Book Review: David Attenborough takes readers to ‘Earth's Last Wilderness' in ‘Ocean'
'Ocean' is the complementary book to a National Geographic film of the same name available on the Disney family of streaming services. It will no doubt be an amazing look at the watery world that makes up two-thirds of this planet's surface and '99% of its habitable area.' But if you don't want to wait for the main course -— Attenborough's dulcet tones narrating over stunning high-definition images from the deep blue — the book serves as a fine appetizer.
Covering eight unique salt-water habitats, 'Ocean' transports readers to coral reefs, the deep, open ocean, kelp forests, the Arctic, mangroves, oceanic islands and seamounts, and the Southern Ocean. Attenborough begins each chapter with a story from his lifetime of exploration, including his first scuba dive in 1957. ('I was so taken aback by the spectacle before me that I momentarily forgot to breathe.') Butfield picks up the baton from there, offering a wealth of scientific facts and history about each habitat.
Trivia buffs or people who just like to learn new stuff will delight in all the data. The end of each chapter can prompt a fun game of 'Did You Know?' with friends and family. For example: The average depth of the ocean is 3,500 meters (11,483 feet), phytoplankton absorb 40% of the carbon monoxide produced by human activity, and a blue whale's tongue weighs two tons.
Despite detailing the impact of global warming throughout the ocean ecosystem, the book is not all doom and gloom. The authors present a case study in hope near the end of most chapters, like the coral reefs of Cabo Pulmo, off the coast of Baja California. Once teeming with life, unrestricted commercial fishing decimated the region in the 1980s. But after a local fisherman teamed up with a marine professor to convince the Mexican government to declare a no-fishing zone and create a marine preserve, Cabo Pulmo recovered over the next decade, a sign, they write, that 'simply leaving parts of the ocean alone creates the capacity for it to regenerate.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Scientists stunned by what they saw during 2-week Arctic expedition: 'Shocking and surreal'
Scientists stunned by what they saw during 2-week Arctic expedition: 'Shocking and surreal' Thanks to poor weather conditions, a group of researchers was unable to do much of its planned work during a two-week Arctic study. But that revealed something potentially much more important about our warming planet. What's happening? This February, a research team from London's Queen Mary University was attempting to study fresh snowfall in the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard. But as Meteored reported, most of the precipitation during their two-week stay was rain, meaning they could only gather fresh snow one time. That warmer-than-expected weather made researchers rethink the feasibility of not just their work, but any Arctic research that relies upon freezing temperatures. "Standing in pools of water at the snout of the glacier, or on bare, green tundra, was shocking and surreal," researcher James Bradley told Meteored. "The thick snowpack covering the landscape vanished within days. The gear I packed felt like a relic from another climate." Instead of their planned study, the researchers wrote about the effects of warming temperatures on Svalbard and the Arctic as a whole, with their work appearing in the journal Nature Communications. "Winter warming in the Arctic has long reached melting point and is reshaping Arctic landscapes," the authors wrote. "These winter warming events are seen by many as anomalies, but this is the new Arctic." Why are rising temperatures important? Changing weather events, including extreme heat and rain, are just one of the many effects of warming temperatures worldwide. And those rising temperatures, scientists agree, are a direct result of toxic, heat-trapping gases being released into our atmosphere. Nowhere is this more evident than the Arctic. As this study notes, Svalbard is warming at a rate nearly seven times higher than the global average, and rain is projected to surpass snow as the Arctic's primary form of precipitation before the end of this century. And although the Arctic seems so far away, the effects of rising temperatures there are felt across the globe. Melting glaciers and ice caps have been a driving force in the rise of sea levels worldwide. Since 1993, oceans have risen by an average of four inches, and the rate at which they rise has more than doubled. This rise not only changes life for marine wildlife, but also could eventually put coastal towns at risk of washing away. Do you think your city has good air quality? Definitely Somewhat Depends on the time of year Not at all Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. What can I do about rising temperatures? Reversing our planet's warming will take a global effort, such as the one outlined within the Paris Agreement. But for everyone, that effort begins at home. Taking seemingly small steps, like using less plastic or walking to more places, can make a big difference. And those ready to take a bigger plunge may want to consider upgrading their appliances or HVAC systems to eco-friendly models. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
Local residents develop ranches of unusual species to revive coral reefs: 'We've raised thousands'
