I decided to become a geologist at the age of twelve. As an undergraduate at Cambridge University, I bought a second-hand book on Submarine Geology by Frances Shepard, an American pioneer of oceanography, and my love affair with the oceans began. I have now led scientific cruises to all the major oceans, seeking to better understand the deep seafloor, its unique ecosystems, and processes. This really is the last frontier on Earth. I believe it holds key solutions for many resource and environmental challenges we face today. I enjoy writing popular ocean books, speaking on cruise liners, and reading what others write. I hope you enjoy this selection of books.
This book opened my eyes to the ocean world and its huge significance for the future of our planet. In scratchy font across its black cover, it read: “To industry it’s tin, aluminium, oil, gas, sulfur, iron, coal, phosphorites, manganese, diamonds and gold. To fisheries it’s £3,000,000,000 per year. To military and political interests, it’s battlefields and missile bases. To you and me it’s a breath of fresh air and a nice place to make a splash.”
These words resonated with me as a young PhD student of ocean science in Canada. It was the early 1970s. We were optimistic. The UN had just adopted a resolution that stated, “the seabed and ocean floor…are the common heritage of mankind.” The book may be out of print, but its message is as vital as ever.
This is a refreshing and very contemporary account of the changing face of our oceans. Despite the nearly five decades I have dedicated to ocean research, Helen Scales’ book provided me with new, intriguing insights and a wealth of fascinating factoids. More importantly, I welcome her positive and optimistic outlook for the future, following a candid assessment of just how much we have already affected a world we know so little about.
The oceans have changed many times in the geological past through natural Earth processes, and they will continue to adapt to whatever we impose. However, Helen argues with cogent elegance that we could still mitigate our worst excesses and work collectively for an environmentally sustainable ocean future.
SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION LONGLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION
No matter where we live, 'we are all ocean people,' Helen Scales observes in her bracing yet hopeful exploration of the future of the ocean. Beginning with its fascinating deep history, Scales links past to present to show how prehistoric ocean ecology holds lessons for the ocean of today.
In elegant, evocative prose, she takes us into the realms of animals that epitomize current increasingly challenging conditions, from emperor penguins to sharks and orcas. Yet despite these threats, many hopeful signs remain, in the form…
LeeAnn Pickrell’s love affair with punctuation began in a tenth-grade English class.
Punctuated is a playful book of punctuation poems inspired by her years as an editor. Frustrated by the misuse of the semicolon, she wrote a poem to illustrate its correct use. From there she realized the other marks…
This is an enthralling tale of first-hand research at sea, of perilous work in the ‘screaming 60s’ around Antarctica, and the sheer delight and humility gained from making new discoveries in a world so few have ever seen and where exploration is still in its infancy.
I have experienced exactly that thrill and awe. My own research specialty is the deep ocean–the shape of the seafloor and the stories of sediment swept in to cover it. Alex Rogers is a leading specialist in marine biology, so I was intrigued to read his account of The Deep. Most importantly, Alex explores the ocean’s impact on all our lives, the dramatic effects of our use and abuse of the seas, and of what we might do to mitigate unnecessary damage in the future. Thought-provoking!
There's so much we don't know about what lies deep beneath the ocean's surface - and the time to find out is growing increasingly precious . . .
Professor Alex Rogers is one of the world's leading experts in marine biology and oceanology, and has spent his life studying the deep ocean - and in particular the impact of human activity on the ecosystems of the oceans.
In this timely, galvanising and fascinating book - replete with stunning photography of strange and beautiful creatures - Professor Rogers offers a fundamentally optimistic view of humanity's relationship with the oceans - and…
This utterly beautiful introduction to the ocean world–in all its power, mystery, and intrigue–captivates me every time I open it. The photography is stunning, jumping out from large-format double spreads, and the illustrations are eminently informative. It brings to life the startling richness of the marine world, from microplankton to baleen whales, from top predators to camouflage specialists. It explains tides and waves, coral reefs and hydrothermal vents, water chemistry, and ocean zones.
Personally, I love the spreads that focus on ocean art. At home, I always have a large coffee-table book that I can dip into. Because I loved the style, scope, and up-to-date science of this one, I agreed to play a very small part as a specialist contributor. But that does not influence my recommendation.
Dive into this uniquely elegant visual exploration of the sea
An informative and utterly beautiful introduction to marine life and the ocean environment, The Science of the Ocean book brings the riches of the underwater world onto the printed page.
Astounding photography reveals an abundance of life, from microscopic plankton to great whales, seaweed to starfish. Published in association with the Natural History Museum, the book explores every corner of the oceans, from coral reefs and mangrove swamps to deep ocean trenches.
Along the way, and with the help of clear, simple illustrations, it explains how life has adapted to…
LeeAnn Pickrell’s love affair with punctuation began in a tenth-grade English class.
Punctuated is a playful book of punctuation poems inspired by her years as an editor. Frustrated by the misuse of the semicolon, she wrote a poem to illustrate its correct use. From there she realized the other marks…
Beyond the intrigue of scientific study, for me, the sea has always been a place of living poetry – sparkling, changing, and dramatic in equal measure. This mesmerising poetry collection by Nobel Laureate, Pablo Neruda, together with his Stones of the Sky, is an all-time favourite of mine.
In August 1991, I sat on the shores of the Pacific Ocean, across from Neruda’s oceanside home in Chile’s Valparaiso, and watched the most vivid, enchanting colours of a setting sun, fuelled by atmospheric ash still lingering from Mt. Pinatubo’s violent eruption many weeks before in the Philippines. Neruda’s poetry captures such earth and ocean dramas with such vibrancy. For poets and scientists alike, I cannot recommend it highly enough.
This is a groundbreaking reference work and beautifully illustrated coffee-table book. The stunning photographs, artwork and maps combine with an accessible and authoritative text by internationally acclaimed oceanographer and geologist, Dorrik Stow. There is a wealth of absorbing information and incredible facts on all aspects of the oceans, from their origins over four billion years ago to the hidden riches and environmental fragility they present today. Few other books range across so many topics with such fluidity and command – the formation and destruction of ocean crust, patterns and cycles on the seafloor, rogue waves and internal tides, silent currents and hidden waterfalls, as well as the astonishing diversity and lifestyles of complex marine communities. This is an invaluable and delightful guide to Earth’s final frontier.
