Book Description
Data Analysis Methods in Physical Oceanography is a practical reference
guide to established and modern data analysis techniques in earth and ocean
sciences. This second and revised edition is even more comprehensive with numerous updates, and an additional appendix on 'Convolution and Fourier transforms'.

Intended for both students and established scientists, the five
major chapters of the book cover data acquisition and recording, data
processing and presentation, statistical methods and error handling,
analysis of spatial data fields, and time series analysis methods. Chapter 5
on time series analysis is a book in itself, spanning a wide diversity of
topics from stochastic processes and stationarity, coherence functions,
Fourier analysis, tidal harmonic analysis, spectral and cross-spectral
analysis, wavelet and other related methods for processing nonstationary
data series, digital filters, and fractals. The seven appendices include
unit conversions, approximation methods and nondimensional numbers used in
geophysical fluid dynamics, presentations on convolution, statistical
terminology, and distribution functions, anda number of important
statistical tables. Twenty pages are devoted to references.

Featuring:

• An in-depth presentation of modern techniques for the analysis of temporal and spatial data sets collected in oceanography, geophysics, and other disciplines in earth and ocean sciences.

• A detailed overview of oceanographic instrumentation and sensors - old and new - used to collect oceanographic data.

• 7 appendices especially applicable to earth and ocean sciences ranging from conversion of units, through statistical tables, to terminology and non-dimensional parameters.

In praise of the first edition:

"(...)This is a very practical guide to the various statistical analysis methods used for obtaining information from geophysical data, with particular reference to oceanography(...)

The book provides both a text for advanced students of the geophysical sciences and a useful reference volume for researchers." Aslib Book Guide Vol 63, No. 9, 1998

"(...)This is an excellent book that I recommend highly and will definitely use for my own research and teaching." EOS Transactions, D.A. Jay, 1999

"(...)In summary, this book is the most comprehensive and practical source of information on data analysis methods available to the physical oceanographer.The reader gets the benefit of extremely broad coverage and an excellent set of examples drawn from geographical observations." Oceanography, Vol. 12, No. 3, A. Plueddemann, 1999

"(...)Data Analysis Methods in Physical Oceanography is highly recommended for a wide range of readers, from the relative novice to the experienced researcher.It would be appropriate for academic and special libraries." E-Streams, Vol. 2, No. 8, P. Mofjelf, August 1999 ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Great reference for students and practicing professionals in oceanography
This is a must have for all field oceanographers.The material is well organized and clearly presented.Excellent companion for intro data analysis and observational physical oceanography texts.

Highly recommended
In Data Analysis Methods in Physical Oceanography, Emery and Thomson have drawn together a broad range of information on data analysis methods in a single volume. It is an excellent book for the experienced researcher as well as upper level undergraduates and graduate students. It could either serve as a textbook or as a reference handbook. The focus of the book is on application of methods and not just theoretical description. The material is presented in the same fashion that data is approached, from collection to analysis. Particularly useful is that each chapter provides background for the topics presented; setting a context for understanding the material.

The first chapter reviews the basics of statistical sampling and how various oceanographic data elements are collected. It describes in detail the various methods used for collection and their inherent strengths and weakness. The second chapter moves from collecting the data to processing and data presentation; including calibration, interpolation and a variety of presentation formats. The third chapter presents the standard statistical methods and procedures for error handling. The last two chapters cover the range of methods used for spatial and time series analysis of data. This includes not only long established methods but more recent methodologies, such as wavelet transforms, as well.

A bibliography and set of appendices complement the text, making the book an all encompassing reference work. The authors have created an extensive bibliography that enables readers to follow up with more specific readings. The appendices include units in physical oceanography, a glossary of statistical terms, statistical tables, and non-uniform numbers.

Just in time !
We have no similar books in Physical Oceanography.It puts together the description of many useful techniques (including the modern ones) and it also considers pratical aspects of data collection and analysis. The textis easy to follow. The figures are very clear. Useful references are cited.Other geophysical areas can also benefit from it. Do I need to saysomething else ! ... Read more

Book Description
"Physical oceanography" encompasses a broad range of subjects, from heat transfer to sound and optics. Knauss brings all these disparate fields together in this comprehensive text. He strikes a balance between purely descriptive texts and mathematically rigorous ones, assuming readers only have knowledge of elementary calculus and physics. This results in a straightforward, readable book that makes the material accessible both to readers specializing in physical oceanography and those from other disciplines who need to understand the fundamental principles of physical oceanography. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Great inro into a complex subject.
This intro to physical oceanography is both approachable and easy-to-read, just like a good intro should be. I would recommend this text to anyone who wants to learn more about what drives ocean circulation. Potential readers should be beware that physical oceanography is, at its core, a quantitative science and this text reflects this. If you really want to follow the text, be prepared to break out your calculus book, a pencil and some paper.

Gentle intro to PO
This book is really a "Gentle Intro to PO".The material is well organized and coherently presented.The book, however, is really a survey of PO rather than a solid introductory text (which doesn't really exist, btw); suitable for non-quantitative or non-physics oriented reader.With this book Dr. Knauss makes PO accessible to a wider audience,... which has never been done before!

Great book!!
The book came on time and its a good book and is helping me in my course.

Knauss Review
Very informative and easy to read.

Knauss includes mathematical formula derivation if you need more of a challenge, but also includes simple explanations of many physical processes within the ocean.

Great for both beginners and the more-experienced oceanographers out there!

Shame it's so hard to get hold of (out of print in UK).

