"The Blue Planet - Seas of Life"!

books:


	• Blue Planet DK Publishing, Alastair Fothergill, ... DK ADULT, 2002 - 384 pages average customer review:based on 12 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

"The Blue Planet - Seas of Life"!

The Blue Planet - Seas of Life is the companion book to the BBC documentary of the same name. As has been mentioned in earlier reviews, the photography is stunning. The book is very concise, easy to follow (although at times it can get a little technical) and really, just fun to read.

Seeing as how it's the companion book to the series, it has a lot of shared information and is quite similar. Still, there is plenty of new information not mentioned in the series. There are, though, a few differences in the order of programs from the series and chapters from the book...

Programs:

1. OCEAN WORLD

2. FROZEN SEAS

3. OPEN OCEAN

4. THE DEEP

5. SEASONAL SEAS

6. CORAL SEAS

7. TIDAL SEAS

8. COASTS

Chapters:

1. THE WATER PLANET: With water generally so available to us at the turn of a tap, it is easy to forget how essential it is for life on Earth. Water, collected in the great ocean basins, regulates the planet's temperature and climate as well as providing numerous habitats for plant and animal life.

2. LIFE ON THE EDGE: Around the borders of the ocean, where the land meets the sea, lie some of the most challenging of the ocean habitats. From sandy beaches to rocky shores and river estuaries, waves and weather constantly erode coastal areas. While many creatures come here to breed, there are few permanent residents. Those that do live here must be hardy and adaptable enough to survive the daily ebb and flow of the tides, which transform their habitat on a daily basis.

3. TROPICAL SEAS: The warm waters of the tropics are relatively poor in nutrients and oxygen, making substantial stretches of the shallows somewhat barren. However, in certain areas, where conditions are favourable, seagrass beds, mangroves and the most diverse marine communities of all - coral reefs - can be found. The efficient recycling of nutrients in these habitats allows them to flourish.

4. TEMPERATE SEAS: The green, algae-rich waters of the world's temperate zones are some of the most productive on the planet. These intensely seasonal areas see an annual cycle of boom and bust that depends upon the plankton: a bounty for which many animals will migrate thousands of miles to harvest. These waters are also home to most of the world's seaweed and the underwater cliffs are festooned with invertebrates that are as colorful as any coral reef.

5. FROZEN SEAS: The perimeters of the frozen seas of the Arctic and Antarctic attract surprising numbers of birds, seals and whales. But most of these migrate away as the annual sea ice forms in autumn; only a handful remain to cope with the rigours of a polar winter.

6. THE OPEN OCEAN: Much of this seemingly limitless wilderness is a virtual desert, yet in the right conditions life explodes into intense productivity. This is a world in perpetual motion: plankton engage in an incessant daily migration from the dark depths to the surface and back, and many of the most powerful marine predators cruise these shelterless seas in search of prey. But simply finding food is not enough: somehow each species must ensure the survival of their offspring in this most unforgiving of habitats.

7. THE DEEP: Below 150 m (492 feet), where there is no longer enough light for photosynthesis, the deep ocean begins. By far the largest habitat for life on Earth, it is also the one about which we know least, since the enormous pressures and perpetual darkness make exploration extremely difficult. Until very recently thought to be barren, we now know that in these inhospitable waters lives a rich variety of extraordinary creatures that have adapted in a variety of ways for life in this challenging environment.

A great companion book to the series (can also work as a stand-alone volume) is well worth the time it takes to read it, (and it does take a while, seeing as how there's 380+ pages) highly recommended!

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Great Book

Got this for my 7 year son who loves anything to do with whales and the ocean. Great pictures and interesting facts. It is a beautiful book.

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The Book of the Ocean

This was a very good book and it goes great with the Blue Planet video series. Ocean creatures are amazing. I bet you'll at least find at least one thing in this book you have never known before. If you love the ocean and want to know what's in it, this will be an excellent book to read.

Beautiful Book

I bought this book for my 9-year-old daughter when she wanted to learn more about the ocean. It's a very beautiful book with amazing pictures.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3

"From space, Planet Earth is blue. It floats like a jewel in the inky black void. The reflection of the sun's light from the vast expanse of water covering its surface creates it gemlike blue color. In the entire solar system, Earth is the only planet that has water in liquid form in such quantities." Scientist have calculated that 70 percent of our planet is covered by water; small wonder that the human being shave always been so fascinated by the oceans and what lies beneath. Today, while we still have so much more of the ocean realm to uncover, we have discovered enough to know that beneath the waves lies a vast treasure-trove of rich and diverse life. Accompanying the television series of the same name, The Blue Planet leads up on a voyage of exploration from the coasts, the very edges of the oceans, to the deep where weird and monstrous fish lurk in a world of perpetual darkness. Along the way we are introduced to a whole host of wonderful creatures -- from tiny copepods to majestic blue whales, and from the grotesque hairy anglerfish, to the amazing tripod fish that stands on its three delicate legs waiting to snap up unsuspecting prey. Complete with a foreword by Sir David Attenborough and 400 full-color photographs, The Blue Planet is the first complete and comprehensive portrait of the whole ocean system.

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