Includes index

1 The Blue Planet -- The World Ocean 18 -- What Is Seawater? 22 -- The Deep Blue Sea 26 -- How the Oceans Formed 28 -- 2 Mighty Currents -- Rivers in the Sea 34 -- The Gulf Stream 40 -- El Nino 44 -- 3 Wave Power -- How Waves Form 50 -- Tsunami 56 -- 4 Life at the Edge -- Tides 64 -- Races and Whirlpools 70 -- Survival on the Shore 72 -- Breeding with the Tides 78 -- Coral Reefs 80 -- 5 Giants -- The Big Catch 86 -- Sharks 88 -- Whales 94 -- 6 Life in the Open Ocean -- Ocean Drifters 108 -- Out of the Blue 114 -- Marvels of the Sea 118 -- Living with the Sea 120 -- 7 The Ocean Depths -- Perilous Descent 124 -- Hidden Landscapes 130 -- 8 The Icy Seas -- The Frozen Frontier 138 -- Leads and Polynya 150 -- Life Under Ice 152

"The oceans cover two-thirds of the globe. Discover the secrets of this dynamic natural environment - driving force of the Earth's climate and weather, and home to an astonishing variety of life." --