The Silent Landscape : In the Wake of Hms Challenger 1872-1876 - Hardcover

Richard Corfield

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0719565308 ISBN 13: 9780719565304

Publisher: John Murray, 2004

Synopsis

Deep below the oceans' surface lies an alien world that even today we have only just begun to explore. The quest to understand the sea bed began in 1872 when HMS Challenger set sail from Portsmouth on the first sea voyage devoted to science. One of the expedition's most important objectives was to gather the evidence necessary to prove, or refute, Darwin's new theory of evolution. Sailing for three and half years and almost 69,000 nautical miles, scientists and crew alike braved the stifling heat of the tropics for months on end only to suffer the stupefying cold of the Antarctic, enduring danger on the high seas, risking all in the pursuit of knowledge. The undertaking was nothing short of a roaring success. Challenger dredged up thousands of samples from the sea floor while mapping enormous areas of undersea terrain. Most startling of all was the revelation that the ocean was not a barren graveyard, but a gloriously complex ecosystem teeming with life. Drawing from official documentation and the journals of the ship's scientists and crew, The Silent Landscape recounts the story of this extraordinary voyage.But Richard Corfield also brings a twenty-first century perspective to bear on Challenger's research and discoveries, illuminating the science of that nineteenth century voyage with the most current oceanographic information available.

About this title

About the Author

Richard Corfield is an earth scientist based at Oxford University. Educated at Bristol and Cambridge Universities, he is a regular feature writer for popular magazines in the natural sciences. The Silent Landscape is his second book. He lives in Oxfordshire, with his wife and two children.

Review

'Drawing upon diaries of both the "scientifics" and the humble "bluejackets" below decks, Corfield augments his tale of Challenger's research with 20th century developments in oceanography, biology, physics and paleontology. Discoveries abound ! Modern studies of volcanism, continental drift, tectonic plates and global warming -- today's hot Big Science -- derive from the groundwork laid by a handful of dedicated men aboard a small sailing ship named Challenger, proving that exploring natural science may be the grandest adventure of all' -- LA Times Praise for ARCHITECTS OF ETERNITY: 'Here's a rip-roaring trip through Deep Time with a fossil whiz ! If I was editor of FHM, GQ or Esquire and needed a palaeontology correspondent, I'd try to get Richard Corfield' 'The word paleontology suggests either dusty museum cabinets or Jurassic Park. The reality between such extremes is explored in this accessible overview of the subject's recent history ! the fascinating science speaks for itself' -- Scotland on Sunday 'This is an authoritative book on its subject -- comprehensive, witty and accessible without an over-subservience to popularism. Highly recommended reading on science' -- Word on Books 'This is an authoritative book on its subject -- comprehensive, witty and accessible without an over-subservience to popularism. Highly recommended reading on science' -- Word on Books 'A short, readable volume ... an entertaining and informative combination of history and modern science ... The Silent Landscape is indeed successful. It provides the history and excitement of an epic voyage in the context of modern developments. It does so in a brief and readable form, and leaves ample scope for deeper explorations of such rich historical material.' -- Nature 20040513 'A fascinating journey through space and time. Corfield skilfully weaves together the story of the voyage of HMS Challenger with a wide-ranging history of oceanography. Written with the authentic voice of experience, it contains a wealth of intriguing detail' -- David Sington, Director of the BBC Series Eart 20040513 'The Silent Landscape beautifully documents the adventure, the science and the future science of the voyage. One hundred years to the day that HMS Challenger left Portsmouth, the Apollo 17 crew returned home after the Lunar Module Challenger had supported the twentieth century's last scientific exploration of the Moon's surface. And so what HMS Challenger started, continues' -- Harrison H Schmitt, Apollo 17 astronaut 20040513 'Narrative of the ground-breaking scientific circumnavigation...Corfield's technique is to match events on each leg of the Challenger's cruise with a major discovery..in the same field of science in the twentieth century...Corfield is at his strongest when he deals with Challenger's soundings over the Mid-Atlantic Ridge...His account reaches a crescendo with the deep sea drilling programmes...some excellent description of the importance of the US Office of Naval Research, whose influential sponsorship in the twentieth century matched that of the Victorian Hydrographers of the Navy...Where Corfield brings the characters in these later sagas aliv, his recipe works particularly well. Some unsung heroes and heroines emerge...a very satisfactory account of the original voyage...authentic, timeless colour...this book offers a pleasant way to review the remarkable results of the explosion of ocean technology in the century which followed the voyage.' -- The Naval Review 20040408 'The Challenger crew ... laid the foundations for the modern science of oceanography. Corfield ... records their triumphs and tragedies using material from letters and journals' -- New Scientist 20040710 'An extraordinary book about the ocean floor ! It is the particular charm of The Silent Landscape that the wads of pure science can never quite bury what is a fascinating story, and a new one. One side of this book is a scientific treatise, the other is the history of the first truly modern attempt to gather data and check theories about the "silent landscape" of the oceanic floor, an historic first' -- The Washington Times 20040710 'A brilliant account of the fascinating voyage of HMS Challenger and her pioneering crew. It will captivate anyone interested in the real life adventures of science and exploration.' -- Philippe Cousteau 20040710 'Corfield cleverly interweaves up-to-date knowledge on oceanography gained since HMS Challenger's epic voyage ... bringing this extraordinary expedition to life.' -- Dover Express/Folkestone Herald 20050210 'A fascinating piece of history' -- Dumfries & Galloway Standard 20050408 'A short, readable volume ... entertaining and informative ... The Silent Landscape is indeed successful.' -- Nature 20040513 'A brilliant account ... It will captivate anyone interested in the real life adventures of science and exploration.' -- Philippe Cousteau 20040513 'An extraordinary book about the ocean floor ! an historic first' -- The Washington Times 20040513 'A fascinating journey through space and time ... it contains a wealth of intriguing detail' -- David Sington, Director of the BBC series Eart 20040513 'The Silent Landscape beautifully documents the adventure, the science and the future science of the voyage.' -- Harrison H. Schmitt, Apollo 17 Astronaut 20040513 'Corfield writes with the insight that comes from personal experience in research at sea ... outstanding.' Richard Shelton. -- Times Literary Supplement 20050225 'Corfield buttresses the Challenger account with related tales ! giving us some insight into what else might have been uncovered had more modern technology been on the Scientifics' side'. -- Literary Review 20050401

Edition details

• Publisher: John Murray
• Publication date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0719565308
• ISBN 13: 9780719565304
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 304