--- title: Oceanography description: Oceanography explores the physical, chemical, geological, and biological aspects of the world's oceans. Learners will understand marine ecosystems, ocean currents, seafloor topography, and the ocean's critical role in regulating global climate. category: sciences subcategory: earth-and-environmental-science difficulty: beginner, intermediate, advanced url: /subject/oceanography --- # Oceanography Oceanography explores the physical, chemical, geological, and biological aspects of the world's oceans. Learners will understand marine ecosystems, ocean currents, seafloor topography, and the ocean's critical role in regulating global climate. ## Available Resources 3 Books • 2 Courses • 4 Websites ## Websites ### 1. Scripps Institution of Oceanography UC San Diego's ocean research institution publishes its programs, expeditions, data collections and public explainers on climate, marine biology and ocean physics here. Readers can follow current research directions and locate primary observational datasets from long-running monitoring efforts. **Difficulty:** Beginner | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://scripps.ucsd.edu/ **Tags:** oceanography, marine science, research institution, ocean data, climate science ### 2. Introduction to Oceanography (Open Textbook) Paul Webb's open textbook for a first university oceanography course, covering ocean basins, seawater chemistry, circulation, waves, tides and marine ecosystems with a North Atlantic emphasis. It builds the vocabulary and physical reasoning needed for later specialised courses. **Difficulty:** Beginner | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://rwu.pressbooks.pub/webboceanography/ **Tags:** oceanography, open textbook, marine science, ocean circulation, introductory ### 3. oceanexplorer.noaa.gov NOAA Ocean Exploration documents real-time deep-sea expeditions, offering dive videos, photos, mission updates, and interactive maps to explore underwater discoveries. It also provides educator resources, lesson plans, and field notes to engage students in ocean science. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov **Tags:** websites, science-research, earth-science ### 4. MarineBio Nonprofit online reference on ocean life run since 1998, with species profiles and photographs, introductory articles on marine biology and ocean ecosystems, and material on conservation threats. Students gain a broad grounding in marine organisms, their habitats and the pressures facing them. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://marinebio.org **Tags:** marine-biology, marine-species, ocean-ecosystems, marine-conservation, oceanography ## Courses ### 1. Marine Chemistry (MIT 12.742) **Author:** Dierdre Toole, Karen Casciotti, Meg Tivey et al. Graduate introduction to chemical oceanography: reservoir models and residence time, seawater major ions, river, atmosphere and seafloor fluxes, particle cycling, and carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, oxygen and sulfur cycles. 12 recorded lectures, slide notes and problem sets explain ocean uptake of anthropogenic CO2. **Difficulty:** Advanced | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/12-742-marine-chemistry-fall-2006/ **Tags:** chemical-oceanography, seawater-chemistry, biogeochemical-cycles, ocean-carbon-cycle, marine-sediments ### 2. Marine Biology **Author:** John Sparks Five-module introductory course from the American Museum of Natural History covering how organisms adapt to ocean conditions, physical properties of marine environments, food webs and species interactions, blue whale biology, and conservation. Learners can explain how ocean conditions shape where marine species live. **Difficulty:** Beginner | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://www.coursera.org/learn/marine-biology **Tags:** marine-biology, marine-ecosystems, ocean-food-webs, marine-conservation ## Books ### 1. Surf Science: An Introduction to Waves for Surfing (3rd Edition) **Author:** Tony Butt, Paul Russell, Rick Grigg Wave science written for surfers. Explains how storms generate swell, how swells travel and disperse, and how bathymetry, tides and wind shape breaking waves at a given spot, so readers can interpret forecast charts and predict surf. No science background required. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid **Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/0824839544?tag=edmonddante07-20 **Tags:** surfing, ocean-waves, swell, surf-forecasting, oceanography ### 2. Oceanography **Author:** Tom S. Garrison Garrison's introductory college survey of marine science, moving from plate tectonics and seafloor structure through seawater chemistry, circulation, waves and marine life. It gives a broad factual foundation and the terminology needed for more specialised oceanography courses. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid **Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/0495112860?tag=edmonddante07-20 **Tags:** books, science-research, earth-science ### 3. The Wave **Author:** Susan Casey Susan Casey's reported narrative on rogue and giant waves, following big-wave surfers alongside the wave scientists and salvage crews who study them. It conveys why extreme waves form and how poorly they were once predicted. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid **Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/0099531763?tag=edmonddante07-20 **Tags:** books, science-research, earth-science --- *This content is part of Dantes.io - Your Treasure Map to Knowledge* *Curated by humans at Dantes.io. Personal study use welcome; republishing this curation requires permission (team@dantes.io).* View this page online: https://dantes.io/subject/oceanography