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mapping the deep

by robert kunzig

Meticulously researched and elegantly written, this book answers questions about the ocean I didn’t even know I had . . . anyone who loves the sea should read this book. SEBASTIAN JUNGER, AUTHOR OF THE PERFECT STORM

Winner, Aventis Science Book of the Year

The scientific exploration of the ocean is an extraordinary story. Hundreds have climbed Everest yet only two people have descended, in a homespun ‘bathyscaphe’, to the very depths of the deepest sea chasm. Amazing oases teeming with life have been found in deep sea volcanic vents but we have hardly begun to identify their resident species. We know that sea currents control our climate but we don’t know how. Ocean scientists are pretty sure that we could reverse the greenhouse effect by manipulating plankton blooms with doses of iron .. but fear we might trigger an ice age in the act.

Mapping the Deep is a state-of-the-ocean report on the sea and its science. After amazing you at how little you know of the ocean, Kunzig swiftly draws you into a compelling narrative of oceanographers past and present – scientists, pioneers, maverick thinkers, deep water divers and submersible pilots. Like all the best science books, this is a hugely informative page-turner that confirms Robert Kunzig’s position in the top rank of popular science writers.

Reviews

“Robert Kunzig has an epic saga to tell and he does it with flair and an infectious excitement.” Maggie Gee, Daily Telegraph

“An exhaustive and enthralling trawl of the ocean floor.” The Sunday Times

“Kunzig values a good metaphor and knows how to tell his story in human terms … a strange but rewarding poolside read for those unafraid of the deep end.” Simon Garfield, The Financial Times

‘Every popular science writer tries to bring new worlds into view; Kunzig’s is especially compelling because his new world is so strange, yet so firmly linked to our own.” The Guardian

“This is a book that immediately surfaces to the top of the list of journalistic treatments of oceanography. Just when it seems Kunzig has told us everything interesting or significant, he dredges up more submerged gems.” Richard Strickland, American Scientist