Excellent choice for college text
I read the majority of this text for a physical oceanography course and found extremely helpful for understanding how the earth, not just the oceans, work to create everything from terrestial weather systems to deep water conveyer belts. As a marine biologist, one with a sound physical and mathematical background, I found this text a excellent reference for factors to consider when doing studies in the ocean. It is all too easy for some biologists to disregard certain forces acting on an organism or system, and focus solely on that organism or system itself. Vital components such as Reynolds numbers, tidal and Coriolis forces and ocean stratification greatly affects how organisms interact and adapt in their environments.
I believe all marine biologists should have a general physical oceanography background and this text provides sound knowledge and well written and derived equations in an understandble format that even a non-physical scientist should be able to comprehend. ... Read more

Book Description
'Descriptive Physical Oceanography: An Introduction' 5th edition provides an introduction to descriptive (synoptic) physical oceanography for science undergraduates and early graduate students. There has been an updating of topics such as the heat budget, instruments (particularly the use of satellites), a complete revision of the material on equatorial oceanography, sea-ice physics and distribution and El Nino and information has been added on thermohaline circulation, mixing nad coral reef oceanography. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

good PO text
Good book, however I found its pair Dynamical Oceanography by Pond to be more helpful and informative. ... Read more

Book Description
Physical Oceanography with MATLAB provides an introduction to the fundamental analytical and computational tools necessary for modeling ocean currents, focusing on partial differential equations (PDEs) of geophysical fluid dynamics (GFD). Requiring only a basic familiarity with advanced engineering mathematics, the text presents topics, such as multivariate calculus and the integral theorems of Gauss and Stokes, in the context of fluid dynamics. MATLAB® is used throughout the book in the exercises as well as in the development of the mathematics. The author discusses current research problems in the mathematical ocean modeling community and features computational projects at the end of every chapter, ranging from elementary (box models of basins) to intermediate (quasi-geostrophic and multilayer). A CD-ROM containing all MATLAB programs accompanies the text. ... Read more

Book Description

In this book, methodology of dynamical systems theory is applied to investigate the physics of the large-scale ocean circulation. Topics include the dynamics of western boundary currents such as the Gulf Stream in the Atlantic Ocean and the Kurosio in the Pacific Ocean, the stability of the thermohaline circulation, and the El Niño/Southern Oscillation phenomenon in the Tropical Pacific. The book also deals with the numerical methods to apply bifurcation analysis on large-dimensional dynamical systems, with tens of thousands (or more) degrees of freedom, which arise through discretization of ocean and climate models. The novel approach to understand the phenomena of climate variability is through a systematic analysis of the solution structure of a hierarchy of models using these techniques. In this way, a connection between the results of the different models within the hierarchy can be established. Mechanistic description of the physics of the results is provided and, where possible, links with results of state-of-the-art ocean (and climate) models and observations are sought. The reader is expected to have a background in basic fluid dynamics and applied mathematics, although the level of the text sometimes is quite introductory. Each of the chapters is rather self-contained and many details of derivations are provided. Exercises presented at the end of each chapter make it a perfect graduate-level text.

Book Description
Written by a renowned fluid dynamicist specializing in computational methods (particularly in turbulence), this introductory text addresses the subject of dynamic oceanography from a mathematical approach. The book begins with the basic equations of motion in integral form and covers such essential topics as geostropic flow, barotropic and baroclinic ocean circulations, vorticity, and the astronomical tides. Among the many appendices is one on the method of Matched Asymptotic Expansions as applied to the Gulf Stream the most modern and systematic way of looking at boundary layer problems. Problems are included at the end of each chapter. ... Read more

Book Description
Immerse your students in Earth's most abundant resource - water.The 18 ready-to-use activities and detailed background readings in Physical Oceanography focus on the uniqueness of water, the effects of its special characteristics on Earth's oceans, and the forces that cause currents, waves, and tides.There is also a section on the effect humans have on marine environments. ... Read more

Book Description

This book aims to provide current scientists as well as future generations with a historical overview of the developments in physical oceanography over the last four decades. Senior scientists that have played major roles during that time contributed chapters on oceanographic observations, theory of physical oceanography and modelling.

Book Description

Physical Oceanography of the Dying Aral Sea describes the background, present crisis state, and possible future of this peculiar inland water body from the physical oceanographic standpoint. Based on a wide range of material, a large part of which was published in Russian and has not been previously available to the international reader, the book first provides an historical overview of this unique system, which possesses both lake and sea properties.

Customer Reviews (1)

basic science of a not well known field
In this book I learned about the pycnoclinezone
and the deep zone and thatthere was a lot less circulation than one might expect in the oceans.
Ocean currents and wind currents are very basic in navigation of the world's oceans.
The realization sets in that as big as the ocean is
humans can get it dirty with their wastes
just as they have the atmosphere with co2. ... Read more

Book Description
Professor Bennett's work explores the potential for inverse theory, emphasizing possibilities rather than expedient or rudimentary applications.In addition to interpolating the data and adding realism to the model solutions, the methods can yield estimates for unobserved flow variables, forcing fields, and model parameters.Inverse formulations can resolve ill-posed modeling problems, lead to design criteria for oceanic observing systems, and enable the testing of models as scientific hypothesis. Ocean models considered range from linear, finite-dimensional systems of equality and inequality constraints, to nonlinear, regional primitive-equation models.Examples from the recent oceanographic literature are analyzed, and several outstanding research problems are surveyed.The methods employ solution techniques including Kalman filters and smoothers, representer expansions and descent algorithms.Exercises of varying difficulty rehearse technical skills and supplement the central theoretical development. ... Read more

Book Description
Polar Oceanography is an integrated synthesis of the biological, physical, geological, and chemical processes that occur in the polar oceans. The book represents the first modern interdisciplinary synthesis in this field. ... Read more