PREFACE 



IN spite of the great interest that maritime questions have for 

 the English-speaking nations, there is no modern textbook in 

 English on the subject of oceanography. 



Considerable progress has recently been made in the 

 teaching of geography, which is now a degree course at many 

 of our Universities. Although there are many textbooks and 

 manuals on navigational subjects, some of which are published 

 under Government or departmental auspices, it cannot be 

 claimed for these works that their oceanographical (as dis- 

 tinguished from their navigational) instruction is at all up to 

 date. In fact, in most of these works such questions as, e.g., 

 ocean currents are dealt with regardless of modern methods of 

 scientific investigation, and apparently the authors are simply 

 content to copy from older textbooks on the subject. Conse- 

 quently there is a gap which it is hoped may be filled by a book 

 which, without being unduly technical or mathematical, will 

 give the student an opportunity of becoming acquainted with 

 modern methods of oceanographical research and their chief 

 results. This book has been designed to meet the requirements 

 of the higher forms of schools, of teachers in training, and of 

 students attending a school of geography at one of the Uni- 

 versities, as well as intending naval and mercantile marine 

 officers, since, although a textbook of oceanography can hardly 

 be regarded as an aid to navigation, it should contain much of 

 interest to seafarers. The book should be read with the aid of 

 an atlas, since it is impossible, without unduly enlarging the 

 scope of the book, to provide charts and plans to illustrate all 

 the points dealt with. References are not (in general) given 



