How the Ocean Works: An Introduction to Oceanography

Hearing the author give an interesting and informative presentation for the lay person , "How Plants and Animals Survive Crashing Ocean Waves", at the Aspen Center for Physics motivated me to explore the field of oceanography in which I had no training or experience but which I had always wanted to learn more about. I believe a science afficionado who wishes to become acquainted with the physics, chemistry, geology and biology of the oceans that cover so much of our planet will appreciate professor Denny's introduction to the field. Readers with a mathematical bent will appreciate the formulas in the appendices that were used to calculate and describe scientific findings presented in the various chapters of the text.

The book is a well-written introduction to the science of oceanography. The author focuses on the modern ocean, largely omitting coverage of geologic history included in many introductory texts. The illustrations are primarily line drawings, carefully selected and in many cases redrawn specifically for this book. The text provides a clearly-presented view of the biological productivity of the ocean, including examples of exploitation and vulnerability to global change. The affordable price makes this an attractive choice as a textbook.

Very straightforward and organized book. I like this textbook the most out of any other textbook because it doesn't include a bunch of fluff. It gets to the point, explains WHY, and moves on. Great textbook - easy to read.

I read every page. I couldn't put it down. Wonderful book.

A magnificently clear and deep enough introduction to the study of oceans.Highly recommended for anyone willing to better understand where life came from and where we may be heading toward.

The ease of reading this book, has allowed me to teach my class in a way they can comprehend. Excellent!

Very good book!

Outstanding text book, well written with clarity and plenty of examples and solid explanations.

I've just read the book and it was a very nice surprise. The mix from planetary physics and biology is very balanced and does give one a good overall view on the oceans and its life. The author makes a clear option on focusing in central global themes and leaves a lot of details out. I was just a little disappointed on the exceedingly fast approach to winds and currents.

Very readable, very enjoyable, extremely informative. It's a good text if you haven't read about oceamography before, as it explains very clearly how all the different processes fit together.

It is on kindle ,so the temptation is to switch to fiction after a digestible chapter,or two.But I keep coming back.I am sure to read or re-read some by the seashore when on holiday.The Maths in the appendices reminds me of just how much can be forgotten once the formal education ends.The illustrations are disappointing compared to a book,green line ,red line are just shades of grey.

Excellent

Disapointing.