Our Ocean Planet
Oceanography in the 21st Century

A New Oceanography Book for College Students

The teaching of oceanography has changed little in 150 years. Most recent oceanography textbooks, despite their emphasis on the latest news from oceanography, are still organized around biological, chemical, geological, and physical oceanography. They follow in the outline laid down by Richard in his L'Oceanographie published in 1908, and Kummel in his Handbuch der Ozeanographie published in 1907. Jules Verne would feel at home in today's classrooms. He would be able to read, understand, and appreciate much of what is in the textbooks. But he would be perplexed by what he would see in today's oceanography labs.

19th century oceanography emphasized:

1. Animals, currents, and the shape of the sea floor;
2. Man the explorer sailing the seas in ships;
3. Static systems unchanged for millions of years.

21st century oceanography emphasizes:

1. Ocean as one part of earth-system science;
2. Dynamic interacting systems, abrupt climate change, and the increasing influence of human activity;
3. Microbes, the carbon cycle, El Nino;
4. Computer models and analysis;
5. Machine the explorer, robotics, satellites, and undersea observing systems.

If we wish to lead students to understand our environment and to help them vote wisely on important environmental issues, if we want to educate future scientists and educators, and if we hope to satisfy student's curiosity, a different approach is necessary. That's why I am writing this book.

Please Note – I am still writing this book. Some pages are not quite complete

Open Source Textbook

Want to contribute? Many of you who are using this material in your classes can write web pages better than I, or you may want to include important new material. Here's your opportunity. I would like to make the textbook an open source document open to contributions from all. If you write a section, I will add it to the book and put your name on the contribution. Contact me at bob.stewart@suddenlink.net for more information.

Thanks

Funding for this book came partly from the State of Texas who paid my salary as a professor of oceanography at Texas A&M University, and partly from contract 1205046 with U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Jet Propulsion Laboratory which funded the production of educational material. This is their gift to the students and citizens of the world.

Revised on: 27 May, 2017