Gr 9 Up-The depth and breadth of this work are evident from the detailed table of contents. The 600-plus entries include feature essays that cover scientific topics ("The Deep Sea Drilling Project," "Antarctica's Tabletops: Bergs of Note") and scientists (Jacques Cousteau, Fridtjof Nansen). Shorter entries provide extensive definitions of marine organisms, technologies, geographical features, concepts, vessels, experiments, treaties and legal issues, and phenomena. Most entries have cross-references and a further-reading list, and the index is thorough. Seven appendixes include a list of professional associations; "Selected Major Oceans, Seas, Gulfs and Bays Worldwide" (which notes area, average width, and maximum depth); "Classification of Marine Organisms"; "The Geological Timescale" (including first life-forms); and a "Modern Map of the World's Oceans." Unfortunately, the black-and-white photographs and line drawings are small, and some of the photographs are a bit blurry. The expert contributors have packed these pages with top-notch information that will be invaluable to students and reference librarians. Frances E. Millhouser, formerly at Chantilly Regional Library, Fairfax County, VA

Unique in its breadth, the interdisciplinary Encyclopedia of Marine Science explains terms from both oceanography and earth science. The entries, ranging in length from a few paragraphs to several pages, cover a broad range of topics including scientific concepts, marine organisms, ecology, instruments, experiments, places, geographical features, organizations, legal issues, and occupations. The 600 alphabetically arranged articles are authored by subject specialists and generally written at a level accessible to college students as well as the general reader. The articles begin with an easy-to-understand overview of the topic and proceed to more specialized coverage. Equations, necessary for the understanding of some topics, sometimes require advanced mathematical knowledge. Sample entries include American Bureau of Shipping, Buoys, Depth finder, Indian Ocean, Marine crustaceans, Norwegian Current, Offshore drilling, Plankton bloom, and Sonar. Twenty feature essays, interspersed throughout the text, afford supplemental material on topics such as undersea exploration, the Sargasso Sea, cold seeps, and acoustic tide gauges. About 150 black-and-white line illustrations, diagrams, charts, and photographs augment the text. References to further reading, both print and Web, are furnished at the end of many articles. Appendixes include "Marine Science Further Resources," "Selected Major Oceans, Seas, Gulfs, and Bays Worldwide," "Classification of Marine Organisms," "Periodic Table of the Elements," and "The Geologic Timescale." Cross-references to related articles occur within the entries; a 30-page index provides subject access to the contents. Notable for authoritative content and accessible language, this volume is recommended for college and public libraries. It could also serve as a textbook for college courses in marine biology. Also available as an e-book.