Dive deep to explore the ocean From how most of our oxygen is created by phytoplankton, to how currents control our climate, to the marine food chain and the importance of coral, this is the holy grail of ocean books that’s easy for everyone to digest. It features fun facts about some of the most incredible, bizarre, and fascinating creatures in the ocean, from mantis shrimp that can strike things with the speed of a .22 caliber bullet to fish with clear heads that can see out of the top of their skulls. The ocean is full of wonders and there is still so much left to explore and understand. How our oceans work What creatures live in the ocean Find out how the ocean regulates our climate and weather patterns How growing pollution threatens our ocean and its inhabitants Oceans For Dummies is perfect for anyone with an interest in the ocean, including kids, adults, students, ocean lovers, surfers, fishermen, conservationists, sailors, and everyone in between.

Authoritative historical perspectives tracing the contribution of the HMS Challenger expeditions through to modern marine science Ecompasses oceanography, marine biology, marine geology and ocean science

Ocean science connects a global community of scientists in many disciplines - physics, chemistry, biology, geology and geophysics. New observational and computational technologies are transforming the ability of scientists to study the global ocean with a more integrated and dynamic approach. This enhanced understanding of the ocean is becoming ever more important in an economically and geopolitically connected world, and contributes vital information to policy and decision makers charged with addressing societal interests in the ocean. Science provides the knowledge necessary to realize the benefits and manage the risks of the ocean. Comprehensive understanding of the global ocean is fundamental to forecasting and managing risks from severe storms, adapting to the impacts of climate change, and managing ocean resources. In the United States, the National Science Foundation (NSF) is the primary funder of the basic research which underlies advances in our understanding of the ocean. Sea Change addresses the strategic investments necessary at NSF to ensure a robust ocean scientific enterprise over the next decade. This survey provides guidance from the ocean sciences community on research and facilities priorities for the coming decade and makes recommendations for funding priorities.

The world's oceans account for roughly 71 percent of the planet's surface and 99 percent of its livable volume. Any study of this huge habitat requires a solid foundation in the principles that underlie marine biology and physical and chemical oceanography, yet until now undergraduate textbooks have largely presented compilations of facts rather than explanations of principles. How the Ocean Works fills this gap, providing a concise and accessible college-level introduction to marine science that is also ideal for general readers. How are winds and currents driven? What is the dilemma of the two-layered ocean? Mark Denny explains key concepts like these in rich and fascinating detail. He explores early scientific knowledge of oceans, photosynthesis, trophic interactions and energy flow, and the impacts of human activities on marine and atmospheric systems. Focusing each chapter on a major topic and carefully explaining the principles and theory involved, Denny gives readers the conceptual building blocks needed to develop a coherent picture of the living ocean. How the Ocean Works is an indispensable resource that teaches readers how to think about the ocean--its biology, mechanics, and conservation. Provides a concise, up-to-date introduction to marine science Develops the conceptual basis needed to understand how the ocean works Explains fundamental principles and theory Includes color illustrations and informative diagrams Serves as a college textbook and a reference for general readers Some images inside the book are unavailable due to digital copyright restrictions.

The essential introduction to modern physical oceanography With the advent of computers, novel instruments, satellite technology, and increasingly powerful modeling tools, we know more about the ocean than ever before. Yet we also have a new generation of oceanographers who have become increasingly distanced from the object of their study. Ever fewer scientists collect the observational data on which they base their research. Instead, many download information without always fully understanding how far removed it is from the original data, with opportunity for great misinterpretation. This textbook introduces modern physical oceanography to beginning graduate students in marine sciences and experienced practitioners in allied fields. Real observations are strongly emphasized, as are their implications for understanding the behavior of the global ocean. Written by a leading physical oceanographer, Modern Observational Physical Oceanography explains what the observational revolution of the past twenty-five years has taught us about the real, changing fluid ocean. Unlike any other book, it provides a broad and accessible treatment of the subject, covering everything from modern methods of observation and data analysis to the fluid dynamics and modeling of ocean processes and variability. Fully illustrated in color throughout, the book describes the fundamental concepts that are needed before delving into more advanced topics, including internal-inertial waves, tides, balanced motions, and large-scale circulation physics. Provides an accessible introduction to modern physical oceanography Written by a leading physical oceanographer Emphasizes real observations of the fluid ocean Features hundreds of color illustrations An online illustration package is available to professors

