It is a bounty for which many animals will migrate thousands of miles to harvest. These intensely seasonal areas see an annual cycle of bloom and bust that depends upon the plankton. The green, algae-rich waters of the world's temperate zones are some of the most productive on the planet. The efficient recycling of nutrients in these habitats allows them to flourish: However, in certain areas, where conditons are favorable, seagrass beds, mangroves and the most diverse marine communities of all - coral reefs - can be found. The warm waters of the tropics are relatively poor in nutrients and oxygen, making substantial stretches of the shallows somewhat barren. Those that do live here must be hardy and adaptable enough to survive the daily ebb and flow of the tides, which transform their habitat on a daily basis: While many creatures come here to breed, there are few permanent residents. From sandy beaches to rocky shores and river estuaries, waves and weather constantly erode coastal areas. Water, collected in the great ocean basins, regulates the planet's temperature and climate as well as providing numerous habitats for plant and animal life:Īround the borders of the ocean, where the land meets the sea, lie some of the most challenging of the ocean habitats. With water generally so available to us at the turn of a faucet handle, it is easy to forget how essential it is for life on Earth. DK Publishing, 2001įORWARD by Sir David Attenborough (p10-11) I read it in Sir David Attenborough's voice, for the sake of consistency (and just because I love his tone and cadence).THE BLUE PLANET - SEAS OF LIFE by Andrew Byatt, Alastair Fothergill, and Martha Holmes. A must-have if you enjoyed the television series. I should think that ages 12+ would have no problem understanding the concepts presented here, and the younger ages would still be able to appreciate all of the fascinating pictures. Some of the information from the television series repeats here, but it is mostly broad concepts, and you don't feel like you're reading a movie novelization by and large, what repetition there is only serves to reinforce the information, and I wasn't annoyed by it. Or narwhals, with their meter-long tusks protruding from their heads like unicorns of the sea. Some of the underwater creatures are so bizarre that simply reading about them isn't enough take, for example, the angler fish species where the tiny males latch onto the larger females and fuse with them for life. Large, color photographs appear on every page and really help to stimulate the imagination. Although the book's layout and hefty proportions make it akin to a high school textbook, the pacing of the content is uniform and completely readable. Three members of the BBC's production crew for the television series, "The Blue Planet," form Voltron for this splendid companion book. Complete with a foreword by Sir David Attenborough and 400 full-color photographs, The Blue Planet is the first complete and comprehensive portrait of the whole ocean system. Along the way we are introduced to a whole host of wonderful creatures - from tiny copepods to majestic blue whales, and from the grotesque hairy anglerfish, to the amazing tripod fish that stands on its three delicate legs waiting to snap up unsuspecting prey. Accompanying the television series of the same name, The Blue Planet leads up on a voyage of exploration from the coasts, the very edges of the oceans, to the deep where weird and monstrous fish lurk in a world of perpetual darkness. Today, while we still have so much more of the ocean realm to uncover, we have discovered enough to know that beneath the waves lies a vast treasure-trove of rich and diverse life. In the entire solar system, Earth is the only planet that has water in liquid form in such quantities." Scientist have calculated that 70 percent of our planet is covered by water small wonder that the human being shave always been so fascinated by the oceans and what lies beneath. The reflection of the sun's light from the vast expanse of water covering its surface creates it gemlike blue color. It floats like a jewel in the inky black void.
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