Regional Oceanography: An Introduction

Developed from undergraduate lectures on marine sciences, this oceanography textbook is now being offered for free to all students. The material is suitable for advanced undergraduates or for use as an introductory graduate level course. Matthias Tomczak (School of Chemistry, Physics and Earth Sciences; Finders University) and J. Stuart Godfrey (Senior Principle Research Scientist, CSIRO, Division of Oceanography, Australia) began writing their text when they found the current materials did not suit their students. Their students were studying marine geology, biology, chemistry, geography and physical oceanography. They had a wide range of mathematical skills and the two educators found only materials that were either too simplistic or required more mathematics and theoretical physics than their students possessed. Regional Oceanography: An Introduction was published in 1994.

When their textbook went out of print around 2000, and despite continued demand, the new publisher wasn’t interested in a new release; the authors turned to the web. In doing so, the authors could update their oceanography textbook through the use of color and eliminated errors in the original text that they blamed on the original publisher. It has also allowed Tomczak and Godfrey to update the text as needed without the need for an expensive reprint.

This introduction to oceanography textbook was designed to enable students to print it themselves and have a print-quality textbook in their hands. With high-quality graphics and page design comes large files. The authors have, therefore, split the text into chapter-sized pieces to limit download times.

Table of Contents from Regional Oceanography: An Introduction

1. Introduction. What drives the ocean currents?
2. Temperature, salinity, density and the oceanic pressure field.
3. The Coriolis force, geostrophy, Rossby waves and the westward intensification
4. Ekman layer transports, Ekman pumping, and the Sverdrup balance
5. Water mass formation, subduction and the oceanic heat budget
6. Antarctic oceanography
7. Arctic oceanography; the path of North Atlantic Deep Water
8. The Pacific Ocean
9. Hydrology of the Pacific Ocean
10. Adjacent Seas of the Pacific Ocean
11. The Indian Ocean
12. Hydrology of the Indian Ocean
13. Adjacent Seas of the Indian Ocean and the Australasian Mediterranean Sea (the Indonesian throughflow)
14. The Atlantic Ocean
15. Hydrology of the Atlantic Ocean
16. Adjacent Seas of the Atlantic Ocean
17. Aspects of advanced regional oceanography
18. The oceans and the world’s mean climate
19. El Niño and the Southern Oscillation (ENSO)
20. The ocean and climate change

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Regional Oceanography: An Introduction