Oceanography (seas and oceans) Books

Book SynopsisIn 1997 sixty-two containers fell off the cargo ship Tokio Express after it was hit by a rogue wave off the coast of Cornwall, including one container filled with nearly five million pieces of Lego, much of it sea themed. In the months that followed, beachcombers started to find Lego washed up on beaches across the south west coast. Among the pieces they discovered were octopuses, sea grass, spear guns, life rafts, scuba tanks, cutlasses, flippers and dragons. The pieces are still washing up today.

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Book SynopsisA landmark publication by the greatest natural history broadcaster of our times on how to save the ocean - and consequently our planet

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Book SynopsisThere''s so much we don''t know about what lies deep beneath the ocean''s surface - and the time to find out is growing increasingly precious . . .Professor Alex Rogers is one of the world''s leading experts in marine biology and oceanology, and has spent his life studying the deep ocean - and in particular the impact of human activity on the ecosystems of the oceans. In this timely, galvanising and fascinating book - replete with stunning photography of strange and beautiful creatures - Professor Rogers offers a fundamentally optimistic view of humanity''s relationship with the oceans - and also a very personal account of his own interaction with the seas.

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Book SynopsisAS FEATURED IN SEASPIRACY An Observer Book of the Year 2017 A Sunday Times must read A New York Times Bestseller Endorsed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama – ‘Balcombe vividly shows that fish have feelings and deserve consideration and protection like other sentient beings’ What’s the truth behind the old adage that goldfish have a three-second memory? Do fishes think? Can they recognize the humans who peer back at them from above the surface of the water? Myth-busting biologist and animal behaviour expert Jonathan Balcombe takes us under the sea, through streams and estuaries to the other side of the aquarium glass to answer these questions and more. He upends our assumptions, revealing that fish are far from the unfeeling, dead-eyed feeding machines so many of us assume them to be. They are, in fact, sentient, aware, social and even Machiavellian – in other words, rather like us. What a Fish Knows draws on the latest science to present a fresh look at these remarkable creatures in all their breathtaking diversity and beauty. Teeming with insights and exciting discoveries, it offers a thoughtful appraisal of our relationships with fish and inspires us to take a more enlightened view of the planet’s increasingly imperilled marine life. What a Fish Knows will forever change how we see our aquatic cousins – the pet goldfish included.Trade Review‘Many of us have a soft spot for dolphins and whales, but Balcombe makes it embarrassingly clear how absolutely ignorant (and arrogant) we are when it comes to the vast world of our oceans and their inhabitants.’ * Observer, Books of the Year *‘As cogent, salutary and substantial a study of piscine behaviour as I have read in years…This is a book full of wonders.’ * Literary Review *‘Eye-opening…What a Fish Knows is far more than a mass of would-you-believe-it facts, marvellously entertaining though they are...passionate and persuasive.’ * Sunday Times *‘Surprisingly, this compelling book is the first ever published that is devoted to fish behaviour.’ * Forbes, 10 Best Popular Science Books of 2016 *‘Remarkable.’ * Spectator *‘An extended exploration of the world from a piscine perspective...Balcombe makes a persuasive case that what fish know is quite a lot.’ -- Elizabeth Kolbert, New York Review of Books‘...will leave you humbled, thrilled, and floored. Jonathan Balcombe delivers a revelation on every page, presenting jaw-dropping studies and stories that should reshape our understanding of, and compassion for, some of the most diverse and successful animals who have ever lived.’ -- Sy Montgomery, author of The Soul of an Octopus, a National Book Award finalist‘We Buddhists consider all animals, including fish, as sentient beings who have feelings of joy and pain just as we humans do. We also believe that they have all been kind to us as our mothers many times in the past, and are deserving of our compassion. Therefore, we try to help them in whatever way we can and at least avoid doing them harm. In What a Fish Knows, Jonathan Balcombe vividly shows that fish have feelings and deserve consideration and protection like other sentient beings. I hope reading it will help people become more aware of the benefits of vegetarianism and the need to treat animals with respect.’ -- The Dalai Lama‘[A] sparkling exposition on “our underwater cousins”…[and] a compelling pitch for greatly expanding fish conservation.’ * Booklist *‘As ethologist Jonathan Balcombe notes in this engrossing study, breakthroughs are revealing sophisticated piscine behaviours. Balcombe glides from perception and cognition to tool use, pausing at marvels such as ocular migration in flounders and the capacity of the frillfin goby (Bathygobius soporator) to memorize the topography of the intertidal zone.’ * Barbara Kiser, Nature *‘Balcombe covers the waterfront, so to speak, from fish cognition and perception to their social structures and breeding practices, all the while drawing on a dizzying array of experiments and studies. In the hands of a lesser writer, the sheer weight of material could have overburdened the reader. But Balcombe’s prose is lively and clear, showcasing his gift for pithy sentences.’ * Eugene Linden, American Scholar *‘With the vivacious energy of a cracking good storyteller, Balcombe draws deeply from scientific studies and his own experience with fish to introduce readers to them as sentient creatures that live full lives governed by cognition and perception…Balcombe makes a convincing case that fish possess minds and memories, are capable of planning and organizing, and cooperate with one another in webs of social relationships.’ * Publishers Weekly *‘[Balcombe] offers an enjoyable, surprising and sometimes gruesome exploration of the world of fish, written with clarity and humor and grounded in many scientific studies...The breadth and depth of his research and his enthusiastic storytelling may permanently alter how [readers] look at a pet goldfish or a can of sardines.’ * Shelf Awareness *‘I thought I knew a lot about fishes. Then I read What a Fish Knows. And now I know a lot about fishes! Stunning in the way it reveals so many astonishing things about the fishes who populate planet Earth in their trillions, this book is sure to ‘deepen’ your appreciation for our fin-bearing co-voyagers, the bright strangers whose world we share.’ -- Carl Safina, author of Beyond Words‘Our fishy ancestors emerged from the watery depths around 400 million years ago, and this beautiful book connects us back to that time.’ -- David Gruber, Ideas.TED.com, “What Should you read this summer?”‘Based on the latest scientific research, What a Fish Knows offers an eye-opening tour of the social, mental, and emotional lives of fishes. Who knew fishes use tools, appreciate music, fall for the same optical illusions we do, and engage in both cooperative hunting and some very kinky sex? Jonathan Balcombe’s book is popular science writing at its best. It will spin your head around.’ -- Hal Herzog, author of Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat‘Balcombe...wants people to care about fish as individuals, to think of them much as we would a pet cat or dog...This might sound like a fool’s errand. To most people, it probably seems doubtful that a fish has any sort of inner life, much less a rich one. But Mr. Balcombe builds a persuasive argument...through a compendium of fascinating anecdotes and scientific findings that illustrate the complexity and creativity of fish behavior. Dozens of startling revelations emerge, including playful marine fish riding bubbles to the top of an aquarium, elephantfish “singing” courtship duets using electric pulses, and parasite-picking cleaner fish engaging in convoluted “economic” interactions with their “clients.”’ * Alan de Quieroz, Wall Street Journal *‘What a Fish Knows is a delightful and fascinating book that should be read by all who have dismissed fishes, especially the smaller denizens of the ocean, as utterly simple, primitive creatures. Jonathan Balcombe’s lively descriptions of fish behavior are backed by solid science. What Carl Safina’s Beyond Words did for elephants, wolves, and orcas, Balcombe’s book does for fishes. It is a terrific read.’ -- Wendy Benchley, ocean conservationist and co-founder of the Peter Benchley Ocean Awards‘Fishes are greatly misunderstood and grievously maligned. Now, in What a Fish Knows, Jonathan Balcombe uses the latest science to provide a comprehensive picture of just who fishes are. You will learn that fishes have distinct personalities, experience a wide range of emotions, form intricate social relationships, and are wonderful parents. Indeed, this forward-looking and long-overdue book is an integral part of reconnecting with the fascinating animals with whom we share our magnificent planet.’ -- Marc Bekoff, author of The Emotional Lives of Animals and Rewilding Our Hearts‘What a Fish Knows is the best book on fishes I have ever read. Brimming with engrossing anecdotes and humor, Jonathan Balcombe’s inspiring treatise takes the reader on a fascinating and deeply moving journey into the lives of fishes. Balcombe’s eloquent, persuasive, highly readable tour de force has a single, luminous message: Fishes deserve more respect, care, and protection.’ -- Chris Palmer, author of Shooting in the Wild and Confessions of a Wildlife Filmmaker

