Oceans make up most of the surface of our blue planet. They may form just a sliver on the outside of the Earth, but they are very important, not only in hosting life, including the fish and other animals on which many humans depend, but in terms of their role in the Earth system, in regulating climate, and cycling nutrients. As climate change, pollution, and over-exploitation by humans puts this precious resource at risk, it is more important than ever that we understand and appreciate the history of oceans. There is much we still do not know about the story of the Earth's oceans, and we are only just beginning to find indications of oceans on other planets.
In this book, geologists Jan Zalasiewicz and Mark Williams consider the deep history of oceans, how and when they may have formed on the young earth - topics of intense current research - how they became salty, and how they evolved through Earth history. We learn how oceans have formed and disappeared over millions of years, how the sea nurtured life, and what may become of our oceans in the future. We encounter some of the scientists and adventurers whose efforts led to our present understanding of oceans. And we look at clues to possible seas that may once have covered parts of Mars and Venus, that may still exist, below the surface, on moons such as Europa and Callisto, and the possibility of watery planets in other star systems.
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OCEAN WORLDS
The story of seas on Earth and other planets
By Jan Zalasiewicz and Mark Williams
Oxford | Hardcover | 336 Pages | January 1, 2015 | 9780199672882 | $29.95
"Zalasiewicz and Williams have produced a book that is as informative as it is absorbing."
- Publishers Weekly
- Examines the nature and deep history of oceans.
- Looks at how and when oceans may have formed on Earth and how they evolved.
- Explores the importance of oceans in hosting life on which both humans and animals depend.
- Considers how climate change, pollution, and over-exploitation are putting resources at risk.
- Looks at what we know of oceans on other planets.
- Considers what may become of our oceans in the future.
Author Biographies
Jan Zalasiewicz, Senior Lecturer in Geology at the University of Leicester, has served on the Committees of the Quaternary Research Association and Joint Association of Geoscientists for International Development, and on the Councils of the Palaeontographical Society and the Geological Society of London.
Mark Williams, Professor in Geology at the University of Leicester, has served on the council of the Palaeontographical Society both as an editor and vice-president.
To schedule an interview with the authors or to request a review copy, please contact Molly Grote.