Descriptive physical oceanography : an introduction / Lynne D. Talley, George L. Pickard, William J. Emery, James H. Swift.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 513-543) and index.

Print version record.

The sixth edition of Descriptive Physical Oceanography provides an introduction to descriptive physical oceanography for advanced undergraduates and graduate students. The emphasis is on large-scale oceanography, based mainly in observations, with some topics from waves and coastal oceanography also included. Topics include the physical properties of seawater, heat and salt budgets, instrumentation, data analysis methods, introductory dynamics, oceanography and climate variability of each of the oceans and of the global ocean, and brief introductions to the physical setting, waves, and coastal oceanography. Expanded ocean basin descriptions, including ocean climate variability, emphasizing dynamical context New chapters on global ocean circulation and introductory ocean dynamics Companion website containing PowerPoint figures, supplemental chapters, and practical exercises for analyzing a global ocean data set using Java OceanAtlas.

1. Introduction to Descriptive Physical Oceanography -- 2. Ocean Dimensions, Shapes, and Bottom Materials -- 3. Physical Properties of Seawater -- 4. Typical Distributions of Water Characteristics -- 5. Mass, Salt, and Heat Budgets and Wind Forcing -- 6. Data Analysis Concepts and Observational Methods -- 7. Dynamical Processes for Descriptive Ocean Circulation -- 8. Gravity Waves, Tides, and Coastal Oceanography -- 9. Atlantic Ocean -- 10. Pacific Ocean -- 11. Indian Ocean -- 12. Arctic Ocean and Nordic Seas -- 13. Southern Ocean -- 14. Global Circulation and Water Properties.

English.