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Book SynopsisAn electrifying narrative history of the Mediterranean from Ancient Egypt to 1919, from the bestselling author of The Popes and Sicily: A Short HistoryThe Mediterranean has nurtured three of the most dazzling civilisations of antiquity, witnessed the growth of three of our greatest religions and links three of the world's six continents. John Julius Norwich has visited every country around its shores; now he tells the story of the Middle Sea - a tale that begins with the Pharaohs and ends with the Treaty of Versailles - in a dramatic account of the remarkable civilisations that rose and fell on the lands of the Mediterranean.Expertly researched and ingeniously executed, Norwich takes us through the Arab conquests of Syria and North Africa; the Holy Roman Empire and the Crusades; Ferdinand and Isabella and the Spanish Inquisition; the great sieges of Rhodes and Malta by the Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent; the pirates of the Barbary Coast and the Battle of Lepanto; Nelson and Napoleon; the Greek War of Independence and the Italian Risorgimento.The Middle Sea is colourful, character-driven history at its most enjoyable and is the culmination of John Julius Norwich’s distinguished career as one of the greatest enthusiasts for anecdotal history.‘An expertly paced, exhilarating read….a landmark in popular history-telling...a splendid achievement for its memorable scope and vitality... This wonderfully riveting history reveals our favourite holiday destination in all its glorious, epic depth’ Sunday TelegraphTrade ReviewNorwich is a superb narrative historian...With Norwich on the Mediterranean we sense that we are accompanied by an old friend. You can take your Blue Guide, or your Rough Guide, anywhere you like; but if you are planning to go anywhere south of the Alps and north of the Sahara...this is your book -- Jason Goodwin * Literary Review *An expertly paced, occasionally exhilarating read. It may even prove a landmark in popular history-telling...a splendid achievement for its memorable scope and vitality... This wonderfully riveting history reveals our favourite holiday destination in all its glorious, epic depth -- Jeremy Seal * Sunday Telegraph *He spices his narrative liberally with entertaining anecdotes, deft portraits and brisk judgements... Lord Norwich's control of his vast and complex subject matter is masterly. And the subject matter itself is a colourful as history can get * The Economist *Infectiously enthusiastic * Scotsman *

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Book SynopsisA Sunday Times ''Must Read'' book.Described by the Sunday Times as a gently studious Bill Bryson crossed with an upbeat and relaxed WG Sebald, Tide is a superb book... a delight to read. It is profound and powerful, and should win prizes.From Cnut to D-Day, the history and science of the unceasing tide is explored for the first time.Half of the world''s population lives in coastal regions lapped by tidal waters. Yet how little most of us know about the tide - a key force on our planet that has altered the course of history and will transform our future.Our ability to predict and understand the tide depends on centuries of science, from the observations of Aristotle and the theories of Newton to today''s supercomputer calculations. This story is punctuated here by notable tidal episodes in history, from Caesar''s thwarted invasion of Britain to the catastrophic flooding of Venice, and interwoven with a rich folklore that continues to inspire art and literature today.With Aldersey-Williams as our guide to the most feared and celebrated tidal features on the planet, from the original maelstrøm in Scandinavia to the world''s highest tides in Nova Scotia to the crumbling coast of East Anglia, the importance of the tide, and the way it has shaped - and will continue to shape - our civilization, becomes startlingly clear.Trade ReviewA spring tide of colour and historical anecdote laps over the more austere mudflats of the actual science. So much so that I find myself looking forward to the next piece of technical exposition -- Tom Whipple * The Times *Imagine, if possible, a gently studious Bill Bryson crossed with an upbeat and relaxed WG Sebald. It is a superb book... a delight to read. It is profound and powerful, and should win prizes. -- James McConnachie * Sunday Times *This fascinating book deftly explores the dramatic history, critical importance, and scientific wonder of the tides. Hugh Aldersey-Williams is a marvelous guide who takes the reader on a sweeping and thought-provoking adventure into the heart of one of the most captivating, mysterious, and elemental forces of nature -- Eric Jay Dolin, author of Brilliant Beacons: A History of the American LighthousePrepare for a voyage with the best of companions - Hugh Aldersey-Williams is a storyteller supreme, and he's found a subject worthy of his talents -- Edward Dolnick, author of The Clockwork Universe: Isaac Newton, the Royal Society, and the Birth of the Modern WorldScience writing at its best ... fascinating and beautiful -- Matt Ridley on 'Periodic Tales'Immensely engaging and continually makes one sit up in surprise -- Richard Cohen on 'Periodic Tales' * Sunday Times *Aldersey-Williams is full of good stories and he knows how to tell them well -- Graham Farmelo on 'Periodic Tales' * Sunday Telegraph *Engaging and thoughtful... Like some of the most compelling biographers, Aldersey-Williams partly inhabits his subject * Literary Review on The Adventures of Sir Thomas Browne in the 21st Century *Exposes new facts and ideas every other page -- Horatio Clare * Observer *Aldersey-Williams's corrective meshes a history of the science with tide-related technologies and tidally sculpted events. It's an eloquent ebb and flow * Nature *

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Book SynopsisCombining the scientific discoveries with color imagery, this title takes readers on a voyage into the darkest realms of the ocean. It features more than two hundred color photographs of terrifying sea monsters, fossils, and ethereal bioluminescent creatures. It examines the biology of deep-sea organisms, and the history of deep-sea exploration.Trade Review"The Deep is not only the most stunningly beautiful book about the sea ever produced, but also a work of scientific substance, articulated by some of the best, most experienced deep-sea scientists of our time. Even for those of us who have been enchanted by the wondrous life of the deep sea through direct engagement, this book renews the spirit and makes it possible to share with others a vicarious glimpse of the wild ocean." - Sylvia Earle, National Geographic Society "Leafing through The Deep's many pages of awe-inspiring images reminded me of a similar experience I had when I was very young leafing through William Beebe's articles in National Geographic, which inspired me to become an undersea explorer. I know The Deep will have a similar effect on the next generation of explorers." - Robert Ballard, discoverer of the wreck of the Titanic"

