{"product_id":"the-brilliant-abyss-exploring-the-majestic-hidden-life-of-the-deep-ocean-and-the-looming-threat-that-imperils-it","title":"The Brilliant Abyss: Exploring the Majestic Hidden Life of the Deep Ocean, and the Looming Threat That Imperils It","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA 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.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"The oceans have always shaped human lives,\" writes marine biologist Helen Scales in her vibrant new book \u003ci\u003eThe Brilliant Abyss\u003c\/i\u003e, 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.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEloquently 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. \u003ci\u003eThe Brilliant Abyss\u003c\/i\u003e is at once a revelation and a clarion call to preserve this vast unseen world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNamed a Globe 100 Book by the\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eGlobe and Mail\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNamed a Best Science Book of the Year by\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eThe Brilliant Abyss\u003c\/i\u003e, Helen Scales's sweeping survey of the seafloor, is brave enough to risk a darker and, in some ways, more satisfying tone . . . Scales's great gift is for transmuting our awe at the wonders of the deep sea into a kind of quiet rage that they could soon be no more . . . She urges us to err on the side of preservation: no deep-sea mining, fishing, oil drilling or extraction of any kind. The deep, she argues, is too vulnerable, and too crucial to the working of the planet to blindly ransack.\"\u003cb\u003e--Robert Moor,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e(cover review)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Written by a highly articulate expert in the field, [\u003ci\u003eThe Brilliant Abyss\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eis] so comprehensive and insightful that it will be a long time before it's surpassed . . . In the first half of her book, Scales does an excellent job of animating the almost unbelievable panoply of life in the deep. As an explorer herself, she has seen things first-hand that few others will ever witness. But it is the second part of her book, devoted to the human impacts on the abyss, which brought gasps to my throat . . . It is hard to imagine a more timely or important book than\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Brilliant Abyss\u003c\/i\u003e. Carefully conceived and luminously written, it is certain to be a bestseller, which gives me hope that its urgent message might help save the world.\"\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e--Tim Flannery,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew Statesman\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Fascinating . . . The book's purview is technically all of history, but the incredible paucity of interaction people have had with the deep sea means that most of the information here takes the form of news delivered as a dire, last-minute warning . . .\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Brilliant Abyss\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eis a manifesto for change as much as it is a description of an ecological crisis. Its overall effect is not to clarify the waters . . . but to insist that what's already down there matters, even or especially when it is hidden from our view.\"\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e--Jo Livingstone,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew Republic\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Vivid . . . [Outlines] some of the staggering biological creatures that have already been uncovered--with the promise that many more await discovery . . . Stylish, eloquent . . . Enthralling and richly expressed and highlights how closely our lives depend on the deep.\"\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e--Robin McKie,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eGuardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"An exploration of the deep sea's biodiversity and the threats it faces . . . The author lucidly explains not only the geological contours of the deep but also the animals that inhabit it . . . Scales bids us to think of the deep not merely as a place to exploit for resources, but as a wondrous abode that we are compelled to protect--a precious realm that we should all care about.\"\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e--Benjamin Shull,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eChristian Science Monitor\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"[Scales] has an astonishingly big, profoundly important story to tell and wisely gives it the pace and care it deserves . . . Extraordinary . . . It's all so marvellous, astonishing, remarkable and compelling that readers can't help but embrace Scales's vision of a majestic and mysterious world mostly unsullied by humans . . . An important, powerful and hypnotizing tale of the deep, one that can't be recommended enough . . . Scales is a brilliant writer.\"\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e--Gerald Flood,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eWinnipeg Free Press\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"In\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Brilliant Abyss\u003c\/i\u003e, Helen Scales, a marine biologist whose previous books explored the shallower reaches of the sea, dives deep and revealingly into the realm below.\"\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eEconomist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"In\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Brilliant Abyss\u003c\/i\u003e, the erudite Helen Scales explains why the ocean is so important and valuable an asset to our planet and to our survival . . . Part of protecting the oceans involves fighting climate change. Scales joins activists around the world in demanding that the way the world does business has to change . . . If we do it the right way, Scales suggests that we will also be able to preserve the oceans as sanctuaries filled with wonder and beauty.\"\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e--Ed Meek,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eArts Fuse\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"An investigative foray into the world of deep-sea waters with a veteran marine biologist . . . [A] beguiling journey into the ocean's deep, a wondrous landscape full of mystery and adventure . . . Scales offers crisp, engaging prose, linking everything together in an accessible, entertaining manner. With plenty of scientific research to back her up, the author displays legitimate concerns about a wide variety of maladies . . . A captivating nature tour and a convincing warning that 'the deep needs decisive, unconditional protection.'\"\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e(starred review)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Marine biologist Scales tours the lightless depths of the ocean and showcases its denizens in this show-stopping work . . . This vivid survey hits the mark as an awe-filled paean to the mysteries of the deep.\"\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e(starred review)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Marine biologist Scales takes readers into the deep sea in this vivid and luminous title. With occasional forays into history, including Ernst Haeckel's illustrative work on sea creatures, and references to\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eMoby-Dick\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eand whaling, Scales writes of the astonishingly small group of scientists who explore the ocean's greatest depths . . . It is the author's lush descriptive language and the breadth of her knowledge that truly stand out . . . The questions, Scales insists in this compelling title, should not be so much what the deep can do for us (feed us, cure us, save us), but rather what we must be willing to do for the oceans and every wondrous thing that lives there, given that our very existence depends on the health of the planet's seas.\"\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e(starred review)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Scales introduces readers to the deep ocean, which begins where photosynthesis stops, 660 feet below the surface. Humans have interacted almost exclusively with the ocean's surface and edges, but the deep comprises far more of the ocean's volume and is likely more vital to the continuation of life on earth, Scales writes . . . A fascinating international glimpse of Earth's last frontier that will draw in readers concerned for the health of our oceans.\"\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e(starred review)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Thanks to modern technology, especially unmanned submersibles, abyssal research is experiencing a golden age. Helen Scales, a marine biologist who is also a gifted storyteller, takes the reader on several expeditions that rely on these devices, and describes the bizarre life forms that have recently come to light.\"\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eNatural History Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eHelen Scales, PhD\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, is a marine biologist, writer, and public broadcaster. She is the author of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eSpirals in Time: The Secret Life and Curious Afterlife of Seashells\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eEye of the Shoal: A Fishwatcher's Guide to Life, the Ocean, and Everything\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. She has written for \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eNational Geographic\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eGuardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew Scientist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eBBC Wildlife Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eBBC FocusEarth Unscrewed\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e podcast. She teaches marine biology and science writing at Cambridge University and advises the marine conservation charity Sea Changers. She divides her time between Cambridge, England, and the French coast of Finistère.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAtlantic Monthly Press\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePub Date: \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e June 14, 2022\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eISBN: \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e9780802158239\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e304 pages\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003epaperback\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"IPS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45577251487930,"sku":"9780802158239","price":17.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0444\/2213\/5968\/files\/imageloader_677c5364-173b-4b62-b5cc-2a7cf2ee47d6.jpg?v=1770847774","url":"https:\/\/naturenurture.shop\/products\/the-brilliant-abyss-exploring-the-majestic-hidden-life-of-the-deep-ocean-and-the-looming-threat-that-imperils-it","provider":"nature+nurture","version":"1.0","type":"link"}