun intended). This book is the perfect introduction to oceanography. But it's a tiny bit dated, published in 1989; not clear if it's been updated in its 1995 printing. We've learned a lot more about the oceans since then, especially Japanese research on The Pipeline: two thousand years to complete a single circuit.

Our planet, while probably not unique, is a truly marvellously complex system. This book shows how the anthropic principle is operating, and the unlikelihood of finding another planet that would suit us as well, which is a strong argument in favor of terra forming.

This book is the second in a set of three on physical oceanography. Really worth the time and effort (and money) to read the set.

Great introduction and background
The Open University series of books on Oceanography is excellent.I would recommend them for anyone wanting a background on the subject, all the way from lay readers to 1st year grad students.As an oceanographer, I still use mine from time to time to refresh my memory!There are intermediate texts, such as Intro to Dynamical Oceanography, but you really can't beat the illustrations and simple explanatory problems of this text for someone's first introduction to the material.

An excellent and comprehensive introduction
This book provides a very accessible introduction to a topic that is often confusing to newcomers.It introduces the concepts and equations of oceanography in a step-by-step manner, with self-quizzes and problems toassist the reader in grasping the concepts.The book is good for peopleexploring an education in oceanography, or for people who are notoceanographers but need to understand the concepts for their own research. The book takes you from being a novice to understanding the differentissues, terminology, and methods of data presentation typical of the field. A grasp of the material puts you in a position to dive into theoceanographic literature and pull out the information relevant to your ownfield of study. ... Read more

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Physical Oceanography with MATLAB provides an introduction to the fundamental analytical and computational tools necessary for modeling ocean currents, focusing on partial differential equations (PDEs) of geophysical fluid dynamics (GFD). Requiring only a basic familiarity with advanced engineering mathematics, the text presents topics, such as multivariate calculus and the integral theorems of Gauss and Stokes, in the context of fluid dynamics. MATLAB® is used throughout the book in the exercises as well as in the development of the mathematics. The author discusses current research problems in the mathematical ocean modeling community and features computational projects at the end of every chapter, ranging from elementary (box models of basins) to intermediate (quasi-geostrophic and multilayer). A CD-ROM containing all MATLAB programs accompanies the text. ... Read more

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532 pages. ... Read more

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This book offers a survey of the contribution of satellite data to the study of the ocean, focusing on the special insights that only satellite data can bring to oceanography. Topics range from ocean waves to ocean biology, spanning scales from basins to estuaries. Some chapters cover applications to pure research while others show how satellite data can be used operationally for tasks such as pollution monitoring or oil-spill detection.

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The first portion of this comprehensive textbook on ocean acoustics and acoustical oceanography introduces the basic tools used to determine the detailed characteristics of physical and biological bodies and processes at sea. Written by many internationally recognized ocean researchers, the following fifteen chapters describe modern research developments. This invaluable textbook for students in oceanography, engineering, and physics will also serve as a reference for researchers and professionals. ... Read more

