Oceans: A Visual Guide

"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.

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.