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Book Synopsis Showcasing cutting-edge underwater photography from the world’s leading marine and nature photographers, The Life & Love of the Sea is a breathtaking visual tour of the ocean, from its coasts and beaches to the wildlife beneath its surface. With Lewis Blackwell, the author of The Life & Loves of Trees and The Life & Loves of the Forest, anyone can celebrate and explore the world’s oceans. Here you’ll share the experience of land meeting sea and the spectacular power of the ocean with a stunning collection of wave photography, and you will dive down to have a close-up look at many of the ocean’s most fascinating and beautiful inhabitants. Blackwell presents a wide-ranging variety of incredible images showcasing the ocean in all its power and diversity: Humpback whales Manta rays Clownfish Penguins Octopi Dramatic coastlines

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Book SynopsisGerry Smyth has gathered together myths and folktales from cultures around the world – Native American, Caribbean, Polynesian, Persian, Indian, Scandinavian and European.

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Book SynopsisDrones are revolutionizing ocean conservation. By flying closer and seeing more, drones enhance intimate contact between ocean scientists and activists and marine life. In the process, new dependencies between nature, technology, and humans emerge, and a paradox becomes apparent: Can we have a wild ocean whose survival is reliant upon technology? In Oceaning, Adam Fish answers this question through eight stories of piloting drones to stop the killing of porpoises, sharks, and seabirds and to check the vitality of whales, seals, turtles, and coral reefs. Drone conservation is not the end of nature. Instead, drone conservation results in an ocean whose flourishing both depends upon and escapes the control of technologies. Faulty technology, oceanic and atmospheric turbulence, political corruption, and the inadequacies of basic science serve to foil governance over nature. Fish contends that what emerges is an ocean/culture—a flourishing ocean that is distinct from but exists

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Book SynopsisPlanktonia invites readers to dive into the dazzling nighttime ocean. Countless microscopic plankton ascend to the upper waters to feed, returning to the depths before sunrise. These tiny planktonic creatures are delicate and beautiful; some look terrifying; and most look nothing like the creatures they will become as adults.

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Book SynopsisThe importance of the oceans to life on Earth cannot be overstated. Liquid water covers more than 70% of our planet''s surface and, in past geological time, has spread over 85%. Life on Earth began in the oceans over 3.5 billion years ago and remained there for the great majority of that time. Today the seas still provide 99% of habitable living space, the largest repository of biomass, and holds the greatest number of undiscovered species on the planet. Our oceans are vital for the regulation of climate, and with global warming and decreasing land area, they have become increasingly important as the source of food, energy in the form of oil and gas, and for their mineral wealth. Oceans also form a key part of the biogeochemical cycles of carbon, nitrogen, and other elements critical to life. Nutrients in upwelling areas are spread by ocean currents, and the plankton of the seas supports a wealth of wildlife. In this Very Short Introduction Dorrik Stow analyses these most important components of our blue planet and considers their relationship with, and exploitation by, humans. He shows how the oceans are an essential resource to our overpopulated world, and discusses why exploration and greater scientific understanding of the oceans, their chemistry, and their mineral wealth are now a high priority. Stow also explores what we know of how oceans originate, and evolve and change; the shape of the seafloor and nature of its cover; the physical processes that stir the waters and mix such a rich chemical broth; and the inseparable link between oceans and climate. As polar ice melts and sea-levels rise, countless millions who have made their homes on low-lying lands close to the sea are threatened. As scientific exploration of the seas gathers pace, the new knowledge gained of the ocean-Earth systems and their interaction with the human environment is vital to our understanding of how we can preserve these ultimately fragile environments.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Trade ReviewThe text is clean and clear. Most of the precise, technical words that decorate geological literature have been replaced by simpler words or phrases. Importantly, this makes the book available to a far wider audience ... This book needs promoting and updating annually. * David Edwards, Geoscientist *Dorrik Stow's book is a keenly observed narrative about the beauty and complexity of Earth's oceans. This slim volume with its elegant prose is a must read for anyone who wishes to understand why oceans are central to the flourishing of humans as well as the planet itself. * Professor Paul Pinet, Colgate University a *Table of ContentsREFERENCES; FURTHER READING; INDEX

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Book SynopsisIn 1940 Steinbeck sailed in a sardine boat with his great friend the marine biologist, Ed Ricketts, to collect marine invertebrates from the beaches of the Gulf of California. The expedition was described by the two men in SEA OF CORTEZ, published in 1941. The day-to-day story of the trip is told here in the Log, which combines science, philosophy and high-spirited adventure.

