Modern Marine Science

The deep sea takes up almost 70 percent of Earth's surface and more than 97 percent, by volume, of the part of the planet available to living things. And yet it was only in the 20th century that humans developed the technology to venture more than a few hundred feet down into this daunting world. In fact, today's deepwater marine science owes much of its existence to the U.S. Navy's ability to detect enemy submarines by sound during World War II. Modern Marine Science profiles 12 men and women who led the way into the oceans' deepest waters through research and new technologies. From Charles Darwin to Henry Stommel to Robert Ballard, this volume explores the lives and accomplishments of these scientific revolutionaries.