BOOK REVIEW | Oceanography and Marine Biology: An Introduction to Marine Science

Abstract

Oceanography and Marine Biology preserves the basic elements of the physical, chemical, and geological aspects of the marine sciences, and merges those fundamentals into a broader framework of marine biology and ecology. I have found that this approach works: my class of 350 students fills every semester it is offered, with students on waiting lists to get in. But existing textbooks on oceanography or marine biology address the companion field only cursorily: very few pages in oceanography texts are devoted to marine biology, and vice versa. This new book overcomes that imbalance, bringing these disparate marine science text formats closer together, giving them more equal weight, and introducing more effectively the physical sciences by showing students with everyday examples how such concepts form the foundation upon which to build a better understanding of the marine environment in a changing world.