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Book SynopsisThe definitive biography of the world''s most important body of water the Atlantic.One hundred and ninety million years ago, the shifting of two of the world''s tectonic plates led to the creation of an immense chasm. This giant gash in the flanks of the planet slowly opened up and eventually evolved into the most important and most travelled ocean in our world.In this utterly original biography, Simon Winchester explores the life of the Atlantic; it''s birth, its relationship with mankind, and what lies in store for it once man has left the stage. He charts the development of the first settlements by the Oceanside the communities of Celts and Vikings and whose lives depended on the sea and delves into the age of exploration, venturing to forgotten worlds. The building of some of the world''s most beautiful port cities London, Rio de Janeiro, New York, Casablanca is also examined, along with the creation of settlements and colonies in and around the sea.Completely unique and highlTrade Review'Winchester unfolds this epic narrative with admirable simplicity: his prose style is conversational, and crackles with strange images. He marries even-handed scholarship with a gift for storytelling, neither dumbing down nor assuming any specific knowledge in his readership. This is from start to finish an enthralling book, and one that does justice to the magnitude of its subject' Edmund Gordon, Sunday Times 'Illuminating…a] wonderful, encyclopaedic book, pinpointing key moments in the narrative of an entire ocean and our relationship to it' Philip Hoare, Sunday Telegraph ‘[A] fabulous book’ Scotsman ‘An engaging account’ Mail on Sunday ‘[Winchester] is maddeningly gifted … a rollicking ride’ Washington Post ‘Enjoyable and richly informative’ Telegraph

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Book SynopsisA New Scientist Gift Pick 2017From luminous squid to invisible plankton, from sandy shorelines to the bone-crushing pressure of the deep, marine conservationist Tom "The Blowfish" Hird takes us on an incredible journey revealing what lurks beneath the waves. A treasure chest of fascinating facts, full-colour photos and vintage line drawings, Blowfish's Oceanopedia is a stunningly beautiful guide to all we know about our oceans and the weird and wonderful creatures that inhabit them.Trade ReviewA lively, sumptuous cornucopia of all things oceanic. Who knew a squid could fly, or that hagfish drown their prey in slime? * Jonathan Balcombe, author of What a Fish Knows *A marine marvel... Tom Hird applies his boundless enthusiasm to give us a smorgasbord of bite-sized oceanic and fishy facts. * Brian Clegg, author of The Universe Inside You *Thoroughly entertaining and enlightening. Packed with first-hand experiences and fascinating facts, this is the most accessible encyclopaedia you'll ever read! * Miranda Krestovnikoff, wildlife presenter and RSPB President *Amazing facts for ocean-lovers. * New Scientist (Gift Pick 2017) *Packed with proper science, brought alive by marine biologist, Tom "the Blowfish" Hird's entertainingly blokey turn of phrase. * BBC Wildlife Magazine *

