The Blue Machine
How the Ocean Works
by Helen Czerski
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Pub Date Oct 03 2023 | Archive Date Sep 30 2023
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Description
A scientist’s exploration of the “ocean engine”—the physics behind the ocean’s systems—and why it matters.
All of Earth’s oceans, from the equator to the poles, are a single engine powered by sunlight, driving huge flows of energy, water, life, and raw materials. In The Blue Machine, physicist and oceanographer Helen Czerski illustrates the mechanisms behind this defining feature of our planet, voyaging from the depths of the ocean floor to tropical coral reefs, estuaries that feed into shallow coastal seas, and Arctic ice floes. Through stories of history, culture, and animals, she explains how water temperature, salinity, gravity, and the movement of Earth’s tectonic plates all interact in a complex dance, supporting life at the smallest scale—plankton—and the largest—giant sea turtles, whales, humankind.
Most importantly, however, Czerski reveals that while the ocean engine has sustained us for thousands of years, today it is faced with urgent threats. By understanding how the ocean works, and its essential role in our global system, we can learn how to protect our blue machine.
About the Author: Helen Czerski is a physicist and oceanographer at University College London's Department of Mechanical Engineering. The author of Storm in a Teacup, she is a columnist for the Wall Street Journal, writing regularly about the physics of everyday life.
Advance Praise
"In Helen Czerski's hands, the mechanical becomes magical. An instant classic." - Tristan Gooley, author of How to Read Water: Clues and Patterns from Puddles to the Sea
"Awash with fascinating facts. Helen Czerski writes with authority, passion, and an easy conversational style. You will want to be out there on the ice and ocean with her. I loved it." - Hugh Aldersey-Williams, author of The Tide: The Science and Stories Behind the Greatest Force on Earth
"The Blue Machine is quite simply one of the best books I have ever read. Helen Czerski is a consummate storyteller.... In places you’ll drift serenely among corals or dense kelp forests, in others you’ll ride Atlantic breakers or fear for your life in a tropical storm.... When you resurface, you will be bursting with enthusiasm and wonder and you’ll understand how the ocean works and more besides." - Dr. George McGavin, zoologist, entomologist, and broadcaster
"Helen Czerski weaves together physics and biology, history and science, in a beautifully poetic way. Fascinating, funny, and deeply moving. From vast currents and tides to the smallest creatures that inhabit our oceans she reveals the spellbinding wonder of the oceans. From the opening paragraph, I was entranced." - Professor Alice Roberts
"A fascinating dive into the essential engine that drives our world. Czerski brings the oceans alive with compelling stories that masterfully navigate this most complex system." - Gaia Vince, author of Nomad Century: How Climate Migration Will Reshape Our World
Available Editions
| EDITION | Hardcover |
| ISBN | 9781324006718 |
| PRICE | $32.50 (USD) |
| PAGES | 416 |
Available on NetGalley
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