Description
Book SynopsisA detailed and beautifully written account of the history of oceanography, The Fluid Envelope of Our Planet is an engaging account of the emergence of a scientific discipline.
Trade Review'It is a fascinating account of what went before and got us to where we are today in our understanding of the circulation of the ocean and all that this means to marine biology, marine chemistry and the many practical applications of what we now know as physical oceanography.' -- Colin Summerhayes, International Journal of Maritime History: vol22:02:10 'A page-turning history of physical oceanography ... Mills articulates the development of ideas, but he also delves into the background, motivation, and character of the leading actors in what is a compelling story that unfolds page by page ... To all of you interested in the development of ideas in oceanography: please read this book, you will learn, as I did, and in many places you will turn the pages as if it were a thriller.' -- Gwyn Griffiths Ocean Challenge 'This book, with its thorough, well-presented research, offers detailed insights into the history of major theories in physical oceanography. The work builds a complete view of the ideas, theories, and conflicts inherent in the birth of a new science ... The work is well written and includes an extensive list of reference ... Highly recommended.' -- N.W. Hinman Choice 'A finely crafted, thoroughly researched, well written, and rewarding study... Mills has made here a strong and vital contribution to our understanding of the rise of the modern physical environmental sciences.' -- Ronald Doel: ISIS, vol102:01:2011
Table of ContentsCONTENTS Acknowledgments ix Introduction: The Fluid Envelope of Our Planet 3 1 The Way of the Sea: Knowledge of Oceanic Circulation before the Nineteenth Century 10 2 Groping through the Darkness: The Problem of Deep Ocean Circulation 44 3 Boundaries Built with Numbers: Making the Ocean Mathematical 82 4 Evangelizing in the Wilderness: Dynamic Oceanography Comes to Canada 111 5 'Physische Meereskunde': From Geography to Physical Oceanography in Berlin, 1900--1935 137 6 'D couverte de l'oc an ': Monaco and the Failure of French Oceanography 162 7 Slipping away from Norway: Dynamic Oceanography Comes to the United States 192 8 Facing the Atlantic and the Pacific: Dynamic Oceanography Re-emerges in Canada, 1930--1950 232 9 Studying The Oceans and the Oceans 258 Appendix: Textbooks of Physical Oceanography 287 Notes 291 References 347 Index 419
