Instructor Manual For
Garrison, Tom and Ellis, Robert, Essentials of Oceanography, 9e, 2026,
9798214193496; Chapter 1: An Ocean World
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Purpose and Perspective of the Chapter ................................................................................................... 1
Chapter Objectives ..................................................................................................................................... 1
What’s New In This Chapter ..................................................................................................................... 2
Chapter Outline .......................................................................................................................................... 2
Answers to End of Chapter Study Questions ........................................................................................... 5
Additional Resources ................................................................................................................................ 10
PURPOSE AND PERSPECTIVE OF THE CHAPTER
The purpose of this chapter is to introduce the reader to the global ocean, establishes its importance to the
planet and to human society, and describes how scientists study it. By the end of the chapter, readers will
be aware of how the atoms that make up the Earth and its oceans were formed within ancient stars, and
how the Earth’s first oceans formed following the Earth’s density stratification and outgassing. They will
then learn the history of humanity’s exploration of the oceans, with voyaging for necessity evolving into
voyaging for scientific and geographical discovery, led today by oceanographic institutions and
international consortia.
CHAPTER OBJECTIVES
The following objectives are addressed in this chapter:
Explain why we consider there to be only one world ocean.
Describe how the ocean influences various physical and biological characteristics of our planet.
Discuss how the scientific method is used to better understand oceanography.
Explain why stars are important to the ocean’s composition and characteristics.
Describe how the Earth formed and how its layers evolved through time.
Identify the sources of Earth’s water and how they are thought to have formed our ocean.
© 2026 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly 1
accessible website, in whole or in part.
, Discuss the key individuals who made significant contributions to the early history of marine
science.
Explain how modern technology has contributed to our current understanding of ocean processes.
[return to top]
WHAT’S NEW IN THIS CHAPTER
The following elements are improvements in this chapter from the previous edition:
―Expanded content on the origin of the solar system and formation of the moon.
New figures illustrating ocean observing systems and modern technology in oceanography.
Reorganization to reduce historical photos and focus on contemporary science.
[return to top]
CHAPTER OUTLINE
I. Earth Is an Ocean World (1.1; PPT Slides 4-6)
i. Earth is a water planet. The world ocean – a single interconnected body covering
71% of its surface - has greatly influenced its rocky crust and atmosphere.
ii. The world ocean holds 97% of Earth’s surface water; is a major source of
biodiversity and resources; and has had a large historical role in human migration
and trade
II. Marine Scientists Use the Logic of Science to Study the Ocean (1.2; PPT
Slide 7-10)
i. We study our planet using the scientific method, a systematic process of asking and
answering questions about the natural world.
ii. Marine science applies the scientific method to the ocean, the planet of which it
is a part, and the living organisms dependent on the ocean.
III. Stars Form Planets and Seas (1.3; PPT Slide 11-19)
a. Stars Generate Heavy Elements, Light and Heat
i. Most of the atoms that make up Earth and its inhabitants were formed within
stars.
ii. Stars spend their lives changing hydrogen and helium to heavier elements. As
they die, some stars eject these elements into space by cataclysmic explosions.
b. The Solar System Formed by Accretion
i. The sun and the planets, including Earth, probably condensed from a cloud of
dust and gas enriched by the recycled remnants of exploded stars.
ii. Earth formed about 4.6 billion years ago from the cloud of dust and gas
surrounding the newly formed sun, by the accretion of small particles.
© 2026 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly 2
accessible website, in whole or in part.
, iii. Earth is one of the terrestrial planets that formed closer to the sun, where
materials with high boiling points – metals and silicate minerals – were
dominant.
iv. Gas giants formed further out from the sun, where it was cold enough for
hydrogen, helium and ices to condense.
c. Earth, Ocean, and Atmosphere Accumulated in Layers Sorted by Density
i. Heat from infalling debris, compression, and radioactive decay partially melted
the young Earth, and density stratification occurred as heavy materials sank to its
center and lighter materials migrated toward the surface.
ii. The first ocean formed later. Water was mainly supplied by outgassing from the
Earth’s interior. Impacts of water-containing asteroids and comets may have
brought additional water.
iii. Earth’s early atmosphere was probably rich in carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and water
vapor. Starting from 3.5 billion years ago, carbon dioxide dissolved in the oceans and
combined with crustal rocks. Oxygen produced by photosynthesis began to
accumulate in the atmosphere from about 2 billion years ago (―oxygen revolution‖).