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Book SynopsisPowerful and mysterious, sharks inspire both fascination and fear. Worldwide, oceans are home to some five-hundred species, and of those, fifty-six are known to reside in or pass through the waters off the coast of both North and South Carolina. At any given time, waders, swimmers, and surfers enjoying these waters are frequently within just one-hundred feet of a shark. While it's unnerving to know that sharks often swim just below the surface in the shallows, Clay Creswell, a shark-bite investigator for the Shark Research Institute's Global Shark Attack File, explains that attacks on humans are extremely rare. In 2019 the International Shark Attack File confirmed sixty-four unprovoked attacks on humans, including three in North Carolina and one in South Carolina. While acknowledging that they pose real dangers to humans, Creswell believes the fear of sharks is greatly exaggerated. During his sixteen-year association with the Shark Research Institute, he has investigated more than one hundred shark-related incidents and has maintained a database of all shark–human encounters along the Carolina coastlines back to 1817. Creswell uses this data to expose the truth and history of this often-sensationalized topic. Beyond the statistics related to attacks in the Carolina waters, Sharks in the Shallows offers a history of shark–human interactions and an introduction to the world of shark attacks. Creswell details the conditions that increase a person's chances of an encounter, profiles the three species most often involved in attacks, and reveals the months and time of day with the highest probability of an encounter. With a better understanding of sharks' responses to their environment, and what motivates them to attack humans, he hopes people will develop a greater appreciation of the invaluable role sharks play in our marine environment.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"This book shows why oceanography may be the vital science whose history we need to understand if we want a picture of the evolving relationships between science and the American state over the last century. With her characteristic but rare combination of philosophical and historical insight, and her sharp eye for the politics beneath the surface, Oreskes has skillfully interpreted the wide-ranging legacies of oceanography, and brought them into our understanding of scientific--and political--debates of the present day."--Katharine Anderson, York UniversityTable of ContentsIntroduction 1 The Personal, the Political, and the Scientific 2 Seeing the Ocean through Operational Eyes: The Stommel-Arons Model of Abyssal Circulation 3 Whose Science Is It Anyway? The Woods Hole Palace Revolt 4 Stymied by Secrecy: Harry Hess and Seafloor Spreading 5 The Iron Curtain of Classification: What Difference Did It Make? 6 Why the Navy Built Alvin 7 Painting Projects White: The Discovery of Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vents 8 From Expertise to Advocacy: The Seabed Disposal of Radioactive Waste 9 Changing the Mission: From the Cold War to Climate Change Conclusion: The Context of Motivation Acknowledgments Sources and Abbreviations Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisTHE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERAn awe-inspiring portrait of the mysterious world beneath the waves, and the men and women who seek to uncover its secrets.______________________________________________''Masterful and mesmerizing . . . an irresistible mix of splendid scholarship, heart-stopping adventure writing, and vivid, visceral prose.'' Sy Montgomery, author of Soul of an Octopus ''Fantastical and forbidding'' Washington Post ''A fascinating history'' Time''Casey's descriptions of the shimmeringly strange life teeming below the waves capture her wonder and ravishment in prose that morphs into poetry . . . Entralling'' Boston Globe________________________________________For all of human history, the deep ocean has been a source of fear and fascination, an unknowable realm that evokes a singular, compelling question: what's down there? But now cutting-edge technologies ar

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Book SynopsisCovering around 70 per cent of our planet’s surface and home to more than 200,000 known species, the world’s oceans are vital to life on Earth. However, despite producing around half the world’s oxygen and helping to regulate our climate and weather patterns, human behaviour has put our incredible oceans and the amazing animals within them at risk. In The Big Book of the Ocean, we go beneath the surface to explore the fascinating secrets of the sea and take an in-depth look at some of the planet’s magnificent marine creatures, from killer whales and sea turtles to seahorses and starfish. We also explore what we can do to help protect these vital environments and discover ten of the most endangered ocean species.

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Book SynopsisA NEW STATESMAN BOOK OF THE YEARAN OBSERVER BEST ART BOOK OF 2021SHORTLISTED FOR THE RATHBONES FOLIO PRIZE 2022This is a wonderful book. A lyrical journey into the natural and unnatural world' Patti SmithEverything Philip Hoare writes is bewitching' Olivia LaingAn illuminating exploration of the intersection between life, art and the sea from the award-winning author of Leviathan. Albrecht Dürer changed the way we saw nature through art. From his prints in 1498 of the plague ridden Apocalypse the first works mass produced by any artist to his hyper-real images of animals and plants, his art was a revelation: it showed us who we are but it also foresaw our future. It is a vision that remains startlingly powerful and seductive, even now.In Albert & the Whale, Philip Hoare sets out to discover why Dürer''s art endures. He encounters medieval alchemists and modernist poets, eccentric emperors and queer soul rebels, ambassadorial whales and enigmatic pop artists. He witnesses the miraculous birth of Dürer''s fantastical rhinoceros and his hermaphroditic hare, and he traces the fate of the star-crossed leviathan that the artist pursued. And as the author swims from Europe to America and beyond, these prophetic artists and downed angels provoke awkward questions. What is natural or unnatural? Is art a fatal contract? Or does it in fact have the power to save us?Trade Review Praise for Albert and the Whale ‘In Albert & the Whale he leads his readers off on a marvellously varied, vividly imaginative, seductively digressive adventure that traces the path of another colossus…this is a book to immerse you’ The Times, Book of the Week, Rachel Campell-Johnston ‘Magnificent new book … Hoare’s feeling for Dürer exceeds anything I have ever read … his greatest work yet’ Observer, Book of the Week, Laura Cumming ‘Marvellous, unaccountable book. This is a book like the stomach of a whale: capaciously ready to accommodate whatever disparate stuff comes its way' Literary Review ‘Philip Hoare, best know for Leviathan, his discursive and personal book about whales, has written a very Sebaldian new book. In it, he traverses his own patch and sniffs out an assortment of seemingly unrelated themes – Albrecht Durer, cetaceans, Thomas Mann and David Bowie, a deformation of the hand, the death of his mother – and proceeds to reveal the single degree of separation between them… Enlightening’ Michael Prodger, Sunday Times ‘Visionary: a tone poem put together from the lives of others, with detailed use of archives’ Financial Times ‘Mr Hoare’s portrait glitters with arresting details … His readings of Dürer’s work grow woozy with enthusiasm, dissolving into a kind of modernist poetry. Readers who prefer their art history to have both feet on the ground might be unmoored; others will be intoxicated’ Economist ‘It’s a summary-defying blend of art history, biography, nature writing and memoir … you can feel the delight he takes in being unbound by anything but his enthusiasms. He is alternately precise and concealing. His biographical sections are both elliptical and redolent of entire lives. His art criticism is often stirring’ New York Times

