From Monsoons to Microbes - Understanding the Ocean's Role in Human Health (Hardcover)

What can sharks teach us about our immune system? What can horseshoe crabs show us about eyesight? The more we learn about the ocean, the more we realize how critical these vast bodies of water are to our health and well-being. Sometimes the ocean helps us, as when a marine organism yields a new medical treatment. At other times, the ocean poses the threat of coastal storm surges or toxic algal blooms. From Monsoons to Microbes offers a deeper look into the oceans that surround us, often nurturing yet sometimes harming humankind. This book explores the links among physical oceanography, public health, epidemiology, marine biology, and medicine in understanding what the ocean has to offer. It will help readers grasp such important points as: How the ocean's sweeping physical processes create long-term phenomena such as El Nino and short-term disastrous events such as tsunamis?including what communities can do to prepare. What medicines and nutritional products have come from the ocean and what the prospects are for more such discoveries. How estuaries work?where salt and fresh water meet?and what can go wrong, as in the 7,000 square mile "dead zone" at the out-flow of the Mississippi River. How the growing demand for seafood and the expansion of ocean-going transport has increased our exposure to infectious agents?and how these agents can be tracked down and fought. Why "red tides" of toxic algae suddenly appear in previously unaffected coastal areas, and what happens when algal toxins find their way into our food supply or the air we breathe. The book recommends ways we can implement exciting new technologies to monitor the physics, chemistry, and biology of the ocean to recognize change as it happens. From the impact of worldwide atmospheric warming to the significance of exotic bacteria from submarine hydrothermal vents, the ocean has many depths left to explore. Table of Contents Front Matter Executive Summary Introduction 1 Climate and Weather, Coastal Hazards, and Public Health 2 Oceans and Infectious Diseases 3 Harmful Algal Blooms 4 Marine-Derived Pharmaceuticals and Related Bioactive Agents 5 Marine Organisms as Models for Biomedical Research Literature Cited Appendix A: Committee Biographies Appendix B: Acronyms and Abbreviations Appendix C: Workshop Program Index Color Plates

General

Imprint:	National Academies Press
Country of origin:	United States
Release date:	June 1999
First published:	May 1999
Authors:	National Research Council • Commission on Geosciences, Environment and Resources • Ocean Studies Board • Committee on the Ocean's Role in Human Health
Dimensions:	229 x 152 x 17mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Hardcover
Pages:	160
ISBN-13:	978-0-309-06569-6
Categories:	Books > Medicine > General Books > Earth & environment > Earth sciences > The hydrosphere > Oceanography (seas) Books > Sport & Leisure > Natural history, country life & pets > Wild animals > Aquatic creatures > Sea & seashore life
LSN:	0-309-06569-0
Barcode:	9780309065696

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