Carson's writing teems with stunning, memorable images--the newly formed Earth cooling beneath an endlessly overcast sky; the centuries of nonstop rain that created the oceans; giant squids battling sperm whales hundreds of fathoms below the surface; and incredibly powerful tides moving 100 billion tons of water daily in the Bay of Fundy. Quite simply, she captures the mystery and allure of the ocean with a compelling blend of imagination and expertise....

""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...

For centuries mariners have spun tales of gargantuan waves, 100 feet high or taller. Until recently scientists dismissed these stories--waves that high would seem to violate the laws of physics. But in the past few decades, as a startling number of ships have vanished and new evidence has emerged, oceanographers realized something scary was brewing in the planet's waters. They found their proof in February 2000, when a British research vessel was...

"For thousands of years, people found rocks that they thought were giant dragon tongues which had fallen from the sky. However, they were looking in the wrong direction. These rocks were actually fossils that came from a massive ancient shark. What other maga-cool, maga-sized creatures swam in the ancient seas?"--Back cover.

"Part of the nonfiction Orca Footprints series for middle readers, with color photographs throughout. Find out why the ocean matters, why it is an amazing place and what you can do to keep it that way."--

"While on assignment in Greece, journalist James Nestor witnessed something that confounded him: a man diving 300 feet below the ocean's surface on a single breath of air and returning four minutes later, unharmed and smiling. This man was a freediver, and his amphibious abilities inspired Nestor to seek out the secrets of this little-known discipline. In Deep, Nestor embeds with a gang of extreme athletes and renegade researchers who are transforming...

"Humans use machines to explore the ocean-from snorkel gear to submersibles - and they ask, 'How deep can we dive?'" --