This introductory oceanography text is intended to teach students the tremendous influence oceans have on our lives. They are encouraged to look at oceanography as a cohesive and united discipline rather than a collection of subjects gathered under a marine umbrella. Investigating Oceanography teaches students about the historical, geological, physical, chemical and biological characteristics of the ocean environment using remarkable images and photos. The authors have incorporated essays written by several scientists discussing topics in their fields of specialization. In addition to understanding processes and principles, the authors believe students must have a basic command of the language of marine science in order to understand the constant barrage of information concerning our planet and marine issues. By the end of this course, the authors want students to be prepared for future environmental discussions and the ability to make decisions as informed global citizens.

About the Author

Keith A. Sverdrup is a Professor of Geophysics at the Universityof Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM), where he has taught oceanography forover thirty years and conducts research in tectonics and seismology. He isa recipient of UWM’s Undergraduate Teaching Award and is a Fellow of theGeological Society of America.Keith received his BS in Geophysics from the University of Minnesotaand his PhD in Earth Science, with a dissertation on seismotectonics in thePacific Ocean basin from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at theUniversity of California-San Diego. Keith has participated in a number ofoceanographic research cruises throughout the Pacific Ocean including the far Western Pacific, fromGuam to the Philippines and Taiwan; the South Central Pacific in regions of French Polynesia includingthe Society Islands, the Line Islands and the Marquesas; and in the Eastern Pacific off the coast of Mexico.Keith has been active in oceanography education throughout his career, serving on committees ofthe American Geophysical Union (AGU), the American Institute of Physics (AIP), and the GeologicalSociety of America (GSA). He was a member of AGU’s Education and Human Resources Committeefor twelve years (chairing it for four years), and also chaired AGU’s Excellence in Geophysical EducationAward Committee, the Editorial Advisory Committee for the journal Earth in Space, and theSullivan Award Committee for excellence in science journalism. Keith served as a member of AIP’sPhysics Education Committee for six years.Keith has worked as the Geosciences Program Officer for the Division of Undergraduate Educationat the National Science Foundation from 2005–2007 and from 2014–present.

Dr. Raphael M. Kudela is Ida Benson Lynn Chair of OceanHealth and a Professor of Ocean Sciences at the University of California,Santa Cruz (UCSC), where he teaches and conducts research on biologicaloceanography. He received his BS in Biology with a Marine Science emphasisat Drake University and his PhD in Biology from the University ofSouthern California.Raphael is a phytoplankton ecologist who wishes to understand thefundamental question: What controls phytoplankton growth and distributionin the ocean? His research projects span the range from land-sea interactionsand water quality to mesoscale iron fertilization experiments conductedin the equatorial Pacific and Southern Ocean. Raphael is the Director of the Center for Remote Sensingat UCSC, Chair of the international Global Ecology and Oceanography of Harmful Algal Blooms(GEOHAB) program, co-Chair of the U.S. National Harmful Algal Bloom Committee, and serves onthe National Science Foundation Ocean Observing Steering Committee and the Scientific Committeefor Oceanographic Aircraft Research. He is a member of the American Geophysical Union, AmericanSociety for Limnology and Oceanography, The Oceanography Society, and the International Societyfor the Study of Harmful Algae.Raphael teaches at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, including participation in theNASA Student Airborne Research Program.