"With the advent of computers, novel instruments, satellite technology, and increasingly powerful modeling tools, we know more about the ocean than ever before. Yet we also have a new generation of oceanographers who have become increasingly distanced from the object of their study. Ever-fewer scientists collect the observational data on which they base their research. Instead, many download information without always fully understanding how far removed it is from the original data, with opportunity for great misinterpretation. This textbook introduces modern physical oceanography to beginning graduate students and experienced practitioners in allied fields. Real observations are strongly emphasized, as is their implications for understanding the behavior of the global ocean. Written by a leading physical oceanographer, Physical Oceanography and the Oceanic General Circulation explains what the observational revolution of the past twenty-five years has taught us about the real, changing fluid ocean. Unlike any existing book, it provides a comprehensive and accessible treatment of the subject, covering everything from modern methods of observation and data analysis to the fluid dynamics and modeling of ocean processes and variability. Fully illustrated in color throughout, the book describes the fundamental concepts that are needed before delving into more advanced topics, including internal-inertial waves, tides, balanced motions, and large-scale circulation physics"-- Provided by publisher.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 447-476) and index.

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