Educational Series: Best Free Oceanography Books

Oceanography Books

Oceanography covers a wide range of topics, including marine life and ecosystems, ocean circulation, plate tectonics and the geology of the sea floor, and the chemical and physical properties of the ocean. Just as there are many specialties within the medical field, there are many disciplines within oceanography.

The Oceanography books featured below are released under an open source license.

Introduction to Physical Oceanography

Introduction to Physical Oceanography

By Robert H. Stewart (358 pages)

Introduction to Physical Oceanography describes physical-oceanographic processes, theories, data, and measurements. In addition to the classical topics, the author includes discussions of heat fluxes, the role of the ocean in climate, the deep circulation, equatorial processes including El Nino, data bases used by oceanographers, the role of satellites and data from space, ship-based measurements, and the importance of vorticity in understanding oceanic flows.

This book is written for upper-division undergraduates and new graduate students in meteorology, ocean engineering, and oceanography .

Introduction to Ocean Sciences

Introduction to Ocean Sciences

By Douglas A. Segar (565 pages)

Developing scientific literacy by emphasizing the real-world process of science, this text provides an accessible introduction to the interrelated physical, chemical, biological, and geological processes of the oceans, atmosphere, and coasts.

The Third Edition has been fully revised and updated and offers improved pedagogy, an expanded art program featuring beautiful underwater photography by the author, and new multimedia resources for students and instructors.

Bathymetry and its Applications

Bathymetry and its Applications

By Dr. Philippe Blondel (158 pages)

This book presents some of the latest developments in bathymetry, using acoustic, electromagnetic and radar sensors, and in its applications, from gas seeps, pockmarks and cold-water coral reefs on the seabed to large water reservoirs and palynology.

The book consists of contributions from internationally-known scientists from India, Australia, Malaysia, Norway, Mexico, USA, Germany, and Brazil, and shows applications around the world and in a wide variety of settings.

Bathymetry is the study of underwater depth of lake or ocean floors

Regional Oceanography

Regional Oceanography: an Introduction

By Tomczak, Matthias & J Stuart Godfrey (158 pages)

Regional Oceanography: an Introduction is a textbook suitable for an advanced undergraduate course or for a course to introduce graduate students to the essentials of oceanography.

  • Chapters 1-5: Introduction and general principles (geostrophy, Ekman layer, Sverdrup balance)
  • Chapters 6-7: Antarctic and Arctic oceanography
  • Chapters 8-10: The Pacific Ocean
  • Chapters 11-13: The Indian Ocean
  • Chapters 14-16: The Atlantic Ocean
  • Chapter 17: Aspects of advanced regional oceanography
  • Chapters 18-20: The ocean and climate

NOTE: This is a draft.

OPEN SOURCE EDUCATIONAL BOOKS - Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Astronomy, Oceanography, Psychology, Geology, Sociology