The importance of the oceans to life on Earth cannot be overstated. Liquid water covers more than 70% of our planet's surface and, in past geological time, has spread over 85%. Life on Earth began in the oceans over 3.5 billion years ago and remained there for the great majority of that time. Today the seas still provide 99% of habitable living space, the largest repository of biomass, and holds the greatest number of undiscovered species on the planet. Our oceans are vital for the regulation of climate, and with global warming and decreasing land area, they have become increasingly important as the source of food, energy in the form of oil and gas, and for their mineral wealth. Oceans also form a key part of the biogeochemical cycles of carbon, nitrogen, and other elements critical to life. Nutrients in upwelling areas are spread by ocean currents, and the plankton of the seas supports a wealth of wildlife. In this Very Short Introduction Dorrik Stow analyses these most important components of our blue planet and considers their relationship with, and exploitation by, humans. He shows how the oceans are an essential resource to our overpopulated world, and discusses why exploration and greater scientific understanding of the oceans, their chemistry, and their mineral wealth are now a high priority. Stow also explores what we know of how oceans originate, and evolve and change; the shape of the seafloor and nature of its cover; the physical processes that stir the waters and mix such a rich chemical broth; and the inseparable link between oceans and climate. As polar ice melts and sea-levels rise, countless millions who have made their homes on low-lying lands close to the sea are threatened. As scientific exploration of the seas gathers pace, the new knowledge gained of the ocean-Earth systems and their interaction with the human environment is vital to our understanding of how we can preserve these ultimately fragile environments. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

CLEO publications in Frontiers in Marine Science Foreword Josef Aschbacher, Director of ESA’s Earth Observation Programmes Satellite data have drastically changed the view we have of the oceans. Covering about 70% of Earth’s surface, oceans play a unique role for our planet and for our life – but large areas remain unexplored and are difficult to reach. Since the 1980s, Earth-orbiting satellites have helped to observe what is happening at the ocean surface. Sensors like CZCS, AVHRR, SeaWifs and MODIS provided the first ocean colour data from space. Starting in 2002, ESA's Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) on-board the environmental satellite Envisat, provided detailed information on phytoplankton biomass and concentrations of other matter in the global oceans. These satellite observations laid the groundwork for studying the marine environment and how it responds to climate change, and the research community has since delivered information on the variability of marine ecosystems. Part of this work is reflected in this stunning collection of peer-reviewed publications presented at the workshop, Colour and Light in the Ocean from Earth Observation (CLEO), held at ESA’s ESRIN site in Frascati, Italy, on 6–8 September 2016. The event attracted more than 160 participants from all over the world, including remote sensing experts, marine ecosystem modelers, in-situ observers and users of Earth observation data. Scientifically, the meeting covered applications in climate studies over primary productivity and ocean dynamics, to pools of carbon and phytoplankton diversity at global and regional scales. It also demonstrated the potential of Earth observation and its contribution to modern oceanography. Looking to the future, new satellites developed by ESA under the coordination of the European Commission will further our scientific and operational observations of the seas. With Sentinel-3A in orbit and its twin Sentinel-3B following in 2017, there is a new category of data available for operational oceanographic applications and climate studies for years to come. These data are free and easy to access by anyone interested. Looking at the role of oceans in our daily lives, I am sure that this collection of scientific excellence will be valued by scientists of today and will inspire the next generation to carry these ideas into the future.

Advances in Renewable Energies Offshore is a collection of the papers presented at the 3rd International Conference on Renewable Energies Offshore (RENEW 2018) held in Lisbon, Portugal, on 8-10 October 2018. The 104 contributions were written by a diverse international group of authors and have been reviewed by an International Scientific Committee. The book is organized in the following main subject areas: - Modelling tidal currents - Modelling waves - Tidal energy devices (design, applications and experiments) - Tidal energy arrays - Wave energy devices (point absorber, multibody, applications, control, experiments, CFD, coastal OWC, OWC and turbines) - Wave energy arrays - Wind energy devices - Wind energy arrays - Maintenance and reliability - Combined platforms - Moorings, and - Flexible materials Advances in Renewable Energies Offshore collects recent developments in these fields, and will be of interest to academics and professionals involved in the above mentioned areas.

Provides facts about the ocean and the creatures that live in it. On board pages.