Ocean of life

Description

Who can forget the sense of wonder with which they discovered as a child the creatures of the deep? In this vibrant hymn to the sea, one of the world's foremost conservation biologists, known as the "Rachel Carson of the fish world" (The New York Times), takes us back in time to tell the story of man and the sea, from the earliest traces of water on earth to the oceans as we know them today. If you spend time by the sea, you might have noticed that jellyfish are more common now, and fish are smaller and harder to find. But there's a lot more going on beneath the waves that you can't see. What Callum Roberts does in this powerful book is pull together all of the disparate strands of marine science to tell the story of the enormous transformation unfolding around us. The Ocean of Life considers the course of currents first discovered by Benjamin Franklin and the latest developments in ocean chemistry. It looks at pollution and noise pollution, rising tides and temperatures, industrial fishing and aquaculture. It covers everything from shrimp farming in China to the fate of sea fans on Caribbean reefs. It helps us understand how things that we think of in isolation are interconnected and offers clear insights into how we can and must change course. Because our oceans are changing faster than at any time in human history and we are the agents of that transformation. Passionate and persuasive, The Ocean of Life will appeal to readers of The Omnivore's Dilemma and Four Fish and to all grown-up kids who love the sea and want to share its pleasures with their children. - Jacket flap.

Description

"Callum Roberts uses his lifetime's experience working with the oceans to show why they are the most mysterious places on earth, their depths still largely unexplored. In The Ocean of Life we get a panoramic tour beneath the seas: Why do currents circulate the way do? Where exactly do they go? How has the chemistry of the oceans changed? How polluted are we making them? Above all, Roberts reveals the richness of their life, and how it has altered over the centuries. The oceans are now under unprecedented threat. Not only does Roberts show how we are fishing our oceans to extinction, crucially, he explains how this directly affects our lives on land. Ninety-five percent of habitable space on earth lies in the oceans, and marine plants produce half the world's oxygen; the oceans themselves absorb vast quantities of carbon dioxide. The life they support is now in the balance. The Ocean of Life should galvanise debate worldwide. Roberts shows how we can arrest and reverse the damage we are doing."--Publisher.

Subjects

Other Editions

• Ocean of life: how our seas are changingAllen Lane2012-01-01
• The Ocean of LifeHardcoverViking Penguin, a member of Penguin Group (USA)2012-01-01
• Ocean of LifePenguin Books, Limited2012-01-01
• The Ocean of LifePaperbackPenguin Books2013-04-30