We are all aware of how climate is continually changing on the Earth, but what is the role of the ocean in the climate system? To address this challenge, one needs to understand how the ocean circulates, how life flourishes in this environment and how carbon is stored and redistributed in the ocean. Understanding these issues requires an interdisciplinary approach, including fundamental knowledge and skills in physics, chemistry and biology.

This book is designed to provide a starting guide for any student or researcher enquiring as to how the ocean operates on the planet, bringing together the fundamentals needed to understand how the ocean behaves and a discussion of largescale phenomena. The main themes addressed in the book are:

• How does the ocean circulate? Which are the principal physical phenomena in the ocean and how are they formed?

• How is the ocean ecosystem shaped by biological, physical and chemical processes?

• How is the ocean carbon cycle controlled and how is carbon dioxide exchanged between the atmosphere and ocean?

Our approach is to focus on the fundamental processes and mechanisms using observational data whenever possible to motivate our discussion. To make the material accessible, we have selected the appropriate theory that we feel is most relevant for interpreting the observational signals, rather than provide a more comprehensive theoretical review.