ECU Libraries Catalog

The blue machine : how the ocean works / Helen Czerski.

Author/creator Czerski, Helen, 1978- author.
Included WorkCzerski, Helen, 1978- Blue machine : how the ocean shapes our world.
Format Book and Print
EditionFirst American edition.
Publication Info New York, NY : W.W. Norton & Company, 2023.
Copyright Notice ©2023
Description446 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
Subject(s)
Contents Introduction -- Part one: What is the blue machine? The nature of the sea -- The shape of seawater -- The anatomy of the ocean -- Part two: Travelling the blue machine. Messengers -- Passengers -- Voyagers -- Part three: The blue machine and us. Future.
Abstract "All of Earth's oceans, from the equator to the poles, are a single engine powered by sunlight, driving huge flows of energy, water, life, and raw materials. In The Blue Machine, physicist and oceanographer Helen Czerski illustrates the mechanisms behind this defining feature of our planet, voyaging from the depths of the ocean floor to tropical coral reefs, estuaries that feed into shallow coastal seas, and Arctic ice floes. Through stories of history, culture, and animals, she explains how water temperature, salinity, gravity, and the movement of Earth's tectonic plates all interact in a complex dance, supporting life at the smallest scale--plankton--and the largest--giant sea turtles, whales, humankind. From the ancient Polynesians who navigated the Pacific by reading the waves, to permanent residents of the deep such as the Greenland shark that can live for hundreds of years, she introduces the messengers, passengers, and voyagers that rely on interlinked systems of vast currents, invisible ocean walls, and underwater waterfalls. Most important, however, Czerski reveals that while the ocean engine has sustained us for thousands of years, today it is faced with urgent threats. By understanding how the ocean works, and its essential role in our global system, we can learn how to protect our blue machine. Timely, elegant, and passionately argued, The Blue Machine presents a fresh perspective on what it means to be a citizen of an ocean planet"-- Amazon.com.
General note"Originally published in 2023 in Great Britain by Torva, an imprint of Transworld Publishers, as The Blue Machine: How the Ocean Shapes Our World"--Title page verso.
Bibliography noteIncludes bibliographical references (pages 393-433) and index.
Genre/formInformational works.
ISBN9781324006718 (hardcover)
ISBN1324006714 (hardcover)

Available Items

Library Location Call Number Status Item Actions
Joyner General Stacks GC11.2 .C94 2023 ✔ Available Place Hold