Introduction to Ocean Sciences

by Douglas A. Segar and Elaine S. Segar

Book Overview

The Second Edition has been fully revised and updated and offers improved pedagogy, an expanded art program featuring beautiful underwater photography by the author, and new multimedia resources for... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0314097058
• ISBN13: 9780314097057
• Release Date: August 1997
• Publisher: Cengage Learning
• Length: 497 Pages
• Weight: 3.40 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Informative but not much marine biology...

A brilliant book covering much of oceanography in alot of detail, easy to read, with good diagrams. There was alot of empasis on plate tectonics, and little on marine biology, which was a bit on a downfall.

The first good oceans text in a very long time

I frequently hear that oceanography texts are "a mile wide and an inch deep". Commonly written by people without any research experience in oceanography, or any education in the field, they are filled with error-ridden, arm-waving explanations and are 30 years behind current thinking in oceanography (for example, see the abysmal texts by Thurman). Basic science is mentioned only fleetingly, if at all.This book is a welcome exception to the "dumbing down" trend in oceanography texts (or in the authors of oceanography texts?). It is suitable for an introductory class with no or little scientific background, but it also emphasizes the fundamental concepts without which oceanography IS nothing except arm-waving. It is up-to-date, incorporating ideas that have been basic in oceanography for 20 and 30 years and which are essential to understanding the marine system.The author clearly understands his subject; something that cannot be said of the other lightweight books in this field. I highly recommend this book....you'll toss out every other text once you've seen this one!