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Book SynopsisShallow Seas are the most biologically rich and productive areas of the world ocean. This latest New Naturalist volume provides a natural history of this environment and its biological communities.Trade ReviewPraise for Peter Hayward’s previous volume on Seashore: ‘Scientifically accurate throughout, and there are plenty of interesting insights’ British Wildlife Praise for the New Naturalist series: ‘A glory of British publishing’ The Sunday Times ‘Taken either individually or as a whole, they are one of the proudest achievements of modern publishing’ The Sunday Times ‘The series is an amazing achievement’ The Times Literary Supplement ‘The books are glorious to own’ Independent

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Book SynopsisRich and strange from the tip of its title to its deep-sunk bones' Robert MacfarlaneFrom the author of Leviathan, or, The Whale, comes a composite portrait of the subtle, beautiful, inspired and demented ways in which we have come to terms with our watery planet.In the third of his watery books, the author goes in pursuit of human and animal stories of the sea. Of people enchanted or driven to despair by the water, accompanied by whales and birds and seals familiar spirits swimming and flying with the author on his meandering odyssey from suburbia into the unknown.Along the way, he encounters drowned poets and eccentric artists, modernist writers and era-defining performers, wild utopians and national heroes famous or infamous, they are all surprisingly, and sometimes fatally, linked to the sea.Out of the storm-clouds of the twenty-first century and our restive time, these stories reach back into the past and forward into the future. This is a shape-shifting world that has never beenTrade Review‘Rarely have I read a book that felt as if it were speaking so directly, so confidentially to me. RISINGTIDEFALLINGSTAR is about books and about swimming, but most of all it does what all great books do: makes you feel that it’s a private conversation between you and the author. I finished it with an obscure feeling of privilege, to have been granted such access to Hoare’s most secret, intimate self … RISINGTIDEFALLINGSTAR is a masterpiece’ Alex Preston, Observer ‘A rich and strange combination of memoir, travelogue and literary biography … RISINGTIDEFALLINGSTAR contains much of wonder in words strewn across its pages like treasures revealed on the sand by a retreating tide’ Caspar Henderson, Financial Times ‘This is an exquisite read, stuffed with dark myths and eerie legends, nourished by the author’s sublime gift for poetic description’ Michael Simkins, Mail on Sunday ‘Hoare conveys a redemptive sense of the wide, continuous and beautiful world, in a remarkable book that sometimes feels rather loosely fitted together, but is always rich and strange’ Guardian ‘His idiosyncratic tales of mariners, adventurers and the odd dilettante rise almost to the level of poetry … he evokes the sense of majesty that a seascape can inspire in us’ Clive Davis, The Times ‘Wonderful…This beautifully written book is a delight’BBC Radio 4 The themes and preoccupations are familiar from Hoare’s previous writing … but their revisiting here reveals a landscape as exhilarating different as that of the foreshore from one tide to the next’ Jane Shilling, Evening Standard ‘Hoare writes with a beautiful and liquid assurance, luxuriantly at home in this half-modernist, half-conventional medium and capable of astonishingly realised visions of floating moments and sea encounters’ Adam Nicholson, Spectator ‘A swirling, poetic reverie’ Esquire ‘He is poetic and precise…a rich portrait of the sea as an imaginative landscape’ TLS ‘Written with a poetic beauty’ i newspaper

