Essentials of Oceanography (with 1pass for OceanographyNOW ) (Paperback)

by Tom S. Garrison (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"Before reviewing the book I was convinced that all introductory oceanography texts were basically the same. But Garrison is clearly superior, and the illustrations put it over the top." --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Description
The fourth edition of ESSENTIALS OF OCEANOGRAPHY conveys Garrison's enthusiasm for oceanography to non-science students taking the introductory course. It is a streamlined version of his best-selling OCEANOGRAPHY text, but was created specifically to meet the needs of the shorter course. This text provides students with a basic understanding of the scientific questions, complexities, and uncertainties involved in ocean use and the role and importance of oceans in nurturing and sustaining life on the planet. Now fully updated to maximize student motivation and performance, the fourth edition features a fully integrated web-based student tutorial system, OceanographyNow?. Designed specifically to improve test-taking performance, OceanographyNow offers chapter-specific pre- and post-assessments as well as a personalized learning plan, focusing each student's study time on individual concept weaknesses. Updated to include the most current scientific information on topics such as upwelling, tsunamis, and the ocean-related environmental issues, ESSENTIALS OF OCEANOGRAPHY continues to emphasize the interdisciplinary nature of marine science, stressing its connections with astronomy, physics, chemistry, meteorology, geology, biology, ecology, history, and economics. By stressing relevance and currency, Garrison brings focus and excitement to students' appreciation of the complex nature of the ocean and its interactions with other systems.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Brooks Cole; 4 edition (October 10, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0495011754
• ISBN-13: 978-0495011750
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #472,340 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars lovely illustrations, January 24, 2006

By	W Boudville (Terra, Sol 3) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Essentials of Oceanography (with CD-ROM and InfoTrac) (Paperback)

Let me say right away that this book is rather abbreviated. If you really are intently interested in oceanography, try Garrison's full text. But this Essentials text will convey enough of the field to let you decide if oceanography is a pursuit for you.

The treatment is roughly at a freshman level in university, or perhaps for an advanced high school course. Some prior knowledge of chemisty and physics is assumed, in order for there to be any intelligent discussion of many aspects of oceanography.

The text also is well illustrated. The subject is one that readily lends itself to many photogenic shots. While this may sound frivolous to some, to others it has always been one of the attractions of oceanography. There are indeed some lovely photos scattered through the book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Informative, July 3, 2008

By	ecoanthrogirl "Mindy V." (Wichita, KS, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Essentials of Oceanography (with OceanographyNOW, InfoTrac 1-Semester Printed Access Card) (Paperback)

The book was organized well, easy to read and contained a lot of interesting information. A great intro to Oceanography text. I used it in a short-term telecourse and it was invaluable.

5.0 out of 5 stars Not a science-minded person? This book's for you., July 11, 2009

By	S. Graceffa - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Essentials of Oceanography (with OceanographyNOW, InfoTrac 1-Semester Printed Access Card) (Paperback)

Fantastic, easy-to-understand book jam-packed with photos and illustrations to bring concepts to life for people like myself who aren't science-minded at all. The author speaks in layman's terms and uses a lot of analogies that work perfectly. Some of my college texts are so hard to understand that I don't even bother trying to read them after a few pages in. This book, however, made me feel extremely able to understand concepts and also extremely able to retain them. A+ for Garrison's oceanography book.