Marine Ecology: Processes, Systems, and Impacts

Description

The oceans cover the majority of the Earth's surface; they influence our climate and provide a valuable source of food to billions of people. Yet despite its fundamental impact on our lives, many aspects of the marine environment remain a mystery to us. Marine Ecology: Processes, Systems, and Impacts offers a carefully balanced and stimulating survey of marine ecology, introducing the key processes and systems from which the marine environment is formed, and the issues and challenges which surround its future. Opening with an overview of the processes and interactions which are central to an understanding of marine ecology, the book goes on to explore the diverse systems from which the marine environment is composed, from estuaries to seabeds, the deep sea to polar regions. The final section examines human activities that impact upon the marine environment - fisheries, aquaculture, pollution, and global warming - before considering measures that can be taken to mitigate their adverse effects on this complex, fragile environment. The importance of understanding and conserving the marine environment has never been more apparent. Marine Ecology: Processes, Systems, and Impacts is an essential resource for any student wishing to develop a well balanced, informed understanding of this fascinating subject. · Striking full colour illustrations and photographs bring visual impact to the material presented · Many detailed case studies enliven the text and add a further level of depth and insight · Key concepts and issues are treated from a global perspective, using examples from around the world Online Resource centre The Online Resource Centre to accompany Marine Ecology: Processes, Systems, and Impacts features: For students: · Hyperlinked bibliography · Links to useful websites · Exam and essay writing advice For lecturers: · Journal Clubs · Figures from the book, available to download Review: love this book - this book goes into details that allows even the fundermentals of marine oceanography to be understood. It is a great book to work from the beginnings to a higher understanding. I think this book is ideal for higher level to degree level. However, I do feel more pictures would be ideal such as diagrams to help visualise the consepts. Review: A really good overview of marine ecological processes; very readable but scientifically rigorous - I got this as support material for a course on Marine Ecology and Oceanography and have to admit it is one of the most well presented, readable and enjoyable reference books I've had. Every section covers a major ecological theme or environ with each chapter covering specific elements within that. Particularly the ecological processes themselves are reviewed in full; for example how and why mangroves are different from other plants, how they solve problems and what things affect them in turn. As a whole it paints a picture of an actively interlinked system. The author also highlights throughout certain key issues/challenges in environmental policy, such as the catch-22s in fishing or fish farming; both providing an means of income for some communities but also environmental disasters if misunderstood or poorly managed, the market prices of certain fish causing species which are actually poorly adapted for a farming environment to be focused on, and the tendency of governments to like simple 'sliding scale' indicators when in fact the environment is a much more complicated web of events and agents. These are all very valid concerns in our time and a balanced view is provided. You don't need a deep background in biology or ecology at all to read this, in my opinion, if you were just interested I think you would pick up almost all the concepts required within the text. I can't say enough that when it comes to readability this is a book I could sit and read for several hours, whereas so many other reference books have me yawning after 5 minutes.