Local residents develop ranches of unusual species to revive coral reefs: 'We've raised thousands' It might look like a pickle or simply a brownish lump, but don't let the unassuming appearance of a sea cucumber fool you. For the coastal ecosystems of the Philippines, the cucumbers are critical for marine life, local economies, and food supplies. But overfishing in the 1970s and '80s depleted their populations, throwing entire ecosystems out of whack well into the 2000s. To address the problem, an unlikely fleet of heroes has arisen with the development of sea cucumber ranches, the BBC reported. These ranches serve as nurseries and breeding grounds for the marine species from larval through mature ages. For perspective, the daily catch per person in the small town of Bolinao was up to 220 pounds a day in the 1980s. By 2002, that had plummeted to fewer than 6 pounds. "When I was a child, I used to see loads of them, but now that I'm older, they've become so little," said Aweng Caasi, a 61-year-old widow and one of the key ranchers and guardians of the sea cucumbers in Bolinao. "We want to restore them so they can multiply." The cucumbers are eaten for food and used in medicine, but they provide even more value in their natural environment. They're often nicknamed the janitors of the sea, cleaning up the seafloor by munching on bacteria and decaying organic matter. This recycles beneficial nutrients into the environment, making waters more hospitable to a variety of fish species. They were even found to be linked to lower disease rates among corals, according to a study published in the journal Nature Communications. Humans benefit tremendously from a healthier marine environment, too. In Bolinao, the reef provides protection from storms, fish to sell and eat, and a major draw for tourists. "This is a big help for us fisherfolk," Gemma Candelario told BBC. Gemma and Marivic Carolino raise mangroves near Bolinao, and they began monitoring and guarding sea cucumbers in their area in 2022. Do you think America does a good job of protecting its natural beauty? Definitely Only in some areas No way I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. "The sea cucumbers would eat waste [cleaning the ecosystem] so that's why more fish would appear. Some fish would lay eggs in our mangroves and other animals would appear such as crabs and shrimp." The program is mostly managed by women and children, who raise the cucumbers in hatchery tanks at the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute (UPMSI) before transferring them to the ranches. There, they guard their protected areas against poachers. Aweng Caasi, for example, regularly spends hours at a time sitting in a wooden hut over Bolinao's waters. The program has been tremendously successful; in its first 19 months, the local sea cucumber population grew more than 13 times its original size, from 400 individuals in 2007 to over 5,500 in 2009. "It makes me happy to see the ones I've cared for grow bigger, and to see more of them," Candelario said. "We've raised thousands and we see them clearly during the monitoring period. I can't help but be glad to see how many they've grown to become." Following its remarkable success, the provincial government approved an ordinance in January to officially declare several of the dedicated areas as protected sea cucumber reserves. The law also prohibited harvesting or trading sea cucumbers below a certain weight to maintain mature reproductive populations. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Yahoo
Experts thrilled after capturing footage of massive ocean creature in unexpected location: 'This is a really exciting spot'
Experts thrilled after capturing footage of massive ocean creature in unexpected location: 'This is a really exciting spot' A rare humpback whale was spotted off the British coast of Kent, according to the BBC. The sighting was reported to the Kent Dolphin Project, which solicits local footage of whales, porpoises, and dolphins to monitor population health. Volunteers were quite excited by the find. Humpback whales were previously endangered, but conservation efforts have helped populations rebound. There have been other recent sightings of humpbacks in Cornwall and Sussex (you can see footage of this particular sighting here, via the BBC). Humpback whales serve a vital purpose in oceanic ecosystems. As predators, they keep prey populations like krill in check. The waste they produce feeds phytoplankton, which serve a vital role in sequestering carbon. Whales themselves are so massive that their bodies sequester a significant amount of carbon. That carbon can stay locked below the waves when they die and sink to the ocean floor. While the sighting is good news, some threats linger. Ghost netting continues to be a threat to humpbacks in the area. Warming surface temperatures are disorienting them. Ship strikes cause a lot of harm. The Kent Wildlife Trust is using the fresh sighting to fight plans to install new undersea cabling. The Sea Link project will, on the one hand, help transmit low-emission energy from production to the British public. Similar UK projects have aimed to connect growing wind power to the grid. On the other hand, the cables may interfere with wildlife such as humpback whales and dolphins that traverse the area. Activists remained excited about the sighting of the humpback whale in Kent. It could prove the growing health of the lengthy Atlantic migration routes. "This is a really exciting spot," said Max Renton from Adonis Blue Environmental Consultants on the footage. "While it's not yet possible to confirm whether these are the same individuals, sightings like these highlight the importance of ongoing efforts to understand and protect our marine life." Do you think America has a plastic waste problem? Definitely Only in some areas Not really I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. Solve the daily Crossword
