On a hot summer's day there could be no quicker transport to the seaside than Trevor Norton's cool and entrancing account of a lifetime's adventures under or near the water. Norton's eye for the bizarre, amazing, and beautiful inhabitants of the oceans, and the eccentric characters who work, study, and live by the shore make his book a wonder-filled experience. An intrepid diver and distinguished scientist, Norton's writing is self-deprecating, very funny, and full of wry and intriguing anecdotes; he is an unfailingly delightful companion. Whether his setting is a bed of jewel anemones in an Irish lough, a giant California cavern shared with sea lions, a mildewed research station, or the glittering coral gardens of Sharm el Sheikh, his captivating prose always finds the mark. Sometimes following the shoreline with earlier beachcombers such as Darwin, John Steinbeck, and George Orwell, Norton also takes the reader to depths where the shapes of creatures living without sunlight defy imagination. Admirers of the gorgeous detail of Rachel Carson's "The Sea Around Us" will revel in Norton's writing, his observations, and irreverent wit.

This scarce antiquarian book is included in our special Legacy Reprint Series. In the interest of creating a more extensive selection of rare historical book reprints, we have chosen to reproduce this title even though it may possibly have occasional imperfections such as missing and blurred pages, missing text, poor pictures, markings, dark backgrounds and other reproduction issues beyond our control. Because this work is culturally important, we have made it available as a part of our commitment to protecting, preserving and promoting the world's literature.

The ocean is in danger. Someone has stolen the massive diamond that gives King Neptune his power to protect the oceans. Now, he has to assemble a team of sea creatures to recover the diamond before the seas go dark forever and the planet slowly dies. The Ocean Protectors soon discover that the future of the earth and ALL living things hinges on more than just returning the diamond. The crew will have to test their own unique skills at every turn to reverse the damage being done to the seas. And Duckey has to set aside his typewriter and face his greatest fear WATER When budding journalist Duckey is asked by King Neptune to cover the story of saving the earth s oceans, he ends up doing more than reporting the details. Duckey becomes an important member of the Ocean Protectors themselves. The future of the ocean and the planet is relying on a group of misfits. Duckey and the Ocean Protectors is both a fun-filled adventure and a lesson in discovery as these unlikely heroes each learns about their individual power, worth, and talent.

The primary purpose of this book is to provide for identification of estuarine and coastal fishes that may be encountered by angling, seining, or trawling on the Georgia coast. Sport and commercial species are emphasized, but all groups occurring on the Continental Shelf are discussed. This book will be especially useful to ecologists who need to identify species in order to study community structure within the estuarine and coastal ecosystems. Information on habitats and seasonality will also aid scientists in collecting certain species for research projects.

The largest creatures to inhabit the Earth, whales have long inspired awe in human beings. Because they spend almost 95 percent of their time beneath the ocean surface, however, little has been known about their lives--until recently. With advances in technology and more intense study, fresh facts are coming to light about these magnificent mammals, and to be a whale watcher now, says acclaimed author and wildlife biologist Douglas Chadwick, is to have a front-row seat to stunning discoveries.
Chadwick has followed and reported on whales for more than a decade, and in "The Grandest of Lives" he offers a fascinating insider's view of modern-day scientific whale observation--from data gathering to spirited scientific debate to expedition storytelling. In detailed portraits of five whale species that represent a cross-section of the forms and lifestyles of cetaceans worldwide--the humpback, northern bottlenose, blue whale, minke whale, and orca--Chadwick moves deftly from natural history to more personal observations, clearly communicating his fondness and admiration for these mammoth masters of the sea, as well as the sheer joy of being among them.

