Visual Guide to Oceans - Hardcover

Hutchinson, Stephen

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0276429311 ISBN 13: 9780276429316

Publisher: Reader's Digest, 2004

Synopsis

"This is a superb book. The authors are to be commended. Not only did I find the book informative and useful, but as an ichthyhologist [fish expert] and former director of a marine conservation non-governmental organization, I learned new information."
- Neil Alfonso, Research Services, Canadian Museum of Nature

The world's oceans contain habitats that are as different from one another as a rainforest is from a desert. Oceanography is little more than a century old, and scientists now explore the sea in specialized submersibles and scan its features from space.

Oceans explores the mysteries of these fascinating worlds beneath the waves. From the coastline to the deepest trench, oceans host an astonishing variety of marine life. Some are rare, some bizarre, some of breathtaking beauty. Each form of life has adapted to the extreme conditions of ocean life in unique and fascinating ways.

This book features hundreds of color illustrations and photographs that reveal the oceans like never before:

• The Blue Planet: 71% of Earth is covered by oceans that are largely unexplored
• Exploring the Ocean: from ancient times to the age of satellites
• Ocean Life: the circle of life from plankton to whales
• Into the Deep: the origins of life in a world of darkness
• The Fringes: marine life where the oceans meet the land
• The Human Impact: the wealth of the oceans and how to protect them.

About this title

About the Author

Stephen Hutchinson, PhD, is a visiting senior fellow at the Southampton Oceanography Centre in England.

Lawrence E. Hawkins, PhD, is a senior lecturer in marine biology at the Southampton Oceanography Centre in England, teaching and researching the physiology of marine animals.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Introduction

A famous oceanographer used to start his lectures on the oceans with the phrase, "The oceans are wide, deep, dark, cold and salty." He could have added that, although it constitutes 71 percent of Earth's surface, much of the vast ocean realm remains to he explored. The presence of liquid water on the surface of our planet is remarkable in itself, and it is Earth's unique position in the solar system and the unusual properties of liquid water that have transformed a hot, barren wilderness into the Blue Planet. The early oceans were the cradle of life on Earth and they still affect life on the planet, controlling weather patterns and major environmental cycles. Life in the oceans encompasses some of the smallest living organisms and the largest animals that have ever existed. Some are familiar from seaside holidays, sailing or diving, but beyond the low tide mark there is an abundance of marine plants and animals that are not so well known and whose biology is not fully understood. Our exploitation of the biological and mineral wealth of the oceans is exacting a toll on the health of the seas. Understanding how the oceans work and devising means to remedy problems are vital to ourselves and future generations. The latest technology is allowing scientists to explore ever-deeper and in greater detail, and may even result in the exploration of seas on other planets. Our journey through the ocean realms will take us from the shores to the deepest places on the surface of Earth.

Edition details

• Publisher: Reader's Digest
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0276429311
• ISBN 13: 9780276429316
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 304