Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Naturalist Attenborough (A Life on Our Planet) joins forces with Butfield (Earthshot)--cofounder of the environmental documentary production company Studio Silverback--to provide an awe-inspiring exploration of the open ocean, kelp forests, and six other marine biomes. Examining the ecological interactions that structure each habitat, the authors explain how coral reefs depend on the fish that live inside their many "nooks, holes, and crevices" and eat seaweed that might otherwise block out the sunlight coral need to survive. The authors highlight the remarkable ways animals have adapted to their environment, noting, for instance, how the cock-eyed squid evolved asymmetrical eyes--the larger of which looks upward to "spot prey against the very dim light from the surface" while the smaller one searches for bioluminescent creatures below--to survive in the deep ocean. Such trivia intrigues, and the authors balance alarming overviews of how humans are disrupting ocean ecosystems with uplifting stories of people working to prevent such harms. For instance, the authors lament how excessive trawling off England's southern coast since the 1980s has hollowed out the kelp forests that once flourished there and recount how free diver Eric Smith teamed up with wildlife documentarian Sarah Cunliffe in a successful effort to persuade U.K. officials to ban trawling near the shore in 2021. Attenborough's admirers will savor this. Illus. (May)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
The world's best-known natural historian has not lost his touch. Attenborough is 98, but Butfield, his longtime collaborator and the author of the bestsellingEarthshot: How To Save Our Planet, knows the drill, so his mentor's voice shines through. Readers will enjoy this paean to the ocean's beauty and weirdness despite quickly realizing that the authors ignore the natural history tradition of saving bad news for the conclusion. It's a bumpy ride. It's no secret that water covers 70% of the planet, but most readers are unaware that 95% of the biosphere (regions where life exists) is under water. Until the 19th century, scientists believed that nothing lived below about 600 feet, where sunlight cannot penetrate. In fact, life flourishes there. The ocean averages two miles in depth and seven miles at its deepest point. Life exists to the very bottom; although our last unexplored wilderness, it is definitely not unspoiled. The book follows the format of an Attenborough documentary, with expressions of wonder at the sights and lucid explanations of what needs explaining: vast kelp forests, coral reefs, seamounts, and polar ice, all perhaps richer in life than the continents because they exist in three dimensions. This includes the largest animal that has ever existed, the blue whale, almost exterminated by 1950 but probably recovering, down to trillions of krill, tiny crustaceans consumed by whales, fish, birds, and massive factory ships that vacuum them up for pet food and fish oil tablets. Few readers will be surprised to learn that overfishing is rampant, deep-sea mining seems just around the corner (the entrepreneurs promise to be careful), and global warming is heating the oceans. The authors describe conservation efforts that have slowed some malignant activities and protected huge areas, but too many involve international agreements that are unenforceable. Natural wonders and their problems. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
