Oceanography: An Invitation to Marine Science

Answers to "Concept Check" questions, critical-thinking questions, and analytical questions with a mathematical emphasis are interspersed throughout the chapter to help students review the material, prepare for exams and maximize their course success.

Emphasizing applications, connections and relationships to other fields, the text demonstrates the integration of sciences that exists in the study of oceanography and provides a balance of physical and biological oceanography.

Integrating the theme of science as a process, the text underscores the difference between theory and law and explores the circular nature of the scientific method, in which each advance in theory suggests new questions to consider. "How Do We Know?" boxes in selected chapters describe the science process behind how oceanographers know what they know about the ocean, while "Interdisciplinary Connections" features help students relate concepts from other scientific fields to oceanography.

"Why does alcohol make my hand feel colder than water?" At the end of each chapter, "Questions from Students" answer the most common questions that students have about each topic, making it easier for instructors to anticipate and address student needs and for students to absorb and master the material.