This introductory chapter of The Mediterranean Sea: Temporal Variability and Spatial Patterns, Geophysical Monograph 202 provides a general outline of the book. The book collects eight original research articles describing new results in the study of the Mediterranean Sea physical properties. It is meant to be an important and original contribution to the knowledge of the phenomena that regulate the oceanography of the basin. Furthermore, the book is a valuable tool for those not directly involved in Mediterranean studies who want to use the Mediterranean as a basin for processes of interest for the global ocean and climate. The studies in the book can be regarded individually or as parts of an integrated dissertation on spatial patterns and temporal variability of the Mediterranean Sea.