From vividly colored underwater photographs of Australia's Great Barrier Reef to life-size dioramas re-creating coral reefs and the bounty of life they sustained, the work of early twentieth-century explorers and photographers fed the public's fascination with reefs. In the 1920s John Ernest Williamson in the Bahamas and Frank Hurley in Australia produced mass-circulated and often highly staged photographs and films that cast corals as industrious, colonizing creatures, and the undersea as a virgin, unexplored, and fantastical territory. In Coral Empire Ann Elias traces the visual and social history of Williamson and Hurley and how their modern media spectacles yoked the tropics and coral reefs to colonialism, racism, and the human domination of nature. Using the labor and knowledge of indigenous peoples while exoticizing and racializing them as inferior Others, Williamson and Hurley sustained colonial fantasies about people of color and the environment as endless resources to be plundered. As Elias demonstrates, their reckless treatment of the sea prefigured attitudes that caused the environmental crises that the oceans and reefs now face.

From gray whales giving birth in the lagoons of Baja California to sea otters nestled in kelp beds off California to killer whales living around Vancouver IslandOCothis spectacular stretch of the Pacific Coast boasts one of the most abundant populations of sea mammals on earth. This handy interpretive field guide describes the 45 whales, dolphins, seals, and otters that are resident in, migrate through, or forage from Baja in Mexico to British Columbia in Canada. The guideOCOs rich species accounts provide details on identification, natural history, distribution, and conservation. They also tell where and how these fascinating animals can best be viewed. Introductory chapters give general information on the ecology, evolution, and taxonomy of marine mammals; on the Pacific CoastOCOs unique environment; and on the relationship between marine mammals and humans from native cultures to today. Featuring many color illustrations, photographs, drawings, and maps, this up-to-date guide illuminates a fascinating group of animals and reveals much about their mysterious lives in the ocean."

This handy illustrated guide covers the ninety-one species of sharks, skates, and rays found in waters along the coasts of North Carolina and South Carolina. It will be an essential reference for shark enthusiasts, coastal residents, tourists, aquarium visitors, scientists, and anyone interested in these fascinating fish. In his introduction, Frank J. Schwartz provides a general explanation of the physical features of sharks, skates, and rays. He also discusses matters such as the possible causes of shark attacks, conservation concerns surrounding sport and commercial shark fishing, breeding habits, and shark fossils. Each species of shark, skate, and ray is shown in a clear illustration, accompanied by a concise description and notes on its color, size, distribution, and occurrence. A series of keys based on physical characteristics will aid readers in accurately identifying each species.

One population of a truly fascinating species; The Dolphins of Hilton Head introduces readers to the unique population of bottlenose dolphins that inhabit the warm water and brackish salt marshes of South Carolina's inland coastal waterways. Drawing on years of research in Hilton Head and the latest discoveries of scientists throughout the world, Cara Gubbins describes this atypical habitat and explains how the distinctive behaviors of Hilton Head dolphins distinguish them from other populations. She identifies their particular behavior patterns, vocalizations, behavioral ecology, and local traditions. Gubbins also offers practical suggestions on how best to view and understand these animals while visiting the island. Framing her study with a general overview of dolphins and their habits, Gubbins explores the natural history, ecology, and evolution of free-ranging Atlantic bottlenose dolphins in South Carolina. She compares this population with others throughout the world to reveal the South Carolina dolphins' innovative foraging techniques, novel social system, and unconventional habitat use patterns. Gubbins debunks widely held myths about the animals, addresses conservation issues that will affect their future in South Carolina waters, and discusses environmental problems that threaten them worldwide. While Gubbins looks specifically at the dolphins of Hilton Head, her guide helps readers understand these animals throughout the world. She offers advice not only for spotting dolphins but also for interpreting such specific behaviors as feeding, socializing, resting, traveling, and communication.

Pulitzer Prize winner William J. Broad takes us on an adventure to the planet's last and most exotic frontier -- the depths of the sea. The Universe Below examines how we are illuminating its dark recesses as a wave of advanced technology quietly opens the Earth's largest and most mysterious environment.

Broad takes us on breathtaking dives and expeditions -- to the Azores, to the Titanic, to hot springs teeming with bizarre life, to icy fissures aswarm with gulper eels, vampire squids, and gelatinous beasts longer than a city bus. We meet legendary explorers and researchers and go with them as they probe the ancient mysteries of a universe that encompasses the vast majority of the Earth's habitable space and holds millions of humanity's lost artworks and treasures.

