Mapping the Deep

The extraordinary story of ocean science

Robert Kunzig author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Sort of Books

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Mapping the Deep cover

The scientific exploration of the ocean is an extraordinary story. Hundreds have climbed Everest yet only two people have descended, in a homespun 'bathyscaphe', to the very depths of the deepest sea chasm. Amazing oases teeming with life have been found in deep sea volcanic vents but we have hardly begun to identify their resident species. We know that sea currents control our climate but we don't know how. Ocean scientists are pretty sure that we could reverse the greenhouse effect by manipulating plankton blooms with doses of iron ... but fear we might trigger an ice age in the act. Mapping the Deep is a state-of-the-ocean report on the sea and its science. After amazing you at how little you know of the ocean, Kunzig swiftly draws you into a compelling narrative of oceanographers past and present - scientists, pioneers, maverick thinkers, deep water divers and submersible pilots. Like all the best science books, this is a hugely informative page-turner that confirms Robert Kunzig's position in the top rank of popular science writers.

Robert Kunzig has an epic saga to tell and he does it with flair and an infectious excitement. -- Maggie Gee * Daily Telegraph *
Part history, part science book, part other-wordly travelogue, this is a magical mystery tour filled with wonders. * Daily Mail *
An exhaustive and enthralling trawl of the ocean floor * Sunday Times *
Kunzig values a good metaphor and knows how to tell his story in human terms . . . a strange but rewarding poolside read for those unafraid of the deep end. -- Simon Garfield * Financial Times *
Every popular science writer tries to bring new worlds into view; Kunzig's is especially compelling because his new world is so strange, yet so firmly linked to our own. * Guardian *
Just when it seems Kunzig has told us everything interesting or significant, he dredges up more submerged gems. -- Richard Strickland * American Scientist *
A remarkable book, both a celebration and a warning. -- Robin Davidson
Robert Kunzig has an easy way with hard science . . . he writes illuminatingly of the people and events on a frontier every bit as challenging as space. * Glasgow Herald *
A really good read and makes what we do sound like fun! -- Everett Read, Editor in Chief, Limnology and Oceanography
Artfully combines elegant writing with a facility for explaining science in plain English * Oceanography *

  • Winner of Aventis Prize for Science Books 2001
  • Winner of Aventis Prizes for Science Books: General Prize 2001

ISBN: 9780953522712

Dimensions: 198mm x 129mm x 25mm

Weight: 339g

432 pages

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