The Blue Planet - Hardcover

Alastair Fothergill was educated at the universities of St. Andrew's and Durham in the UK, joining the BBC Natural History Unit in 1983. He has worked on a wide range of the department's programs, including the award winning The Really Wild Show, Wildlife on One, and the innovative Reefwatch. He worked with Sir David Attenborough on The Trials of Life and again, in 1993, when he produced Life in the Freezer, for which he also wrote the accompanying BBC book. In 1992 he was appointed head of the BBC Natural History Unit. In June 1998 he stepped down as head of the unit in order to concentrate on his role as series producer of The Blue Planet TV series. Martha Holmes specialized in marine biology and gained her Ph.D. at the University of York in UK. She started work with the BBC in 1998, presenting programs such as Reefwatch, a live underwater broadcast from the northern Red Sea, and The Natural World: Splashdown, which was followed by the award-winning wildlife adventure series Sea Trek, for which she wrote the accompanying BBC book. She worked in Antarctica for Sir David Attenborough's Life in the Freezer and has produced a number of other natural history films, such as Hippos out of Water, Deadly Liaisons, Otters -- The Truth and Reefwise. More recently, she produced the groundbreaking and BAFTA-winning film Wildlife Special: Polar Bear. She joined The Blue Planet team as a producer in 1997. Andrew Byatt began working with the Natural History Unit in 1989 as a safety diver for The Natural World: Splashdown. He has been highly acclaimed for his work on several Wildlife on One programs, including the award-winning film on jellyfish, The Swarm. More recently, Andrew has produced two films for Incredible Journeys on gray whales and rattlesnakes, and has co-produced Wildlife Special: Humpback Whales. He joined The Blue Planet team as a producer in 1997.

This companion volume to the forthcoming BBC/Discovery Channel miniseries The Blue Planet is a broad-ranging, nonthreatening introduction to our planet's oceans for the reader who is interested, but not well versed, in science. Six of seven chapters cover the basic ocean environments (e.g., tropical seas, frozen seas, and the deep), with an emphasis on the plant and animal life found in these regions. Although the focus is on biological oceanography, one full chapter covers physical oceanography and marine geology. The relevant chemistry, geology, and physics of the ocean are also introduced as needed. Spectacular photographs are plentiful throughout. Although lacking a bibliography or suggestions for further reading, the book contains a good index, a glossary, and even cross references in the text when appropriate. The science is thorough and up-to-date. A good introduction to the oceans for the scientific novice, this book is recommended for public, high school, and middle school libraries that do not have extensive marine science collections, as well as for public libraries whose patrons are fans of the Discovery Channel. Margaret Rioux, MBL/WHOI Lib., Woods Hole Oceanographic Inst., MA
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