Introduction -- The ocean frontier -- The lure of the sea -- Great voyages of discovery -- Pioneers of ocean science -- Modern oceanographic research -- Ocean systems -- 1. Plates on the move -- The ocean planet -- Plate tectonics and time -- Backbone of the oceans -- Collision and slippage -- Oceans of the past -- 2. Patterns & cycles -- From peak to trough -- Where land meets sea -- Patterns on the seafloor -- Canyons, slopes, and fans -- Islands in time -- 3. Salt, sun, & sea level -- Why the sea is salt -- Heat, light, and sound -- Ocean layers -- Sea level rise and fall -- 4. Silent, swift, & strong -- Riding the waves -- Rhythm of the tides -- Great surface currents -- Silent cycles of the deep -- Oceans and climate -- 5. Hidden riches of the ocean -- Oil and gas -- Renewable marine energy -- Minerals from the sea -- Ocean maps -- The ocean floor -- The Atlantic Ocean -- The Indian Ocean -- The Pacific Ocean -- The Polar oceans -- Ocean Life -- 6. Evolution & extinction -- Life unfolds -- March through time -- Mass extinction -- 7. The web of life -- The diversity of life -- Cycles, webs, and flows -- The world of phytoplankton -- The zooplankton -- Algal forests -- 8. Marine lifestyles -- The marine environment -- Movement underwater -- Heightened senses -- Making a living -- Sexual encounters -- 9. Complex communities -- Marine habitats -- Shoreline communities -- Wetlands -- Coral reefs -- The open ocean -- The deep-sea floor -- 10. Fragile environments -- The living resource -- Marine pollution -- Habitat destruction -- Conclusion -- Future challenge -- Climate change -- A new global awareness -- Our common heritage -- Glossary.
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