How the Ocean Works:
An Introduction to Oceanography
Mark Denny

Paper | 2008 | $45.00 / £26.95
Cloth | 2008 | $99.50 / £59.95
344 pp. | 7 x 10 | 148 color illus. 7 tables.

Shopping Cart | Endorsements | Table of Contents
Chapter 1 [HTML] or [PDF]

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

Mark Denny is the John B. and Jean DeNault Professor of Marine Sciences at Stanford University. His books include Chance in Biology and Air and Water (both Princeton).

Endorsements:

"An elegant presentation of how the ocean works. Denny's purpose is to review a selection of oceanographic topics to provide a background for considering such current public issues as climate change and marine fisheries. Accessible and enjoyable reading, and the scholarship is very sound."--Nicholas D. Holland, University of California, San Diego

"A well-written, coherent, interesting introductory text for teaching oceanography. The vast majority of the books on the market are full of glitz and relatively little else, and there is a great need for a book of this type."--Carol Arnosti, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Table of Contents:

List of Illustrations ix
List of Tables xiii
Preface xv
Chapter 1: Discovering the Oceans 1
Chapter 2: Ocean Basins 33
Chapter 3: Seawater 54
Chapter 4: Photosynthesis and Primary Production 68
Chapter 5: The Flow of Energy, Carbon, and Nutrients 106
Chapter 6: The Dilemma of the Two-Layered Ocean 145
Chapter 7: The Coriolis Effect and Its Consequences 173
Chapter 8: Winds and Currents 204
Chapter 9: Solutions to the Dilemma 233
Chapter 10: Complexity: Carbon, Iron, and the Atmosphere 251
Chapter 11: Fisheries 276
Chapter 12: An Invitation 299
Index 305

Other Princeton books by Mark Denny:

• Air and Water: The Biology and Physics of Life's Media.
• Chance in Biology: Using Probability to Explore Nature.

Subject Areas:

• Earth Sciences
• Biological Sciences

VISIT OUR EARTH SCIENCES WEBSITE

Shopping Cart:

For customers in the U.S., Canada, Latin America, Asia, and Australia
Paper: $45.00 ISBN13: 978-0-691-12647-0
Cloth: $99.50 ISBN13: 978-0-691-12646-3

For customers in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and India
Paper: £26.95 ISBN13: 978-0-691-12647-0
Cloth: £59.95 ISBN13: 978-0-691-12646-3

Prices subject to change without notice

File created: 4/23/2008

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