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According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, only 5% of Earth’s oceans has been explored by humans. Despite this astounding desert of knowledge, we still know quite a bit about the bodies of water known as the big drink -- and what makes a better beach read than nonfiction about the liquid depths before you? Check out one of these fascinating books on the briny deep and the secrets it holds.
The Blue Machine: How the Ocean Works by Helen Czerski
If you are looking for an encompassing view of the world’s oceans, start with The Blue Machine. Packed full of research by University College London physicist and oceanographer Helen Czerski, this book covers the impact of tectonic plates to temperature on the ocean and how the faithful rise and fall of water across the seas has sustained the living over the eons. Czerski also examines those who have had interactions with the oceans, from ancient sharks to Polynesians with a look ahead to what we stand to lose if the blue machine’s engine were to fail. Also available as an ebook.
Below the Edge of Darkness: A Memoir of Exploring Light and Life in the Deep Sea by Edith Widder
Studying one of Earth’s most beautiful mysteries, Below the Edge of Darkness looks at bioluminescence. As she examines the unusual phenomenon of light produced by living organisms, oceanographer and marine biologist Edith Widder reflects on her research and the marvelous experience of encountering deep sea bioluminescence. Widder further asks why organisms exhibit light this way while describing the unusual wonders she met under the surface to, much like that of bioluminescence, a dazzling, captivating effect.
Sing Like Fish: How Sound Rules Life Underwater by Amorina Kingdon
What if there was more to the orchestra of the ocean than whalesong? Diving into the world of oceanic acoustics, science writer Amorina Kingdon describes how sound behaves in the deep salty depths of the ocean and the functions of some of those sounds from the wildlife below. Kingdon also explores the impact of human-generated sound on the oceanic environment and its inhabitants, cautioning about the dangers of interference while celebrating the scientific advancements that have allowed us to study this previously unreachable domain.
In Oceans Deep: Courage, Innovation, and Adventure Beneath the Waves by Bill Streever
With an approach that focuses more on the human element of deep sea exploration, In Oceans Deep features divers throughout the ages. From free divers who explore murky depths without equipment to those who pioneered with homemade apparatuses and more, this exciting investigation takes biologist Bill Streever to unusual setting such as shipwrecks while advocating for conservation efforts.
The Brilliant Abyss: Exploring the Majestic Hidden Life of the Deep Ocean and the Looming Threat That Imperils It by Helen Scales
As our undersea exploration abilities expand thanks to the wonders of scientific advancement and engineering, our understanding of the ecosystem of the big drink is reshaped. Marine biologist Helen Scales takes you on a journey of the aquatic creatures and their home in unimaginable depths, explaining how, despite the remote location, the impact on our day-to-day lives on the surface is immense. From influencing the weather to providing the potential for medical treatment improvement byway of yet-to-be-discovered bacteria, the abyss of the ocean presents as a sort of magical trove just waiting to be fully discovered in Scales’s astounding research.
The Deepest Map: The High-Stakes Race to Chart the World’s Oceans by Laura Trethewey
Journalist Laura Trethewey combines the expertise of deep-sea divers, ocean mappers, marine biologists, and adventurers as she charts the history of the contest to document the seafloor. As she profiles the players in the mapping of the deepest ground, Trethewey asks questions about the political and environmental implications of seafloor mapping while appreciating the awe such an endeavor inspires and the awe of the seabed itself.
The Underworld: Journeys to the Depths of the Ocean by Susan Casey
As a writer with multiple books on the ocean and the life within it, Susan Casey brings yet another look at Davy Jones’s locker in The Underworld. This time, she takes readers to the dark, dark deep where she aspires to answer the question, “What’s down there?” With interviews from a variety of those who have come to know these far-flung places most intimately, Casey shares a compelling painting of what lurks thousands of feet below the surface of the glistening waves. Also available as an ebook and as an eaudiobook.
About the Author
Abby is a New-Hampshire-grown Assistant Branch Manager at Southwest Neighborhood Library. In addition to writing book lists for DC Public Library, she's written for Book Riot, School Library Journal, Library Journal, Booklist, and other professional library and bookish publications. She reads broadly, but often enjoys literary young adult fiction, contemporary young adult fiction, and young adult fantasy. She lives in Virginia with her husband and her cat, Oopsilon.