Description
We have long lorded over the ocean. But only recently have we become aware of the myriad life-forms beneath its waves. We now know that this delicate ecosystem is our life-support system - that it regulates Earth's temperatures and climate and makes up 99 percent of the living space on the planet. So when we change the chemistry of the whole ocean system, as we are now, life as we know it is threatened. In "Seasick", veteran science journalist Alanna Mitchell dives beneath the surface of the world's oceans to give readers a sense of how this watery realm can be managed and preserved, and with it life on Earth. Each chapter features a different group of researchers who introduce readers to the importance of ocean currents, the building of coral structures, or the effects of acidification. With Mitchell at the helm, readers submerge 3,000 feet to gather sea sponges that may contribute to cancer care, see firsthand the lava lamp - like dead zone covering 17,000 square kilometers in the Gulf of Mexico, and witness the simultaneous spawning of corals under a full moon in Panama. The first book to look at the environmental crisis through the lens of the global ocean, "Seasick" takes the reader on an emotional journey through a hidden realm of the planet and urges conservation and reverence for the fount from which all life on Earth sprang.
About the Author
Alanna Mitchell spent fourteen years as a writer covering science and the environment at the Globe and Mail. She is the author of Dancing at the Dead Sea: Tracking the World's Environmental Hotspots, also published by the University of Chicago Press.
Reviews
"A riveting book of revelations about Earth's largest and most important habitat." - Tim Flannery "Most of us, being land-dwelling air-breathers, think of the earth in terms of its surface. We are oblivious to the incredible world beneath the surface of the oceans and its importance to our own life. Mitchell's book reads like a novel - I couldn't wait to find out what happens next. I loved Seasick. It's a winner." - Margaret Rioux, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute"
Book Information
ISBN 9780226532585
Author Alanna Mitchell
Format Hardback
Page Count 176
Imprint University of Chicago Press
Publisher The University of Chicago Press
About the Author
Alanna Mitchell spent fourteen years as a writer covering science and the environment at the Globe and Mail. She is the author of Dancing at the Dead Sea: Tracking the World's Environmental Hotspots, also published by the University of Chicago Press.
Reviews
"A riveting book of revelations about Earth's largest and most important habitat." - Tim Flannery "Most of us, being land-dwelling air-breathers, think of the earth in terms of its surface. We are oblivious to the incredible world beneath the surface of the oceans and its importance to our own life. Mitchell's book reads like a novel - I couldn't wait to find out what happens next. I loved Seasick. It's a winner." - Margaret Rioux, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute"
Book Information
ISBN 9780226532585
Author Alanna Mitchell
Format Hardback
Page Count 176
Imprint University of Chicago Press
Publisher The University of Chicago Press