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The Oceans cover more than 70 percent of the earth's surface, and, as such should be expected to have an impact on all life on earth. This book was written from this kind of global perspective. It is intended to give students an appreciation for the impacts of the oceans on their day-to-day lives. From the discussion of the early pioneers of oceanography to the examination of the effects of the oceans on global climate change, the book builds upon the natural excitement that most students have for the oceans. The book also illustrates for students ways that science and mathematics can be used to better understand the oceans. The goal is to transfer the excitement for learning science and mathematics. A 'Glossary of Terms' and several appendices are provided with scientific information that is needed to solve key oceanographic problems. Supplementary materials include PowerPoint presentations of material in all chapters and high-resolution electronic versions of all graphics in the book.The supplementary materials are intended to ease the burden of teaching an introductory oceanography course so that instructors can spend their time on developing effective pedagogues rather than developing instructional materials. The chapters of the book are presented in an order that facilitates student understanding of the major concepts and the linkages between these concepts. Chapter 1 draws the students in to the study of the oceans through an examination of the history of oceanography, including discussion of the roles of famous scientists such as Robert Boyle, Robert Hooke, sir Issac Newton, Galielo Galilei and Johann Kepler. Chapter 2 establishes the framework for oceanographic studies by examining the origin of the oceans. Chapters 3 and 4 then use this information to show how scientists believe the ocean basins have evolved over time to their present state. In chapter 5, the chemistry of the oceans is examined as a necessary prelude to the discussion of atmosphere and ocean circulation in chapters 6 and 7. The examination of physical processes in the oceans continues with discussions of waves and tides in chapters 8 and 9.The tides discussion leads into an examination of near shore environments (estuaries) in chapter 10. Marine organisms are discussed in chapters 11-13, providing the final piece of the oceanography puzzle needed for understanding the trace chemistry of the oceans (chapter 14) and the sources and distributions of marine sediments (chapter 15). All of the oceanographic concepts discussed throughout the book are brought together and integrated through an examination of global climate change in chapter 16. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An excellent introduction to Satellite Oceanography
The author explains in a clear and consice manner the background to satellite oceanography.It firstly introduces the student to this excitingfield of study.It then clearly teaches the underlying mathematics.Theauthor carefully guides the student through what could be a mathematicalminefield - he succeeds where many other books have failed.Throughout thebook there are plentiful well laid out diagrams and real satellite imagesto demonstrate the points being made.I have used this book for myunddergraduate studies and found it to be very helpful in passing my finalexaminations.All in all a very good book! ... Read more

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A coastal sea area usually indicates a sea area between acontinental shelf break with a water depth of about 200 m and the landshore. About 70% of global fish resources spend part of their lifecycle in the coastal seas, which accounts for 90% of marine biomassyield. Freshwater and nutrients from the land have a great influenceon the coastal seas, especially since more than half the humanpopulation lives within 100 km of a coast. Chemical reactions occurthere rapidly between substances from the land as they encountersubstances from the ocean. In terms of physics, a coastal sea acts asa boundary layer and kinetic energy is actively exchanged there.
But if coastal oceanography were to be summed up in a single sentence,it would be `the study that quantitatively makes clear the materialtransport in the coastal sea area'. Because the physical, chemical andbiological processes relate to the material transport in the sea, itcan be said the coastal oceanography is a genuinely interdisciplinarystudy. This book clarifies the quantitative material transportprocesses in the coastal sea area, mainly from a physical viewpoint. ... Read more

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This volume comprises the final report of the research project entitled the Dynamics of the Deep Ocean Circulation. The layered structure of the subsurface circulation, which had been predicted in the hypothetical model proposed prior to the research, is verified through Eulerian and Lagrangian measurements of current. By the use of the numerical model, the deep circulation of the Philippine Sea, which has been long supposed to be isolated from the North Pacific, is revealed to be derived in close association with that of the latter ocean. Behavior of the deep current around the equator is also clarified by numerical modeling. By the extensive use of sediment trapping technology, it becomes clear that sinking sediments play an important role in the distribution of chemical substances in the deep ocean. Graduate students in the field of oceanography will find this a good textbook. ... Read more

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Within this monograph a comprehensive and systematic knowledge on shallow-water hydrodynamics is presented. A two-dimensional system of shallow-water equations is analyzed, including the mathematical and mechanical backgrounds, the properties of the system and its solution. Also featured is a new mathematical simulation of shallow-water flows by compressible plane flows of a special virtual perfect gas, as well as practical algorithms such as FDM, FEM, and FVM. Some of these algorithms have been utilized in solving the system, while others have been utilized in various applied fields. An emphasis has been placed on several classes of high-performance difference schemes and boundary procedures which have found wide uses recently for solving the Euler equations of gas dynamics in aeronautical and aerospatial engineering.

This book is constructed so that it may serve as a handbook for practicians. It will be of interest to scientists, designers, teachers, postgraduates and professionals in hydraulic, marine, and environmental engineering; especially those involved in the mathematical modelling of shallow-water bodies. ... Read more