IV. Understanding the Ocean: A Short History of Oceanography (01.04; PPT
Slide 20-27)
i. Science and exploration have gone hand-in-hand throughout history. Voyaging
for necessity evolved into voyaging for scientific and geographical discovery.
a. The Alexandrian Library
i. Founded in the 3rd century B.C.E. the Library of Alexandria in Egypt constituted
history’s greatest accumulation of ancient writings at that time.
ii. The second librarian at Alexandria, Eratosthenes of Cyrene, was the first person
to calculate the true size of the Earth, and invented lines of longitude and
latitude.
b. Captain James Cook Was the First Marine Scientist
i. James Cook conducted numerous voyages to assert British presence in the South
Seas in the 1760s and 1770s.
ii. In addition to producing accurate charts of previously unknown lands, Cook and
the scientists aboard his ships took samples of marine life, land plants and
animals, the ocean floor, and geological formations, recording their
characteristics in their logbooks and journals.
c. Matthew Maury Discovered Worldwide Patterns of Winds and Ocean Currents
i. Matthew Maury was a U.S. naval officer who assembled temperature and wind
direction readings from a huge archive of ships’ logs into coherent wind and
current charts.
ii. Maury was the first person to sense the worldwide pattern of surface winds and
currents, which he used to produce a set of directions for sailing great distances
more efficiently. The Physical Geography of the Seas, a book explaining his
discoveries, was published in 1855.
d. The Challenger Expedition Was Organized from the First as a Scientific Expedition
i. This 4-year, 127,600 km (79,300 mile) voyage around the world, with a course
directed by the on-board scientific staff, collected a huge amount of new
information on ocean currents, meteorology, ocean temperature and salinity,
marine life, and the distribution of sediments on the seafloor.
© 2026 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly 3
accessible website, in whole or in part.
, ii. The transition to scientific oceanography was complete when the Challenger
Report was completed in 1895.
V. Contemporary Oceanography Requires Modern Technology and Interdisciplinary Institutions
(01.05; PPT Slide 28-35)
a. New Ships for New Tasks
i. In the 20th century, soundings of ocean depths using a winch were superseded by
ships equipped with echo sounders; and dredges of seafloor sediments were
supplanted by drilled cores.
ii. Modern research vessels can deploy advanced technologies, including remote
operated vehicles that can sometime operate autonomously, to remote regions of
the globe.
© 2026 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly 4
accessible website, in whole or in part.
Garrison, Tom and Ellis, Robert, Essentials of Oceanography, 9e, 2026,
9798214193496; Chapter 1: An Ocean World
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Purpose and Perspective of the Chapter ................................................................................................... 1
Chapter Objectives ..................................................................................................................................... 1
What’s New In This Chapter ..................................................................................................................... 2
Chapter Outline .......................................................................................................................................... 2
Answers to End of Chapter Study Questions ........................................................................................... 5
Additional Resources ................................................................................................................................ 10
PURPOSE AND PERSPECTIVE OF THE CHAPTER
The purpose of this chapter is to introduce the reader to the global ocean, establishes its importance to the
planet and to human society, and describes how scientists study it. By the end of the chapter, readers will
be aware of how the atoms that make up the Earth and its oceans were formed within ancient stars, and
how the Earth’s first oceans formed following the Earth’s density stratification and outgassing. They will
then learn the history of humanity’s exploration of the oceans, with voyaging for necessity evolving into
voyaging for scientific and geographical discovery, led today by oceanographic institutions and
international consortia.
CHAPTER OBJECTIVES
The following objectives are addressed in this chapter:
Explain why we consider there to be only one world ocean.
Describe how the ocean influences various physical and biological characteristics of our planet.
Discuss how the scientific method is used to better understand oceanography.
Explain why stars are important to the ocean’s composition and characteristics.
Describe how the Earth formed and how its layers evolved through time.
Identify the sources of Earth’s water and how they are thought to have formed our ocean.
© 2026 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly 1
accessible website, in whole or in part.
, Discuss the key individuals who made significant contributions to the early history of marine
science.
Explain how modern technology has contributed to our current understanding of ocean processes.
[return to top]
WHAT’S NEW IN THIS CHAPTER
The following elements are improvements in this chapter from the previous edition:
―Expanded content on the origin of the solar system and formation of the moon.
New figures illustrating ocean observing systems and modern technology in oceanography.
Reorganization to reduce historical photos and focus on contemporary science.
