Oceans and Oceanography

232 Pages·2010·3.9 MB·English

by  Britannica Educational Publishing

OCEANS AND OCEANOGRAPHY
THE LIVING EARTH
OCEANS AND OCEANOGRAPHY
EDITED BY JOHN P. RAFFERTY, ASSOCIATE EDITOR, EARTH AND LIFE SCIENCES
Published in 2011 by Britannica Educational Publishing
(a trademark of Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.)
in association with Rosen Educational Services, LLC
29 East 21st Street, New York, NY 10010.
Copyright © 2011 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Britannica, Encyclopædia
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Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Distributed exclusively by Rosen Educational Services.
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First Edition
Britannica Educational Publishing
Michael I. Levy: Executive Editor
J.E. Luebering: Senior Manager
Marilyn L. Barton: Senior Coordinator, Production Control
Steven Bosco: Director, Editorial Technologies
Lisa S. Braucher: Senior Producer and Data Editor
Yvette Charboneau: Senior Copy Editor
Kathy Nakamura: Manager, Media Acquisition
John P. Rafferty: Associate Editor, Earth and Life Sciences
Rosen Educational Services
Jeanne Nagle: Senior Editor
Nelson Sá: Art Director
Cindy Reiman: Photography Manager
Matthew Cauli: Designer, Cover Design
Introduction by Therese Shea Harasymiw
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Oceans and oceanography / edited by John P. Rafferty.—1st ed.
p. cm.—(The living earth)
“In association with Britannica Educational Publishing, Rosen Educational
Services.”
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-61530406-6 (eBook)
1. Oceanography. I. Rafferty, John P.
GC11.2.O258 2011
551.46—dc22
2010032151
On the cover: A clown fish swims amid the anemones along the ocean floor.
Shutterstock.com
On page x: A diver examines the many diverse marine life forms located
within the Verde sea passage, south of Manila, Philippines. Jay
Directo/AFP/Getty Images
On pages v, 1, 49, 104, 139, 180, 226, 249, 250, 252, 260: A cresting wave.
Jean-Paul Nacivet/Photographer’s Choice/Getty Images
CONTENTS
Introduction
Chapter 1: The Ocean
Relative Distribution of the Oceans
Hypsometry
Major Subdivisions of the Oceans
Origin of Ocean Waters
Composition of Seawater
Dissolved Inorganic Substances
Dissolved Organic Substances
Effects of Human Activities
The Physical Properties of Seawater
Salinity Distribution
Horse Latitudes
Temperature Distribution
Thermal Properties
Density of Seawater and Pressure
Optical Properties
Acoustic Properties
Chemical Evolution of the Oceans
The Early Oceans
The Transition Stage
The Modern Oceans
Chapter 2: Ocean Basins
Sea Level
Exploration of the Ocean Basins
Seasat
Deep-Sea Sediments
Sediment Types
Sedimentation Patterns
Evolution of the Ocean Basins Through Plate Movements
Island Arcs
Ocean Basin Features
Abyssal Hills
Continental Margins
Continental Rises
Continental Shelves
Continental Slopes
Deep-Sea Trenches
Oceanic Crust
Oceanic Plateaus
Oceanic Ridges
Chapter 3: Circulation and Waves
The Circulation of the Ocean Waters
Distribution of Ocean Currents
Causes of Ocean Currents
Pressure Gradients
Coriolis Effect