Oceans cover over 70% of the planet's surface and are essential to life on earth, yet their deepest mysteries remained unexplored until very recently when 20th century technological advances allowed the vast expansion of our frontiers of knowledge, and worldwide interest in oceanography grew rapidly.

Combining the skills of 40 contributors from world-renowned teaching and research establishments, this richly illustrated introduction to oceanography is suitable for coursework and appeals to a wide readership without compromising standards of scientific rigour.

With...