Smithsonian Ocean: Our Water, Our World

by Deborah Cramer

Nobel Prize winner Al Gore wrote of Deborah Cramer's previous book Great Waters , "I urge everyone to read this book, to act on its message, and to pass on its teachings." Now Cramer offers a groundbreaking book for an even more urgent time. Our lives depend on the sea. As gifted science writer Deborah Cramer makes clear in this extraordinary volume, the ocean has been earth's lifeline for more than three and a half billion years. Life began in the scalding inferno of deep-sea hot springs. The first cell, the first plant, and the first animal were all born in the sea. Climate changes wrought by the sea created evolutionary pathways for mammals and gave rise to our human ancestors some 200,000 years ago. The one, interconnected sea still sustains us. Invisible plants in the ocean's sunlit surface give us air to breathe. Rushing currents supply water to the atmosphere's protective greenhouse and rain to dry land. But as Cramer reveals in this sweeping look at earth's biography, the vital partnership between earth and the life it nourishes has recently been disrupted. Today, a single terrestrial species, man, has begun to alter the health of the sea itself. The mark of humans on the seas is now everywhere—from the fertile waters of continental shelves to the icy reaches of the poles, from the dazzling diversity of coral reefs to the porous edge of estuaries. Even the open ocean bears clear traces of our harmful ways. Scientists believe human impact may have already sparked a catastrophic event that could change the sea and the earth the sixth mass planetary extinction on a scale unseen since the demise of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. But unlike the forces that caused previous extinctions, humankind can make a choice. We can choose the mark we wish to make and the legacy we leave behind. Written in the passionate tradition of Rachel Carson, Smithsonian Ocean is at once a book for our time and for the ages. Carson "One way to open your eyes is to ask What if I had never seen this before? What if I knew I would never see it again?" Cramer's powerful and inspiring message is equally a wake-up "We hold earth's life-giving waters—and our future—in our hands." Our lives depend on the sea.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Coffee Table Books

296 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Renae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite frankly alarming how close we are to loosing so many species from this version of earth. We must try harder to love the earth as we’ve found it.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent account of not only the ocean, but the history of our entire planet. The pictures are awesome, and the text is informative yet easy to understand. I highly recommend it.

[Mariah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful and informative!

[Jayce · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a phenomenal read!

Whenever I thought I already knew a good deal about the ocean, Smithsonian Ocean: Our Water, Our World would provide a fact or statistic that would truly blow my mind away. To say that this book was a page-turner would be an understatement. The photographs were stunning, the writing was well crafted, and the message that we are all connected to the ocean, and are all obligated to protect it, could not have been delivered better.

Although this volume was published ten years ago, one could argue that its relevance is even greater now than it has ever been, for the book's discussions on threats faced by coral reefs, polar ice caps, coastlines, etc., remain significant today. Deborah Cramer exemplifies how important it is to address issues the ocean confronts on a daily basis, which is why I highly recommend this book.

If any work should be considered a "must-read" for all ocean lovers, this one would certainly be a good bet :-)

[Drashtivivian24gmail.com · Rating 5 out of 5]

i when to read it

[Jordyn Boettinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great coffee-table book with lots of beautiful and inspiring pictures and quotes.

[Danielle Robertson Robertson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book visually stunning! However, it is so dense with information it felt overwhelming and impenetrable. If I could have THESE pictures with Sylvia Earle's experiences, storytelling, and marine conservation mindfulness, that would be perfect. This book feels too much like history and geology to connect with - it doesn't have a compelling story or soul to keep me engaged throughout the book. This book needs a TED-esque makeover: giving all the data and science a story would really help.