Ocean Exploration and Science

Broad, William J. 1997. The Universe Below: Discovering the Secrets of the Deep Sea. New York: Touchstone. Broad tells the stories of ocean exploration starting with the central role of the Navy and US Intelligence agencies, shifting then to the black smokers, the Titanic, searching for sunken gold, the Monterrey canyon, radioactive waste disposal, the ATOC experiment, and more. The Universe Below shows how, with the advancement of technology, comes the discovery of new oceanographic knowledge.

Earle, Sylvia. 1996. Sea Change: A Message of the Oceans. Fawcett Books. Earle is a well-known marine biologist and advocate for the marine environment. In Sea Change she relays her experiences as one of the few women in the field of marine science and of conducting undersea research, having spent 6,000 hours underwater over the last three decades. She describes the advances of marine science and human impacts to the marine environment. Sea Change will be of interest to those interested in marine biology, ocean exploration, and marine conservation from Earle’s personal perspective, rather than from a textbook.

Field, J.G, G. Hempel, and C.P. Summerhayes. 2002. Oceans 2020: Science, Trends, and the Challenge of Sustainability. Island Press. This book presents a comprehensive assessment of the most important scientific and societal issues that are likely to arise in marine science and ocean management in the next twenty years. In it, the world's leading ocean scientists and researchers analyze the state of marine science and technology and identify key scientific issues for sustainable development. Specific topics include: climate change, the coastal zone ecosystem, fisheries, science for offshore industries, marine information for shipping and defense, oceanographic instrumentation and technology, and future trends.

Hamilton-Paterson, James. 1998. Three Miles Down: A Hunt for Sunken Treasure. New York: The Lyons Press. Three Miles Down is a chronicle of a voyage on a Russian oceanographic ship seeking to salvage gold from sunken ships. Hamilton-Paterson explores the mix of science, commerce and treasure hunting, and the technologies and specialists who probe the deep sea. He provides a rousing tale of deception, greed, human arrogance, and courage as the international crew combs the ocean's depths, seeking fortune resting on the ocean floor.

Kunzig, Robert. 1999. The Restless Sea: Exploring the World Beneath the Waves. New York: W. W. Norton and Company. The Restless Sea is a compilation of stories about ocean scientists, the important scientific questions they raise, and how they go about searching for answers. Topics include ocean mapping, plate tectonics, deep-sea biology, rift zones, plankton, currents, and more. Kunzig gives detailed explanations of scientific questions, drawing parallels to events and processes familiar to the reader.

**Special thanks to Marc Hershman, Professor at the University of Washington’s School of Marine Affairs (http://www.sma.washington.edu/ ), for sharing a reading list from the SMA 500 course, from which many of these books and summaries were drawn.

 
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