[return to top]
CHAPTER OUTLINE
I. Earth Is an Ocean World (1.1; PPT Slides 4-6)
i. Earth is a water planet. The world ocean – a single interconnected body covering
71% of its surface - has greatly influenced its rocky crust and atmosphere.
ii. The world ocean holds 97% of Earth’s surface water; is a major source of
biodiversity and resources; and has had a large historical role in human migration
and trade
II. Marine Scientists Use the Logic of Science to Study the Ocean (1.2; PPT
Slide 7-10)
i. We study our planet using the scientific method, a systematic process of asking and
answering questions about the natural world.
ii. Marine science applies the scientific method to the ocean, the planet of which it
is a part, and the living organisms dependent on the ocean.
III. Stars Form Planets and Seas (1.3; PPT Slide 11-19)
a. Stars Generate Heavy Elements, Light and Heat
i. Most of the atoms that make up Earth and its inhabitants were formed within
stars.
ii. Stars spend their lives changing hydrogen and helium to heavier elements. As
they die, some stars eject these elements into space by cataclysmic explosions.
b. The Solar System Formed by Accretion
i. The sun and the planets, including Earth, probably condensed from a cloud of
dust and gas enriched by the recycled remnants of exploded stars.
ii. Earth formed about 4.6 billion years ago from the cloud of dust and gas
surrounding the newly formed sun, by the accretion of small particles.
© 2026 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly 2
accessible website, in whole or in part.
, iii. Earth is one of the terrestrial planets that formed closer to the sun, where
materials with high boiling points – metals and silicate minerals – were
dominant.
iv. Gas giants formed further out from the sun, where it was cold enough for
hydrogen, helium and ices to condense.
c. Earth, Ocean, and Atmosphere Accumulated in Layers Sorted by Density
i. Heat from infalling debris, compression, and radioactive decay partially melted
the young Earth, and density stratification occurred as heavy materials sank to its
center and lighter materials migrated toward the surface.
ii. The first ocean formed later. Water was mainly supplied by outgassing from the
Earth’s interior. Impacts of water-containing asteroids and comets may have
brought additional water.
iii. Earth’s early atmosphere was probably rich in carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and water
vapor. Starting from 3.5 billion years ago, carbon dioxide dissolved in the oceans and
combined with crustal rocks. Oxygen produced by photosynthesis began to
accumulate in the atmosphere from about 2 billion years ago (―oxygen revolution‖).
IV. Understanding the Ocean: A Short History of Oceanography (01.04; PPT
Slide 20-27)
i. Science and exploration have gone hand-in-hand throughout history. Voyaging
for necessity evolved into voyaging for scientific and geographical discovery.
a. The Alexandrian Library
i. Founded in the 3rd century B.C.E. the Library of Alexandria in Egypt constituted
history’s greatest accumulation of ancient writings at that time.
ii. The second librarian at Alexandria, Eratosthenes of Cyrene, was the first person
to calculate the true size of the Earth, and invented lines of longitude and
latitude.
b. Captain James Cook Was the First Marine Scientist
i. James Cook conducted numerous voyages to assert British presence in the South
Seas in the 1760s and 1770s.
ii. In addition to producing accurate charts of previously unknown lands, Cook and
the scientists aboard his ships took samples of marine life, land plants and
animals, the ocean floor, and geological formations, recording their
characteristics in their logbooks and journals.
c. Matthew Maury Discovered Worldwide Patterns of Winds and Ocean Currents
i. Matthew Maury was a U.S. naval officer who assembled temperature and wind
direction readings from a huge archive of ships’ logs into coherent wind and
current charts.
ii. Maury was the first person to sense the worldwide pattern of surface winds and
currents, which he used to produce a set of directions for sailing great distances
more efficiently. The Physical Geography of the Seas, a book explaining his
discoveries, was published in 1855.
d. The Challenger Expedition Was Organized from the First as a Scientific Expedition
i. This 4-year, 127,600 km (79,300 mile) voyage around the world, with a course
directed by the on-board scientific staff, collected a huge amount of new
information on ocean currents, meteorology, ocean temperature and salinity,
marine life, and the distribution of sediments on the seafloor.
© 2026 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly 3
accessible website, in whole or in part.
, ii. The transition to scientific oceanography was complete when the Challenger
Report was completed in 1895.
V. Contemporary Oceanography Requires Modern Technology and Interdisciplinary Institutions
(01.05; PPT Slide 28-35)
a. New Ships for New Tasks
i. In the 20th century, soundings of ocean depths using a winch were superseded by
ships equipped with echo sounders; and dredges of seafloor sediments were
supplanted by drilled cores.
ii. Modern research vessels can deploy advanced technologies, including remote
operated vehicles that can sometime operate autonomously, to remote regions of
the globe.
© 2026 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly 4
accessible website, in whole or in part.
