Oceanography and Marine Biology ─ An Introduction to Marine Science

Townsend (oceanography, U. of Maine) found college level textbooks he was looking for lacking in marine science and that oceanography textbooks treated the topic thoroughly but all but ignored marine biology, and vice versa. He took it upon himself to write this textbook to give students in introductory marine science courses solid treatment of both topics. Chapters address a variety of subjects, including the geography and evolution of the sea floor, waves and tides, zooplankton and invertebrates, marine environments, and human impacts. Annotation c2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

David W. Townsend is Professor of Oceanography in the School of Marine Sciences at the University of Maine. He has a longtime affiliation with the University, having completed a B.A. in Zoology there; after pursuing his M.S. (in Marine Science) at Long Island University, he then returned to the University of Maine, earning a Ph.D. in Oceanography. Dr. Townsend has been recognized for his teaching with the College Outstanding Teaching Award (2001) and the Distinguished Maine Professor Award (2006). He has published more than 90 papers, book chapters, and reviews. His research interests include: biological oceanography of estuaries and shelf seas; phytoplankton blooms; nutrient dynamics; fisheries oceanography; ecology and population dynamics of larval fishes and zooplankton; plankton ecology and trophodynamics; and coupling of physical and biological processes.