WomenInScience: Review of Earle & Glover’s “Ocean”
When I was a kid, there wasn’t a book or magazine that survived being held in my hands. Covers scratched, pages torn or missing - I loved reading and the objects of my affection weren’t treated well.
Only one thing was sacred: National Geographic Magazine. My parents collected them, and we had magazines that dated back to the 1940s. I treated each copy with the reverence it deserved, and when I stretched out across the floor on my belly to slowly turn its pages, I felt like the information held in each issue was precious and vital. Nothing showed me the world like that magazine did, and it held my young attention for hours on end.
When the envelope that held the new “Ocean: An Illustrated Atlas” from National Geographic showed up on my porch, I had that feeling all over again. Opening it, and seeing the vibrant photos for which National Geographic is famous brought back the joy I used to feel in learning something new.
Written by Sylvia Earle (recently mentioned here on dotFiveOne) and Linda Glover with contributions from over thirty scientists, professors, researchers and explorers, “Ocean: An Illustrated Atlas” is more than just a collection of maps and statistics. It’s an open plea to humanity to learn as much as possible about one of our greatest assets and benefactors and to heal the damage we’ve caused before irreparable harm is done.
This atlas is a researcher’s dream: written in consultation with experts from NASA and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), it includes detailed maps. satellite images, tables and graphics which explain those aspects of the earth’s composition that aren’t visible to the naked (or electronic) eye.
The preface of the atlas is alarming: Dr. Earle gives a few examples of the imminent decline of oceanic ecosystems in the context of global warming. She finishes by hinting at the possibility of hope by mentioning “the many positive actions that are aimed at stabilizing…the oceans and…natural processes” that sustain human life. Regardless of how you might feel about the political aspects of the global warming discussion, the actual data speaks for itself, and the human affect on this planet over the last 50-100 years is dramatic.
What follows is a three-part literary and visual exploration of the world’s oceans, from the general to the specific, as the reader is introduced to the basics of the ocean then each of the five oceanic regions. Next, Earle and Glover detail the extent of human exploration across the planet, and just the map of the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) networks is impressive. The exploration sections include information about above- and under-water observation, and analysis from the air and from space.
Permeating the text is a tone of warning. In recent years, we’ve seen the result of catastrophic hurricanes and tsunamis, yet our response to these events has largely been to work to improve our disaster response policies. One alarming photo (p296-297) highlights how much of the earth’s land surface would be underwater if the sea level rose 6 meters - which is less than the sea level increase if the ice stored on Greenland *alone* were to melt. Sobering details such as these are difficult to imagine.
Yet none of this detracts from the impressive presentation of this book. “Ocean: An Illustrated Atlas” has a lifetime of information within its covers, and is a welcome addition to my bookshelf. I highly recommend it, and urge you to not only purchase it, but to also explore it and consider what contributions you can make to preserving its namesake.
Related posts:
- Sylvia Earle, Aquanaut For Life
- WomenInScience: Jill Tarter and SETI
- Review: Maureen McHugh’s “Half The Day Is Night”
- WomenInScience: Nancy Rabel Hall Raises The Bar
- Review: Janna Levin, “A Madman Dreams Of Turing Machines”
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