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Descriptive Physical Oceanography, Sixth Edition, provides an introduction to the field with an emphasis on large-scale oceanography based mainly on observations. Topics covered include the physical properties of seawater, heat and salt budgets, instrumentation, data analysis methods, introductory dynamics, oceanography and climate variability of each of the oceans and of the global ocean, and brief introductions to the physical setting, waves, and coastal oceanography. This updated version contains ocean basin descriptions, including ocean climate variability, emphasizing dynamical context; new chapters on global ocean circulation and introductory ocean dynamics; and a new companion website containing PowerPoint figures, lecture and study guides, and practical exercises for analyzing a global ocean data set using Java OceanAtlas. This text is ideal for undergraduates and graduate students in marine sciences and oceanography.
List of contents
1. Introduction to descriptive physical oceanography2. Ocean dimensions, shapes and bottom materials3. Physical properties of seawater4. Typical distributions of water characteristics5. Mass, salt and heat budgets and wind forcing6. Data analysis concepts and observational methods7. Dynamical processes for descriptive ocean circulation8. Gravity waves, tides, and coastal oceanography9. Atlantic Ocean10. Pacific Ocean11. Indian Ocean12. Arctic Ocean and Nordic Seas13. Southern Ocean14. Global circulation and water properties
Supplemental texts (web only): Chapter S1: Brief history of physical oceanography; Chapter S7: (expanded) Dynamical processes for descriptive ocean circulation; Chapter S8: Gravity waves, tides, and coastal oceanography (additional materials); Chapter S15: Climate and the oceans; Chapter S16: Instruments and Methods
Report
"This book and ancillary web-based appendices are a valuable reference for the modern-day seabird ecologist, providing a wealth of baseline information and serving as a language guide for describing physical oceanography.I highly recommend this updated classic text on descriptive physical oceanography." --Marine Ornithology Volume 40, No. 1, 2012
