“How do the oceans work?” To help students find the answers, Trujillo and Thurman present in-depth and rigorous discussions of oceanographic concepts and demystify the science for the non-science student. Their systems approach highlights the interdisciplinary relationship between oceanographic phenomena and how those phenomena affect other Earth systems. Scientific information from geology, chemistry, physics, and biology combine to illustrate how each of these disciplines relates to the ocean. This unique combination of rigor and accessibility has made Essentials of Oceanography the best-selling brief book—and one of the best-sellers overall—in oceanography.
•
A new chapter 16 on The Oceans and Climate Change includes some existing material from Chapters 5, 6, 7, and 10 in the previous edition, as well as much new material.
– Includes detailed coverage on how humans adding vast amounts of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere is causing Earth’s climate to change.
– Discusses the many unintended and severe changes in the ocean, including ocean warming, more intense hurricanes, increasing ocean acidity, changes in deep-water circulation, melting of polar ice, and rising sea level, and how action must be taken to reduce human-caused greenhouse gases.
•
Several new tables have been added, which organize and summarize important data for greater comprehension.
•
An improved illustration package of new photos, satellite images, and figures make oceanographic topics more accessible and easier to visualize.
•
All graphs have been standardized for consistency throughout.
•
Four new feature boxes have been added, offset by moving several feature boxes to the text’s companion website.
•
The new mini-box “What to Look For In This Chapter” replaces the Key Questions at the beginning of each chapter.
•
Five new geoscience animations help students visualize some of the most challenging oceanographic concepts.
•
Animation call-outs in the text have been revised for clarity.
•
A new video library includes 27 short video clips that show various oceanographic processes in action.
•
The authors’ accessible language demystifies scientific terms by introducing each new term with its etymon (etymon=the true sense of a word) and helps maintain accessible rigor and depth of material, particularly in the coverage of tides and biological processes.
•
A truly interdisciplinary approach draws together the interrelated spheres that compose Earth's systems as they relate to the oceans: geological oceanography, chemical oceanography, physical oceanography, biological oceanography.
•
The popular "Students Sometimes Ask" feature poses common, and often entertaining, real questions asked by students and answered by the author (e.g., "Why do my fingers get all wrinkly when I stay in the water for a long time?"; "Can internal waves break?")
•
Thematic organization of feature boxes highlights captivating examples and stories:
– Historical Features focus on historical developments in oceanography that tie into chapter topics
– Research Methods in Oceanography highlights how oceanographic knowledge is obtained
– Oceans and People examine the interaction of humans and the ocean environment.
– Focus on the Environment emphasize environmental issues, which are an increasingly important component of the book
•
End-of-chapter questions and exercises help students self-check their understanding.
•
Geoscience Animations icons throughout the text are provided to:
— Link at appropriate points in the narrative to a suite of new, state-of-the art computer animations created by Al Trujillo and a panel of geoscience educators, designed specifically for the ninth edition.
— Help students visualize some of the most challenging oceanographic concepts.
— Demonstrate animations of: Formation of Seamounts/Tablemounts and Stages of Coral Reef Development; How Calcareous Ooze Can Be Found Beneath the Calcite Compensation Depth (CCD); Ekman Spiral and Coastal Upwelling/Downwelling; Interference Patterns in Waves; The Deep Scattering Layer (DSL).
•
Key terms are noted in bold print, which are defined when they are introduced and are included in the glossary.
•
The authors use the international metric system (Système International or SI units) with comparable English system units in parentheses.
Alan P. Trujillo teaches at Palomar Community College in San Marcos, CA, where he is co-Director of the Oceanography Program and Chair of the Earth Sciences Department. He received his bachelor’s degree in geology from the University of California at Davis and his master’s degree in geology from Northern Arizona University, afterwards working for several years in industry as a development geologist, hydrogeologist, and computer specialist. Al began teaching in the Earth Sciences Department at Palomar in 1990 and in 1997 was awarded Palomar’s Distinguished Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching. He has co-authored Introductory Oceanography with Hal Thurman and is a contributing author for the textbooks Earth and Earth Science. In addition to writing and teaching, Al works as a naturalist and lecturer aboard natural history expedition vessels in Alaska and the Sea of Cortez/Baja California. His research interests include beach processes, sea cliff erosion, and computer applications in oceanography. Al and his wife, Sandy, have two children, Karl and Eva.
Harold V. Thurman retired in May 1994, after 24 years of teaching in the Earth Sciences Department of Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, California. Interest in geology led to a bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma A&M University, followed by seven years working as a petroleum geologist, mainly in the Gulf of Mexico, where his interest in oceans developed. He earned a master’s degree from California State University at Los Angeles and then joined the Earth sciences faculty at Mt. San Antonio College. Other books that Hal has co-authored include Introductory Oceanography (with Alan Trujillo) and a marine biology textbook. He has also written articles on the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, and Arctic Oceans for the 1994 edition of World Book Encyclopedia and served as a consultant on the National Geographic publication Realms of the Sea. He still enjoys going to sea on vacations with his wife Iantha.