The Restless Sea: Exploring the World Beneath the Waves

How and when were the oceans created? How do they control our climate? What does the ocean floor look like? Kunzig, European editor of Discover magazine, addresses these and other questions in this engaging book, which clearly conveys scientific advances dispelling the myth that the deep sea floor is a ""changeless, monotonous, should-be-desert."" In truth, Kunzig states, it rivals the rain forests in species diversity. Kunzig describes the unique creatures of the deep--from transparent comb jellies more flexible than a boa constrictor to fist-sized mollusks that cast webs ""as big as a dining room table"" to capture prey--and the extraordinarily lush Galapagos hot springs, whose ""sheer mass of life"" has stunned geologists. He explains a controversial proposal to reverse global warming with the help of phytoplankton (single living cells that remove carbon dioxide from the air through photosynthesis), raising the thorny issue of whether scientists should interfere with ocean processes they only dimly understand. Although Kunzig is clearly concerned with environmental damage to the oceans--one chapter demonstrates the catastrophic affects of overfishing on New England cod populations--his primary goal is to provide lay readers with a better understanding of the seas. Deft use of quotations, humor and clever analogies enlivens the sometimes highly technical subject matter and makes the book a worthy glimpse into the world ""beneath the waves."" Line drawings and maps not seen by PW. (Mar.)