Table of Contents

PREFACE; INTRODUCTION - EXPLORING AND UNDERSTANDING THE OCEANS; PART 1: OCEAN SYSTEMS - THE PHYSICAL NATURE OF THE OCEANS; 1. Plates on the move (the evolution of oceans); 2. Patterns and cycles (the changing face of the ocean); 3. Salt, sun, and sea-level (the nature of seawater); 4. Silent, strong, and deep (waves, tides, currents, and climate); 5. Resources for the third millenium (minerals and energy); OCEAN MAPS - BATHYMETRY AND RESOURCES; PART 2: THE LIVING OCEAN - THE EVOLUTION AND DISTRIBUTION OF MARINE LIFE; 6. Evolution and extinction (the origin of life); 7. Producers and consumers (the world of plankton); 8. Marine animals (variety and adaptation); 9. Complex communities (habitats and ecosystems); 10. Fragile environments (marine life and humankind); CONCLUSION - MANAGING AND CONSERVING THE OCEANS; Glossary of terms; Bibliography and resources; Acknowledgements; Index

Reviews

Although ostensibly a popular book, it is also a serious work of record backed by comprehensive reference of its sources... An important academic contribution to the history of one of the most romantic branches of nineteenth-century science and a perceptive commentary on the social and cultural background from which modern observational oceanography sprang. Richard Shelton, TLS Clearly written and beautifully illustrated, this is the perfect introduction to the seas. The Scotsman