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Until a few decades ago, the ocean depths were almost as mysterious
and inaccessible as outer space. Oceans cover two-thirds of the
earth's surface with an average depth of more than two miles--yet
humans had never ventured more than a few hundred feet below the
waves. One of the great scientific and archaeological feats of our
time has been finally to cast light on the "eternal darkness" of
the deep sea. This is the story of that achievement, told by the
man who has done more than any other to make it possible: Robert
Ballard. Ballard discovered the wreck of the Titanic. He led the
teams that discovered hydrothermal vents and "black
smokers"--cracks in the ocean floor where springs of superheated
water support some of the strangest life-forms on the planet. He
was a diver on the team that explored the mid-Atlantic ridge for
the first time, confirming the theory of plate tectonics. Today,
using a nuclear submarine from the U.S. Navy, he's exploring the
ancient trade routes of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea for the
remains of historic vessels and their cargo. In this book, he
combines science, history, spectacular illustrations, and
first-hand stories from his own expeditions in a uniquely personal
account of how twentieth-century explorers have pushed back the
frontiers of technology to take us into the midst of a world we
could once only guess at. Ballard begins in 1930 with William Beebe
and Otis Barton, pioneers of the ocean depths who made the world's
first deep-sea dives in a cramped steel sphere. He introduces us to
Auguste and Jacques Piccard, whose "Bathyscaph"descended in 1960 to
the lowest point on the ocean floor. He reviews the celebrated
advances made by Jacques Cousteau. He describes his own major
discoveries--from sea-floor spreading to black smokers--as well as
his technical breakthroughs, including the development of
remote-operated underwater vehicles and the revolutionary search
techniques that led to the discovery and exploration of the
Titanic, the Nazi battleship Bismarck, ancient trading vessels, and
other great ships. Readers will come away with a richer
understanding of history, earth science, biology, and marine
technology--and a new appreciation for the remarkable men and women
who have explored some of the most remote and fascinating places on
the planet.
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Owl Poems (Paperback)
Zach Hively
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R347
R280
Discovery Miles 2 800
Save R67 (19%)
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Ships in 10 - 15 working days
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Wild Expectations
Zach Hively; Photographs by Magdalena Lily Mccarson
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R562
R458
Discovery Miles 4 580
Save R104 (19%)
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