As the bestselling brief book in the oceanography market, Essentials of Oceanography combines dynamic visuals and a student-friendly narrative to bring oceanography to life. The text's engaging features and the extensive suite of animations and videos keep students interested and excited about the material.
The 13th Edition creates an interactive learning experience that provides tightly integrated text and digital offerings to make oceanography approachable and digestible for students. An emphasis on the process of science throughout the text provides students with an understanding of how scientists think and work. The new edition also helps students develop the scientific skill of practicing and interpreting data with new Exploring Data features supported by Mastering Oceanography coaching activities. A new Creature Feature provides fun facts about marine animals to engage students.
1. Introduction to Planet "Earth"
2. Plate Tectonics and the Ocean Floor
3. Marine Provinces
4. Marine Sediments
5. Water and Seawater
6. Air–Sea Interaction
7. Ocean Circulation
8. Waves and Water Dynamics
9. Tides
10. Beaches, Shoreline Processes, and the Coastal Ocean
11. Marine Pollution
12. Marine Life and the Marine Environment
13. Biological Productivity and Energy Transfer
14. Animals of the Pelagic Environment
15. Animals of the Benthic Environment
16. The Oceans and Climate Change
Al Trujillo is a Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Earth, Space, and Environmental Sciences Department at Palomar College in San Marcos, California. He received his bachelor’s degree in geology from the University of California at Davis and his master’s degree in geology from Northern Arizona University, afterward working for several years in industry. Al began teaching at Palomar in 1990. In 1997, he was awarded Palomar’s Distinguished Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching, and in 2005 he received Palomar’s Faculty Research Award. He has coauthored Introductory Oceanography with Hal Thurman and is a contributing author for the textbooks Earth and Earth Science. In addition to writing and teaching, Al works as a naturalist and lecturer aboard Holland America Line and natural history expedition vessels for Lindblad Expeditions/National Geographic in Alaska, Iceland, the Sea of Cortez/Baja California, and the South Pacific. His research interests include beach processes, sea cliff erosion, and active teaching techniques. He enjoys photography, and he collects sand as a hobby. Al and his wife, Sandy, have two children, Karl and Eva.
Hal Thurman’s interest in geology led to a bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma A&M University, followed by seven years working as a petroleum geologist, mainly in the Gulf of Mexico, where his interest in the oceans developed. He earned a master’s degree from California State University at Los Angeles. Hal began teaching at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, California, in 1968 as a temporary teacher and taught Physics 1 (a surveying class) and three Physical Geology labs. In 1970, he taught his first class of General Oceanography. It was from this experience that he decided to write a textbook on oceanography and received a contract with Charles E. Merrill Publishing Company in 1973. The first edition of his book Introductory Oceanography was released in 1975. Harold authored or coauthored over 20 editions of textbooks that include Introductory Oceanography, Essentials of Oceanography, Physical Geology, Marine Biology, and Oceanography Laboratory Manual, many of which are still being used today throughout the world. In addition, he contributed to the World Book Encyclopedia on the topics of “Arctic Ocean,” “Atlantic Ocean,” “Indian Ocean,” and “Pacific Ocean.” Hal Thurman retired in May 1994, after 24 years of teaching, and moved to be closer to family in Oklahoma, then to Florida. Hal passed away at the age of 78 on December 29, 2012. His writing expertise, knowledge about the ocean, and easy going demeanor are dearly missed.