UNCW - Randall Library - Subject Guides

Marine science constitutes a broad field of scientific inquiry that encompasses the primary disciplines of oceanography - marine biology, marine chemistry, marine geology, and physical oceanography - as well as related disciplines, such as the atmospheric sciences. Its scope is extensive, covering natural and anthropogenic phenomena in estuaries, harbors, lagoons, shallow seas, continental shelves, continental slopes, continental rises, abyssal regions, and mid-ocean ridges. Because of the breadth of its coverage, the study of marine science is necessarily a multidisciplinary endeavor, requiring the efforts of many scientists from disparate disciplines. Introduction, Practical Handbook of Marine Science. 3d Edition. CRC Press, 2001.

What is oceanography?

Please see the following website available from the School of Oceanography at the University of Washington for an informative introduction to oceanography and its historical background; social and educational values; career information; and selected references: Introduction to Oceanography

Library of Congress Subject Classification: Marine Sciences

Books in the marine sciences can generally be found in the GC, QE, and TC call number areas. More specific subject headings and their call number areas are listed below:

Oceanography GC 1-1581

Hydrology QE 75

Chemical Oceanography GC 109-GC149

Mineralogy QE 351-399.2

Physical Oceanography GC150-GC190

Petrology QE 420-499

Dynamics of the Ocean GC200-GC376

Dynamic & Structural Geology QE 500-639.5

Marine sediments GC377-399

Geophysics QE 500-510

Dynamics of the Ocean GC200-GC376

Geochemistry QE 515-516

Marine resources

Applied oceanography GC1000-GC1023

Seismology QE 534-538

Marine pollution GC1080-GC1581

Hydraulic Ocean Engineering TC 1-1800

Last Update: February 1, 2006