Our Threatened Oceans

By Stefan Rahmstorf and Katherine Richardson

The oceans are an important foundation of our lives - they regulate our climate and are an invaluable source of food. However, we threaten their health by heating up the planet, over-fishing and polluting these waters. 

Stefan Rahmstorf, Professor of Ocean Physics at the University of Potsdam and Katherine Richardson, Professor of Ocean Biology at the University of Copenhagen, describe the fascinating world of the oceans and the riches of sea life, demonstrating how we can effectively protect the oceans’ ecosystems.

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Click HERE  to see Katherine Richardson talking to BBC News this month about the threat to our oceans at the Climate Conference in Copenhagen.

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Climate sceptics confuse the public by focusing onshort-term fluctuations

Click here to see Stefan Rahmstorf's article in The Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/cif-green/2009/mar/09/climate-change-copenhagen

Bjørn Lomborg denies data that sea levels are rising faster than expected with no sign of slowing down, writes Stefan Rahmstorf in The Guardian.

'Our Threatened Oceans is a well-written translation of a German book by Rahmstorf (ocean physics, Univ. of Potsdam, Germany) and Richardson (ocean biology, Univ. of Copenhagen, Denmark). The work is part of 'The Sustainability Project,' a series of 12 books (e.g., The Earth, by F. Schmidt-Bleek, CH, Mar'10, 47-3826; Feeding the Planet by K. Hahlbrock, CH, Feb'10, 47-3151) focusing on the challenges of global sustainable development. The authors provide a concise introduction to physical oceanography and the biodiversity of oceans along with an extensive discussion of various global element cycles important in the health of the oceans and the global climate. Two major themes running throughout this book are the interactions between humans and the oceans--we are the primary reason the oceans are threatened--and the oceans' primary role in regulating the global climate system. The book ends with both dark and bright visions of the future, depending on how humans decide to interact with our oceans. This work is suitable for the average reader interested in global climate change and the future of the oceans. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and general readers. -- S. H. Schimmrich, SUNY Ulster County Community College.'