A vivid, up-to-date tour of the Earth's last frontier, a remote and mysterious realm that nonetheless lies close to the heart of even the most land-locked reader.The sea covers seven-tenths of the Earth, but we have mapped only a small percentage of it. The sea contains millions of species of animals and plants, but we have identified only a few thousand of them. The sea controls our planet's climate, but we do not really understand how. The sea is still the frontier, and yet it se...

Dealing with the Root Cause of Global Warming Calls for New Remedies, Says ExpertThe product of a unique collaboration between a pioneering earth scientist and an award winning science writer, Fixing Climate takes an unconventional approach to the vitally important issue of global warming. Wallace S. Broecker, a longtime researcher at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, warned about the possible consequences of global warming de...

"A fascinating exploration of this vast mysterious universe. Wonderfully written, it will grab you from page one and carry you all the way through." ―Philippe CousteauThe ocean teems with life that thrives under difficult situations in unusual environments. The Extreme Life of the Sea takes readers to the absolute limits of the ocean world—the fastest and deepest, the hottest and oldest creatures of the oceans. It dives into the icy Arctic and boiling hydr...

The Sea Around Us reveals the science and poetry of the sea while ranging from its primeval beginnings to the latest scientific probings. Often described as poetic, it is Carsons second published book and the one that launched her into the public eye and a second career as a writer and conservationist. The book was awarded both the 1952 National Book Award for Nonfiction and a Burroughs Medal in nature writing.

All life — whether on land or in the sea — depends on the oceans for two things:• Oxygen. Most of Earth’s oxygen is produced by phytoplankton in the sea. These humble, one-celled organisms, rather than the spectacular rain forests, are the true lungs of the planet.• Climate control. Our climate is regulated by the ocean’s currents, winds, and water-cycle activity.Sea Sick is the first book to examine the current state of the world’s oceans — the gre...

One of Vox’s Most Important Books of the DecadeNew York Times Editors' Choice 2017Forbes Top 10 Best Environment, Climate, and Conservation Book of 2017As new groundbreaking research suggests that climate change played a major role in the most extreme catastrophes in the planet's history, award-winning science journalist Peter Brannen takes us on a wild ride through the planet's five mass e...

Twenty thousand years ago our planet was an icehouse. Temperatures were down six degrees; ice sheets kilometres thick buried much of Europe and North America and sea levels were 130m lower. The following 15 millennia saw an astonishing transformation as our planet metamorphosed into the temperate world upon which our civilisation has grown and thrived. One of the most dynamic periods in Earth history saw rocketing temperatures melt the great ice sheets like butter on a hot summer's day; fe...

This is not just the story of one continent and how it formed, it is the tale of how our world came to be the way it is, and how it might become something else in the future. An understanding of the earth sciences is essential to understanding our place on this ball of rock, and Ghost Mountains and Vanished Continents, replete with fascinating information and anecdotes, both personal and geological, provides that understanding in a wonderfully readable form.Today we are altering our...

Why do birds migrate -- and just how do they do it?The Migration of Birds is a comprehensive illustrated presentation of the mysteries of bird migration.Ornithologist Janice M. Hughes describes the findings of the most recent research and surveys as-yet-unanswered questions. She unravels the exciting contributions of cutting-edge technological innovations and scientific developments.Over 70 stunning full-color photographs s...

In this wide-ranging Very Short Introduction to climate, Mark Maslin considers all aspects of the global climate system, exploring and explaining the different components that control climate on Earth. He considers the processes that allow energy to reach the Earth and how it is redistributed around the planet by the ocean-atmosphere system; the relationship and differences between climate and the weather; how climate has affected life on Earth and human settlements; and the cycli...

The bitter cold and three months a year without sunlight make Antarctica virtually uninhabitable for humans. Yet a world of extraordinary wildlife persists in these harsh conditions, including leopard seals, giant squid, 50-foot algae, sea spiders, coral, multicolored sea stars, and giant predatory worms. Now, as temperatures rise, this fragile ecosystem is under attack. In this closely observed account, one of the world's foremost experts on Antarctica gives us a highly original and disti...

Climate change is a major topic of concern today, scientifically, socially, and politically. It will undoubtedly continue to be so for the foreseeable future, as predicted changes in global temperatures, rainfall, and sea level take place, and as human society adapts to these changes. In this remarkable new work, Jan Zalasiewicz and Mark Williams demonstrate how the Earth's climate has continuously altered over its 4.5 billion-year history. The story can be read from clues preserved in the...