Applied Statistics for Marine Affairs Professionals

(Hardback)

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Description

This is the first statistics text to address the unique issues the Marine Affairs professional and student must confront. Marine and coastal resource management is unique in that problem solutions increasingly demand an interdisciplinary approach using data from both the social and natural sciences. This is the first statistics text that addresses marine resource problems using both non-parametric and parametric techniques in a non-intimidating fashion. This is the first statistics text that addresses the unique issues the Marine Affairs professional and student must confront. Since so many of the problems faced by environmental managers are interdisciplinary, involving data and information from a host of disciplines including both natural and social sciences, this volume includes a selected number of both parametric and non-parametric statistical models. The selection of methods has been guided by the type of problems Marine Affairs professionals deal with on a day-to-day basis. The text is written for the non-mathematical reader who may have little or no prior experience in statistics or advanced mathematics. Each chapter is divided into two sections, one which describes the method, followed by one or two fully worked out examples, and concludes with a lab for student use. This volume will be of value to students and professionals involved with the description, analysis, and evaluation of coastal and marine resource issues.

Reviews

"A worthy text for coastal management students who need practical training in quantitative methods and spatial analysis. It also serves as an excellent refresher reference in parametric and non-parametric statistics for practicing coastal planners and resource managers. This very useful book is a distinctive contribution to marine affairs."- Gustavo A. Antonini, Professor of Geography, University of Florida
"The book demonstrates that the ways marine and coastal research have been traditionally divided is more perceptual than real, and it helps to bridge the gap between disparate areas of study by demonstrating the common need for use of statistics for objective analysis. The demonstration that statistical rigor can be used to resolve complex issues in managing coastal and marine resources is a tonic for a field that often has had a strong advocacy flavor. It is refreshing to see a book on qualitative methods that reads so easily yet covers the basics required to ensure the necessary rigor."- Karl Nordstrom Professor, Institute of Marine and Coastal Studies Rutgers University
"This text should be considered by instructors of other specialities or disciplines having an "environmental" component (e.g. biogeography, biology, geography, etc.). It very effectively communicates the application of quantitative methods."- David L. Miller, Ph.D., Associate Professor, State University of New York at Cortland
"West's book on statistical methods for coastal and marine affairs students fills a real niche. His book will fill a gap for those who have been frustrated teaching courses on such methods over the years. For students the book will provide a common core of methods with practical applications."-David W. Fischer, Professor, California State University, Long Beach

Author Bio

NIELS WEST is a Professor in the Department of Marine Affairs, University of Rhode Island./e He has some 20 years of experience in teaching and writing in the marine affairs and coastal management area.