This new series is the ultimate illustrated science guide for non–scientists. With over 200 full color images, illustrations, charts, and other visual aids, Science 101 explains major areas of science in an interesting, visually compelling, and accessible manner. These books will fill the need for an authoritative, popular reference in science and technology for students and adults alike. In SCIENCE 101: OCEAN SCIENCE, readers will learn about all aspects of the ocean environment, from tides and currents to cutting–edge research at the ocean's depths.
Very informative. It's a publication from the Smithsonian Institute and it covers all the bases. It's not exactly exciting reading, but it's a great resource for anyone wanting to educate themselves a bit or who might be working on a project.
3.5 stars rated down for lack of depth in the information
Very good as a broad range, introductory text that you could use to delve into further research in other resources. But since this was found in the adult section of my library, I was expecting a little more in depth knowledge and information. This reads like a very basic level textbook, ones that kids in high school could easily understand and possibly even older junior high kids. Each topic only covers two pages, and there are pictures and side bars of various sizes, further reducing the amount of information. What is included is both interesting and relevant, I just wish there was more to it than that. The book totals (minus glossary, credits, etc) 203 pages, which is split into 12 chapters, and each chapter is only about 12-14 pages. Compare that to a real textbook where each chapter is about 30-40 pages, and it leaves the reader wanting more. While it is a '101', i.e. basic introductory knowledge book, more information probably could have been included without getting too complicated.
As a Southern California girl who loves the ocean, I found this informative and good as a resource but not a page-turner. I enjoyed the pictures and learned some interesting things, like how lady angler fish basically absorb the bodies of male angler fish to mate. I also liked how each page reads like a poster and the content ends neatly at the end of the page (no dangling sentences from one page to the next). This widow/orphan control makes it easier to absorb the content in smaller bites.