The Universe Below is an unforgettable trip to our last great unexplored frontier.

The first-ever book published on the shells of the Sydney metropolitan area, this book covers 484 species which were collected during a period of four years. For each species, there is at least one detailed black-and-white line drawing, a description which covers features of the shell, the distribution and the habitat. Also included are a glossary of terms and an extensive list of references.

"It is said that the seafloor is a desert, a vast and uniform wasteland, all but devoid of life. Textbooks on the shelf in my laboratory say so. But I know that is not true", writes scientist and submersible pilot Cindy Lee Van Dover in the Introduction to Deep-Ocean Journeys. Van Dover has ventured miles below surface waves to the bottom of the sea, driven by her desire to understand the complex and thriving ecosystems recently discovered near volcanic vents. These ecosystems are models for sites where life might have originated on this planet and where extraterrestrial life is speculated to exist on Mars and Europa. In this remarkable book, Van Dover gives lyrical voice to the scientific passion that motivates her, taking us along with her as she reveals the wonders of the ocean floor.

Of all the mammals on earth, none has inspired our affection as much as the dolphin. Fascinated by these creatures of myth, magic, and history, we have longed to penetrate the mystery that surrounds them and thrilled to the possibility of communicating with a species other than our own. In 1988 a group of researchers began a revolutionary experiment: they "borrowed" a pair of wild dolphins from the sea, studied them in captivity, and then set them free to continue studying the animals in their home waters. This is the extraordinary story of that project, an ongoing adventure shared by a daring team of humans and two very special dolphins that has built a bridge between disparate worlds and very different creatures. Now, Carol J. Howard, a researcher and primary member of the team invites you along on the coast-to-coast odyssey that began when two Atlantic bottlenose dolphins were captured in Tampa Bay, Florida, and transported to Long Marine Laboratory in Santa Cruz, California. Touching, enlightening, and ultimately inspiring, it's a story filled with drama, humor, and heartbreak - one that offers breathtaking possibilities and poses crucial questions for anyone who cares about the future of the dolphins ... and of the planet itself.

In "Listening to Whales, Alexandra Morton shares spellbinding stories about her career in whale and dolphin research and what she has learned from and about these magnificent mammals. In the late 1970s, while working at Marineland in California, Alexandra pioneered the recording of orca sounds by dropping a hydrophone into the tank of two killer whales. She recorded the varied language of mating, childbirth, and even grief after the birth of a stillborn calf. At the same time she made the startling observation that the whales were inventing wonderful synchronized movements, a behavior that was soon recognized as a defining characteristic of orca society.
In 1984, Alexandra moved to a remote bay in British Columbia to continue her research with wild orcas. Her recordings of the whales have led her to a deeper understanding of the mystery of whale echolocation, the vocal communication that enables the mammals to find their way in the dark sea. A fascinating study of the profound communion between humans and whales, this book will open your eyes anew to the wonders of the natural world.

Polar Oceanography is an integrated synthesis of the biological, physical, geological, and chemical processes that occur in the polar oceans. The book represents the first modern interdisciplinary synthesis of this field.

Situated at the tip of the continent, southern Africa has a coastline that has excited marine biologists and oceanographers for generations. Much research has been undertaken and many South African marine scientists have won international acclaim. The aim of this book is to communicate to a wide audience the excitement of marine biology and the stimulation of recent discoveries. Key features of this book include a glossary of terms, a bibliography of key references, appendices on the classification of animals and plants together with current regulations governing their collection, and a comprehensive index.

Jellyfish are, like the mythical Medusa, both beautiful and potentially dangerous. Found from pole to tropic, these mesmeric creatures form an important part of the sea's plankton and vary in size from the gigantic to the minute. Perceived as alien creatures and seen as best avoided, jellyfish nevertheless have the power to fascinate: with the sheer beauty of their translucent bells and long, trailing tentacles; with a mouth that doubles as an anus; and without a head or brain. Drawing upon myth and historical sources as well as modern scientific advances, this book examines our ambiguous relationship with these ancient and yet ill-understood animals, describing their surprisingly complex anatomy, weaponry and habits, and their vital contribution to the ocean's ecosystem.

