Descriptive Physical Oceanography: An Introduction

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.

Expanded ocean basin descriptions, including ocean climate variability, emphasizing dynamical contextNew chapters on global ocean circulation and introductory ocean dynamics Companion website containing PowerPoint figures, supplemental chapters, and practical exercises for analyzing a global ocean data set using Java OceanAtlas

1. Introduction to descriptive physical oceanography 2. Ocean dimensions, shapes and bottom materials 3. Physical properties of seawater 4. Typical distributions of water characteristics 5. Mass, salt and heat budgets and wind forcing 6. Data analysis concepts and observational methods 7. Dynamical processes for descriptive ocean circulation 8. Gravity waves, tides, and coastal oceanography 9. Atlantic Ocean 10. Pacific Ocean 11. Indian Ocean 12. Arctic Ocean and Nordic Seas 13. Southern Ocean 14. 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