You may have seen the television series Ocean. This book is not the script of that series but an expansion and personal reflections by Attenborough on this vital world-wide environment. Here is a quote from the cover leaf to get you in:
“With the warmth, intelligence and awe that characterise all of David Attenborough’s landmark series, Ocean shows us a world which is both desperately fragile yet astonishingly resilient, with an extraordinary capacity to repair itself. It’s not too late to restore our most vital habitat. If we treat it with respect, our marine world will be even richer and more spectacular than we can imagine.”
The contents of the book are in 3 parts:
Part One: In the Lifetime of a Single Blue Whale
Part Two: Our Ocean World
- Coral Reef
- The Deep
- Open Ocean
- The Deep
- Open Ocean
- Kelp Forest
- Arctic
- Mangroves
- Oceanic Islands and Seamounts
- Southern Ocean
Part Three: In a Single Human Generation
As you can see from the above contents, the book covers all aspects of the marine environment. Attenborough takes each ecosystem and refers to research that is current. He looks at that particular ecosystem and its importance to the marine environment. I was impressed with the depth of research achieved by marine scientists to uncover the dynamics of each part of the ocean environment. Below is a summary the basics of each chapter.
Part One: Lifetime of a Blue Whale
This part goes through the approximate 90 years of a Blue Whale’s life and what has been learned through research in the ocean. It shows the importance of krill populations and how the Blue Whale migrates not only horizontally but also vertically in its ocean environment. Much has been discovered through the research of the Blue Whale’s ocean migratory life.
Part Two: Our Ocean World
Coral Reef
This chapter looks at the Coral reef and the effects of fishing on the reef. Why the reef is both important as a food source and a breeding environment but also how some fishing methods can be harmful to the reef is discussed. As a case study the chapter looks at the Great Barrier reef and a reef in Baja California Mexico where the effect of conservation efforts are examined.
The Deep
This chapter emphasises that the Deep ocean has been little studied. In fact, the book calls it the ‘last true unexplored wilderness’. However, it is most important in understanding the ocean. ‘It is not a failure of science that we do not truly understand the deep: it is a factor of its sheer scale combined with the challenges of marine exploration’ as pointed out by Attenborough. The average depth of the ocean is 3,500 metres. This chapter looks at research of ocean depths. Case studies include the Davidson Seamount, Monterrey Bay California and the Pacific Remote Island Marine National Monument. It also looks at the effect of United Nations treaties such as the UN High Seas Treaty and its effect on conservation efforts.
Open Ocean
This chapter follows the research about the Blue Whale and its ocean voyages. The whale’s movement through the ocean is fascinating. The leatherback turtle, Great White Shark and Grey whale research are also mentioned as they are also ocean voyagers. Some of the problems in the open ocean are also discussed such as plastic pollution, industrial fishing and use of ghost nets. The history of whaling is covered as well as legislation which has limited whaling and industrial fishing such as the High Seas Treaty.
Kelp
This chapter looks at the Kelp forests and their importance in supporting ocean life and ecosystems. The use of Kelp forests by the sea otter off of California is studied. The life cycle of kelp is discussed as it is important to the ocean ecosystems. Kelp rafts are mentioned as ways that organisms can migrate through the ocean environment. Damage to kelp forests are examined and how this affects ecosystems. A case study of the large 1987 storm off Sussex England is discussed and how the regeneration of kelp in that area is undertaken.
Arctic
This chapter looks at life under the ice in the Arctic Circle. It is interesting as this part of the ocean environment has only 2 small outlets into the bigger ocean world. Filming was done under the ice to monitor changes in the ice cover. It seems the Arctic is warming faster than other ocean areas. The main impact of research is to show that the Arctic is very different from the Southern Ocean. The Bow Whale (an arctic species), small snails, sea angels and sea butterflys are introduced. The Arctic has 3 different layers: freshwater, the arctic halocline and cold salt water which defines the dynamics of the Arctic Ocean. Narwhales and walruses are among the species that call the Arctic ecosystem home. Research is looking at the bioaccumulation of pollutants and the effect of CO2 on this ecosystem. A case study is given of an Inuit Marine conservation area in Canada and the stewardship of the area for food security by the local indigenous populations that depend on this Arctic environment for their food.
Mangroves
This chapter covers the amazing rich biodiversity of the Mangrove ecosystems. Case Studies about mangroves off the coast of Costa Rica and also in the Bay of Bengal are discussed. The adaptations of the Mangrove tree and the importance of the tree in the mangrove ecosystem are explained. The case study in the Gulf of Nicoya of Costa Rica and the conservation efforts of locals and researchers in that area to restore that mangrove ecosystem is inspiring.
Oceanic Islands and Seamounts
This chapter looks at the Raine Island turtles in the Coral Sea. Green turtles in the Great Barrier Reef are also covered because their population is in danger. There is an interesting section on seamounts as there are an unknown number of seamounts throughout the ocean and research is only beginning on the seamount ecosystems. The Japanese eel is studied as it is one of many species that travel long distances to seamounts. There have been deep water corals and phytoplankton seen around many seamounts. A case study of a Hawaiian nature reserve in the mid Pacific near Midway Island, where Green Sea turtles and Layson albatross frequent the area, is discussed. There is evidence that bottom trawling, which destroys the ecosystem, is a big problem on many seamount ecosystems.
Southern Ocean
This chapter is a fascinating account of the Southern Ocean. It looks at elephant seals on South Georgia Island. The importance of Antarctic krill on which ocean food chains hinge is explained. The difference in this part of the ocean is that the currents are circumpolar so that water mixes nutrients from the deep around Antarctica (the last wilderness) which provides an abundance of species in the ecosystems around the Southern Ocean. There have been problems with sealing and whaling in the past which then affect the oceanic food chains. Species such as the Patagonian toothfish, as well as penguin populations are affected. A case study of the conservation efforts in the South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands Marine Protected area has seen the return of whales and other species. Also mentioned is that the Southern Ocean is the largest heat and carbon sink which could impact the climate either positively or negatively if not understood better through more research.
Part Three: In a single human generation
The human impact on the ocean can be positive or negative. Attenborough states “to understand the remarkable gifts the ocean provides for us all” gives a tag to hang onto for future research. Understanding this part of our planet is important today and for future generations.
NOTE: There is an extensive list of references at the end of the book.
This book contains recollections of Attenborough’s adventures over the years but also looks at ocean ecosystems, conservation projects and research on a large number of ocean species and environments. Well worth a read.
