sea

Even as our understanding of ecological systems evolve, there are touchstone texts that lay the foundations of our understanding. Ecology of Atlantic Shorelines by Mark Bertness is such a touchstone for these unique coastal ecosystems.

This collection of articles, by various experts, covers the treatment and diseases of wildlife. It provides an in-depth look at the scientific knowledge needed—and challenges—of treating wildlife disease in the countries of the Pacific Basin. This collection is edited by Murray Fowler, considered to be the father of zoological medicine; the depth of his knowledge lends special relevance to this text.

This book came to the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Library from the now defunct Panama Canal Zone Library, one of the most important libraries in Panama during the Canal Zone era.

William Finden and his younger brother, Edward, were renowned English engravers. Their smooth, neat style proved popular and soon the brothers engaged several assistants to publish volumes of engraved plates depicting aspects of English society. Views of Ports and Harbours is one such volume. As the preface describes, this work is comprised of views of most of the principal ports, naval stations, watering places, and fishing-towns on the English coast from Berwick-upon-Tweed to Plymouth.

This rare second edition of Journal of researches... is the final definitive text of Darwin's "first literary child," revised to reflect his developing ideas on evolution. It chronicles his historic five-year voyage on the Beagle to Brazil, Argentina, Tierra del Fuego, Chile, Peru, the Galapagos Islands, New Zealand, Australia, and other countries and islands along the way. This journey was the most important event in Darwin's intellectual life.

Steaming across the oceans in high style came into fashion in the early 20th century. Glamorous ocean liner travel was as much a part of the experience as the traveler's destination until air travel dominated transportation. Ocean liners grew increasingly larger, faster, and more luxurious, and are one of the ultimate symbols of the Jazz Age and Art Deco periods. The Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Library has many trade catalogs, pattern books, sheet music covers, and other materials documenting these time periods.

Large Marine Ecosystems (LMEs)—a socio-biological term—are large (≥200,000 km²) regions of the world's oceans tied to coastal areas and related to “Exclusive Economic Zones” (EEZs). LMEs include the river basins and estuaries that feed into a coastal area and extend out to the continental shelf and beyond, to the edges of deep open water. Ninety-five percent of the biomass yields from oceans are produced within or near EEZs. To keep our oceans healthy, it is important to manage and conserve these areas of our planet properly.

Dejima, or Deshima, was a small fan-shaped artificial island in the bay of Nagasaki, Japan. During the Edo period (1615-1868), Dejima was the only place in which foreign traders were allowed to conduct business with Japan. It was originally built for Portuguese traders but was later used by the Dutch East India Company. In 1858, when Japan concluded the Treaty of Kanagawa with the United States, Dejima’s role as the only port of entry for the West was over. The island was expanded by reclaiming land, and it was merged into Nagasaki, thus obscuring the island’s original borders.

English architect, George Perry (b. 1771) authored this groundbreaking scientific book on conchology, the study of shells. It is the only shell book illustrated with hand-colored aquatint plates by the engraver John Clarke. The illustrations were based on natural specimens mostly from private collections and the British Museum, including shells from across the globe, from Sri Lanka to New Zealand. Some names assigned to shells by Perry are still in use today.

This book is a reprint of the original, so many of the black-and-white images are fuzzy. Nevertheless, it is a very exciting read. Many people assume that the prospectors who participated in the California Gold Rush traveled there overland from the eastern states. But it was actually a worldwide gold rush, with many prospectors traveling by sea. Even prospectors from Maine often traveled by sea. Because the Panama Canal had not yet been built, travelers to California had to sail around Cape Horn.

Volume One of A monograph of the sub-class Cirripedia, with figures of all the species was written by Charles Darwin in 1851 to cover the Lepadidæ, or pedunculated cirripedes. Lepadidæ are a family of goose barnacles described by Darwin. His study of barnacles, both living and in fossils, helped him understand how the species diversity developed over time, which was an important factor in his writing On the Origin of Species.

Italian polymath Ulisse Aldrovandi (1522-1605) has been called the father of natural history by such giants in the field as Carl Linnaeus and the Comte de Buffon. A true Renaissance man, he studied law, philosophy, and medicine before being named the University of Bologna’s first Chair of Natural Science in 1561. He founded the University’s botanical garden— one of the first of its kind in Europe— several years later, and included space for his natural history collection, which included animal specimens, minerals, plants, and man-made artifacts.

Imagine climbing into a small, metal submersible, closing the hatch, and dropping into the ocean. The light will quickly fade as the metal around you grinds ever-so-slightly, adjusting to the changes in pressure. But you’re not afraid – no, of course not, not when Richard Ellis is by your side regaling you with tales of giant squid attacking bait traps, discovering vent fields at the bottom of the ocean, and the sudden appearance of a prehistoric, formally extinct fish. This is exactly what reading this book is like. In it, Mr.

While the pleasure of most coffee-table books lies in their exquisite photographs, the true delight of this book lies in Elisabeth Mann Borgese’s succinct and moving narrative. Among the brilliant, saturated photos are long essays detailing the origins, breadth, and depth of the oceans, those who use them, and the particular threats facing them. Prior to her death in 2002, Ms.