Ocean Mixing: Drivers, Mechanisms and Impacts presents a broad panorama of one of the most rapidly-developing areas of marine science. It highlights the state-of-the-art concerning knowledge of the causes of ocean mixing, and a perspective on the implications for ocean circulation, climate, biogeochemistry and the marine ecosystem. This edited volume places a particular emphasis on elucidating the key future questions relating to ocean mixing, and emerging ideas and activities to address them, including innovative technology developments and advances in methodology. Ocean Mixing is a key reference for those entering the field, and for those seeking a comprehensive overview of how the key current issues are being addressed and what the priorities for future research are. Each chapter is written by established leaders in ocean mixing research; the volume is thus suitable for those seeking specific detailed information on sub-topics, as well as those seeking a broad synopsis of current understanding. It provides useful ammunition for those pursuing funding for specific future research campaigns, by being an authoritative source concerning key scientific goals in the short, medium and long term. Additionally, the chapters contain bespoke and informative graphics that can be used in teaching and science communication to convey the complex concepts and phenomena in easily accessible ways. - Presents a coherent overview of the state-of-the-art research concerning ocean mixing - Provides an in-depth discussion of how ocean mixing impacts all scales of the planetary system - Includes elucidation of the grand challenges in ocean mixing, and how they might be addressed

ON THE ORIGIN OF CONTINENTS AND OCEANS is a completely new and somewhat controversial way of looking at and understanding modern scientific evidence about the origin of Earth's continents and oceans. Since the 1960s this evidence has traditionally been gathered in support of Plate Tectonic studies and as such, until now, has rarely been looked at other than from a conventional Plate Tectonic perspective. This conventional perspective insists that the origin of the continents and oceans is a random, non-predictable, and sometimes catastrophic process-a process that is understood by very few and remains unchallenged by most. In this book, the same modern scientific evidence as used in Plate Tectonic studies is used to recreate and discuss the entire 4,000 million years of Earth's recorded geological history. This discussion commences with an ancient primordial Earth comprising an assemblage of the most ancient Archaean continental crusts. Discussion then continues through the various supercontinental stages until breakup of the ancient Pangaea supercontinent occurred to form the modern continents during the late-Permian Period, as well as opening of each of the modern oceans. The location of each ancient magnetic pole is shown to remain diametrically opposed throughout this entire time, as it is today, and these poles are precisely located on all constructed models of the ancient Earth. Each established pole and equator is shown to coincide precisely with observed ancient climate zones and ancient geographical evidence. Similarly, plant and animal species evolution, extinction, and migration is shown to be intimately related to progressive continental break-up, sea-level changes, and opening of the modern oceans, in particular during the past 250 million years. By adopting this new scientific perspective it is shown that global extinctions are not related to random catastrophic events-events we are led to believe predict a gloomy end to civilisation as we know it-but, more importantly, these events are shown to coincide with non-catastrophic, wholesale continental breakup as well as climate and sea-level changes that occur naturally over many millions of years. In contrast to what we are currently led to believe in conventional tectonic studies, this new perspective is telling a completely different story about the origin of Earth's continents and oceans; one that shows a very simple, predictable, easily understood, and holistic process involving a progressively changing Earth surface area and surface curvature through time. By simply changing our misguided assumptions about the physical characteristics of the ancient Earth, the new perspective presented here represents a paradigm shift in the way we are able to understand and challenge our conventional views on the origin of the continents and oceans.