This field guide illustrates all the fish, corals, invertebrates and plants you are most likely to encounter in less than 15 feet of water in the Caribbean. Humann's photographs are excellent for identification purposes - and the handy size makes it perfect to take along in the boat or to the beach.

Colin Speedie's new book takes us from swashbuckling hunts of giant sharks by reckless individuals with makeshift harpoons, through an age of mass slaughter, to the author's personal shark-tracking adventures in the name of conservation.There are few marine creatures as spectacular as the Basking Shark. At up to 11 metres in length and seven tonnes in weight, this colossal, plankton-feeding fish is one of the largest in the world, second only to the whale shark. Historically, Basking Sharks were a familiar sight in the northern hemisphere - off the coasts of Norway, Scotland, Ireland, Canada and the USA, for example. In an 18th Century world without electricity, they became the focus of active hunting for their huge livers containing large amounts of valuable oil, primarily used in lamps.Catch numbers were small enough to leave populations largely intact, but during the 20th Century a new breed of hunter joined the fray, some driven as much by a need for adventure as for financial gain. With improved equipment and experience, they exploited the shark on an industrial scale that drastically reduced numbers, leading to localised near-extinction in some areas.From the 1970's onward a new generation took to the seas, this time with conservation in mind to identify where the shark might still be found in the waters around the British Isles, employing new technologies to solve long-standing mysteries about the behaviour of this elusive creature. Using the best of both old and new research techniques, the case was built to justify the species becoming one of the most protected sharks in the oceans.Today, the Basking Shark is a much-loved cornerstone of our natural heritage. There are positive signs that the population has stabilised and may even be slowly recovering from the damage of the past, proving that timely conservation measures can be effective.Join us on a journey amidst wild seas, places, people and conservation history in the battle to protect this iconic creature - a true sea monster's tale.

The waters around Australia, the world s smallest continent, are home to the greatest diversity of sharks and rays on Earth. Fully 100 of these sea creatures (along with their little-known relatives, the chimaerids) have been named or described since the first edition of this book the biggest revision of the Class Chondrichthyes since the time of Linneaus. This second edition of "Sharks and Rays of Australia" brings more than 300 of these species to life in newly commissioned, full-color illustrations.

Here, in precisely painted detail, are the weird silvery ghost shark and the remarkably camouflaged ornate wobbegong; spurdogs and swell sharks; the primitive frilled shark and the blacktip, a fast swimmer capable of leaping out of the water like a dolphin. Peter Last and John Stevens review the major shake-ups in the elasmobranch family tree sorting out, for instance, dogfishes and skates and include updated family keys, the latest information about species ranges, and new distribution maps. Extensively revised species descriptions reflect additional fisheries and newly gleaned life history and biological information all essential to conservation efforts as sharks die in commercial bycatches and end up on restaurant menus. An essential tool for conservation biologists trying to save threatened sharks, now under siege worldwide, this marvelous volume will also appeal to fish biologists, divers, naturalists, commercial and recreational fishermen, and anyone with an appreciation for these ancient evolutionary survivors.

This richly illustrated book serves as the ideal guide to the items that litter the world's beaches. Forget sea shells and other fauna and flora. Here, you will find what a beachcomber is actually most likely to encounter these days: glass, plastic, wood, metal, paper, oil, and other sources of marine pollution! Complete with nearly 700 photographs, this guide shows the full range of marine debris items, each presented with insight and a pinch of humor. In addition, the author provides full details about these items. You will learn everything worth knowing about them. This includes not just their sources and decomposition stages. Discover the threat each item poses to these beautiful environments as well as prevention strategies, clean-up recommendations, alternative products, and recycling and upcycling ideas. Beyond the aesthetic issue, marine debris poses a threat to wildlife, human health, and economic welfare. This book arms you with the knowledge you need to combat these disgraceful and often hazardous eyesores. Become a beach detective! Travel the world's most beloved tourist destinations with this ultimate beach read and help restore these fascinating environments to their natural beauty.