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Book SynopsisA NEW STATESMAN BOOK OF THE YEARAN OBSERVER BEST ART BOOK OF 2021SHORTLISTED FOR THE RATHBONES FOLIO PRIZE 2022This is a wonderful book. A lyrical journey into the natural and unnatural world' Patti SmithEverything Philip Hoare writes is bewitching' Olivia LaingAn illuminating exploration of the intersection between life, art and the sea from the award-winning author of Leviathan. Albrecht Dürer changed the way we saw nature through art. From his prints in 1498 of the plague ridden Apocalypse the first works mass produced by any artist to his hyper-real images of animals and plants, his art was a revelation: it showed us who we are but it also foresaw our future. It is a vision that remains startlingly powerful and seductive, even now.In Albert & the Whale, Philip Hoare sets out to discover why Dürer''s art endures. He encounters medieval alchemists and modernist poets, eccentric emperors and queer soul rebels, ambassadorial whales and enigmatic pop artists. He witnesses the miraculous birth of Dürer''s fantastical rhinoceros and his hermaphroditic hare, and he traces the fate of the star-crossed leviathan that the artist pursued. And as the author swims from Europe to America and beyond, these prophetic artists and downed angels provoke awkward questions. What is natural or unnatural? Is art a fatal contract? Or does it in fact have the power to save us?With its wild and watery adventures, its witty accounts of amazing cultural lives and its delight in the fragile beauty of the natural world, Albert & the Whale offers glorious, inspiring insights into a great artist, and his unerring, sometimes disturbing gaze.Trade Review Praise for Albert and the Whale ‘Always original … Always pushing from somewhere new’ Olivia Laing ‘In Albert & the Whale he leads his readers off on a marvellously varied, vividly imaginative, seductively digressive adventure that traces the path of another colossus…this is a book to immerse you’ The Times, Book of the Week, Rachel Campell-Johnston ‘Magnificent new book … Hoare’s feeling for Dürer exceeds anything I have ever read … his greatest work yet’ Observer, Book of the Week, Laura Cumming ‘Marvellous, unaccountable book. This is a book like the stomach of a whale: capaciously ready to accommodate whatever disparate stuff comes its way' Literary Review ‘Philip Hoare, best know for Leviathan, his discursive and personal book about whales, has written a very Sebaldian new book. In it, he traverses his own patch and sniffs out an assortment of seemingly unrelated themes – Albrecht Durer, cetaceans, Thomas Mann and David Bowie, a deformation of the hand, the death of his mother – and proceeds to reveal the single degree of separation between them… Enlightening’ Michael Prodger, Sunday Times ‘Visionary: a tone poem put together from the lives of others, with detailed use of archives’ Financial Times ‘Mr Hoare’s portrait glitters with arresting details … His readings of Dürer’s work grow woozy with enthusiasm, dissolving into a kind of modernist poetry. Readers who prefer their art history to have both feet on the ground might be unmoored; others will be intoxicated’ Economist ‘It’s a summary-defying blend of art history, biography, nature writing and memoir … you can feel the delight he takes in being unbound by anything but his enthusiasms. He is alternately precise and concealing. His biographical sections are both elliptical and redolent of entire lives. His art criticism is often stirring’ New York Times

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"There is no doubt in my mind that the ocean plays the most massive role in our past, present, and future—from transportation to planet health to long term sustainability. The Deepest Map shines a light on this massive yet ever-changing force and helps bring into focus so many unanswered questions, while giving us a beautiful reminder of how important it is to educate and protect these waters to the best of our abilities." — Garrett McNamara, Big Wave surfer, co-creator of the documentary series 100 Foot Wave and author of Hound of the Sea "Wow, what a great adventure story. Shipwrecks, octopus gardens, coral reefs as tall as the Empire State Building, 11,000 year-old sponges, deep sea robots—it’s a trip to another world, right here on Earth. This is not just a book about the epic quest to map the ocean floor, but an exploration of the mysteries and life of a planet we hardly know. The Deepest Map is one of those rare books that will change the way you see our world." — Jeff Goodell, author of The Water Will Come "A riveting ocean of a book, packed with gripping adventures, high-stakes exploration and political intrigue. Trethewey leads us to the bottom of the sea and deftly shows why it all matters so much." — Helen Scales, author of The Brilliant Abyss "The Deepest Map is a fascinating, poetic love letter to our planet and to the scientists and explorers risking their lives to understand its unconscious. With exhaustive reporting, Trethewey takes us on an awe-inspiring and humbling adventure that makes us realize how much we still have to learn about our home." — Jaimal Yogis, author of All Our Waves Are Water "An engrossing look at deep-sea exploration. Essential reading for environmentalists, armchair adventure divers, and those who care about the world’s oceans." — Kirkus (Starred Review) "Trethewey’s sharp eye for character brings out the humanity in the marine moonshot. It’s worth exploring." — Publishers Weekly

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisTable of Contents1. Introduction2. Desalination technologies3. Seawater quality for desalination plants 4. Theoretical analysis of the potential impacts of desalination on the marine environment5. Early observations of the impacts of seawater desalination on the marine environment: From 1960 to 20006. Actual impacts of seawater desalination on the marine environment reported since 20017. Policy and regulations for seawater desalination

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Book SynopsisTable of Contents1. An overview of sustainable marine resource utilization2. Assessment of China's marine ecological carrying capacity3. Analysis of influencing factors and efficiency of marine resource utilization in China4. Analysis of the marine carbon sink capacity in China5. Comprehensive benefit evaluation of marine resource utilization in China6. Analysis on decoupling between marine resources and economic development in China7. Analysis of coupling among marine resources, environment, and economy in China8. Evaluation of marine resource management levels in China

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