A marine biologist vividly brings alive the extraordinary ecosystem of
the deep ocean--a realm about which we know less than we do about the
Moon--and shows how protecting rather than exploiting it will benefit
mankind.
"The oceans have always shaped human lives," writes marine biologist
Helen Scales in her vibrant new book The Brilliant Abyss, but the
surface and the very edges have so far mattered the most. "However, one
way or another, the future ocean is the deep ocean."
A golden era of deep-sea discovery is underway. Revolutionary studies in
the deep are rewriting the very notion of life on Earth and the rules of
what is possible. In the process, the abyss is being revealed as perhaps
the most amazing part of our planet, with a topography even more varied
and extreme than its Earthbound counterpart. Teeming with unsuspected
life, an extraordinary interconnected ecosystem deep below the waves has
a huge effect on our daily lives, influencing climate and weather
systems, with the potential for much more--good or bad depending on how
it is exploited. Currently the fantastic creatures that live in the
deep--many of them incandescent in a world without light--and its
formations capture and trap vast quantities of carbon that would
otherwise poison our atmosphere; and novel bacteria as yet undiscovered
hold the promise of potent new medicines. Yet the deep also holds huge
mineral riches lusted after by many nations and corporations; mining
them could ultimately devastate the planet, compounded by the deepening
impacts of ubiquitous pollutants and rampant overfishing.
Eloquently and passionately, Helen Scales brings to life the majesty and
mystery of an alien realm that nonetheless sustains us, while urgently
making clear the price we could pay if it is further disrupted. The
Brilliant Abyss is at once a revelation and a clarion call to preserve
this vast unseen world.
