Oceanography and Marine Biology: An Introduction to Marine Science

Dear Colleagues,

Having taught an introductory ocean science class to more than 5,000 undergraduates over the past 15 years, it has become abundantly clear to me that the majority of my students are more interested in biological aspects of the marine environment than they are in either the oceans' physics or geology. On the other hand, having been a basic research scientist throughout my career, I remain convinced that a fundamental understanding of basic physical sciences is necessary for a deeper appreciation of biology and ecology. And so, over time, my teaching philosophy has evolved to one where I almost trick students into learning basic science. What I mean is, they already appreciate the oceans--the parts of the oceans they have had exposure to, that is--and so we already have their interest. All we need to do is build on that intuitive and still naïve interest and show students why our oceans are, in fact, even more interesting--and important.

Oceanography and Marine Biology preserves the basic elements of the physical, chemical, and geological aspects of the marine sciences, and merges those fundamentals into a broader framework of marine biology and ecology. I have found that this approach works: my class of 350 students fills every semester it is offered, with students on waiting lists to get in. But existing textbooks on oceanography or marine biology address the companion field only cursorily: very few pages in oceanography texts are devoted to marine biology, and vice versa. This new book overcomes that imbalance, bringing these disparate marine science text formats closer together, giving them more equal weight, and introducing more effectively the physical sciences by showing students with everyday examples how such concepts form the foundation upon which to build a better understanding of the marine environment in a changing world.

I invite you to take a look at the book, and welcome your comments on it.

David W. Townsend


RESOURCES

For the Instructor

Instructor's Resource Library
This resource includes all figures (line-art illustrations and photographs) and tables from the textbook, provided as both high- and low-resolution JPEGs. All have been formatted and optimized for excellent projection quality. Also included are ready-to-use PowerPoint slides of all figures and tables. In addition, the IRL includes suggested answers to the textbook's end-of-chapter discussion questions.

David W. Townsend is Professor of Oceanography in the School of Marine Sciences at the University of Maine. He has a longtime affiliation with the University, having completed a B.A. in Zoology there; after pursuing his M.S. (in Marine Science) at Long Island University, he then returned to the University of Maine, earning a Ph.D. in Oceanography. Dr. Townsend has been recognized for his teaching with the College Outstanding Teaching Award (2001) and the Distinguished Maine Professor Award (2006). He has published more than 90 papers, book chapters, and reviews. His research interests include biological oceanography of estuaries and shelf seas; phytoplankton blooms; nutrient dynamics; fisheries oceanography; ecology and population dynamics of larval fishes and zooplankton; plankton ecology and trophodynamics; and coupling of physical and biological processes.