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Year: 2001
Author: Deborah Cramer
Publishers: W.W Norton & Company
ISBN: 0-393-02019-3
Pages: 442 (hardback)
Price: US $27.95
To order:
USA: (Tel: 1-800-233-4830 Fax: 1-800-458-6515, URL: <http://www.wwnorton.com/>)

This is a personal voyage of discovery regarding "Atlantic", the ocean. I have seen rave reviews published elsewhere so, undoubtedly many people will enjoy reading this book. It is written in a very attractive and easily read prose and the bona fide enthusiasm of the author for the ocean is palpable. She describes "Atlantic" on first name terms throughout the book. In general it is colourful and pleasant reading and if widely circulated, a deeper appreciation of the complexities of marine ecology and environmental catastrophe will be given to many. The book is based on the experiences and subsequent personal inquiry after the author travelled from Woods Hole to Barbados on the research vessel SSV Corwith Cramer. The 12 chapters are organised in 4 sections, dealing with the different topics that piqued her interest.

I. Moving Offshore. "Waters of Life" sets the scene and overviews the oceanography and environmental concerns of Atlantic. "A Diminished Thing" eloquently introduces the concepts and problems related to over-fishing and aquaculture including discards and secondary environmental damage. She also begins to explore the spiritual nature the sea has for many. "Along the Slope" describes the transition from the coastal to the pelagic.

II. The Open Sea: "Rush of Water" looks at currents and other oceanographic features including the Gulf Stream. "Climate and Atlantic" introduces the interconnectedness of the Earth's ecosystems and the role the oceans play in defining climate. "Long Distance Swimmers" marvels at migratory marine creatures including our own group, the marine turtles. In describing how mariners navigate she explores the case of Ascension Island green turtles, a population I have had the privilege of studying first hand. The section unfortunately slightly misinterprets a number of primary sources of information but most of these points of contention are minor and it would be pedantic to list them all. In sum, a pleasant potted overview of marine turtle biology is given which will intrigue the neophyte to turtle biology. In addition to the life-cycle, navigation, generic threats, the Kemp's ridley story, Caribbean greens, shrimp bycatch are among topics touched upon.

However, I feel it is important to take issue with the over-interpretation of the navigational ability which is central to her inclusion of marine turtles in this chapter. There is a strong body of evidence that hatchling turtles have a magnetic sense and hypothetical navigational mechanisms have been proposed. However, the author takes this limited evidence much too far: (pp 142:
"Many years later, when the nesting season begins, they leave the rich feeding grounds off Brazil and, guided by their internal compasses, navigate a straight course toward the island [Ascension], swimming directly and unerringly to this small rock in the middle of nowhere".

Additional errors in this same vein which jumped out at me include citing beach development as the main cause of the demise of green turtles in the Mediterranean and over-interpretation of genetic information presented on green turtles.

Despite the authors best efforts to cross reference the factual content of the book (she includes over 50 pages of footnotes citing original sources of information), I feel it uneasily straddles the overlap between poetic, feeling prose and factual, popular scientific writing. For the turtle related sections, part of the problem may be the sources she has used which encompass a wide range of levels of literature. These range from peer-reviewed scientific papers to abstracts from symposium proceedings and even articles in the popular press. Unfortunately little or no reference is made to some of the excellent overviews of marine turtle biology where chapters have been written by acknowledged experts and subject to at least some peer-review and editing. Perhaps there is a lesson to be learned there for other scientific journalists attempting to bring turtles into their work?

III. The Empty Basin: This section covers an eclectic diversity of topics about the deep sea and its geology ranging from hydrothermal vents to tectonic plates.

IV. Full Circle: "Fraying Edges" is a depressing catalogue of the diversity and magnitude of anthropogenic impacts on the sea provided on a case study basis: pollution, red tides, invasive species, the list goes on. "Landfall" dips its toe into biogeography and then vulcanism and the geology of the Caribbean region. This leads us to a rather abrupt end. A point worthy of note regarding this section is that in describing Caribbean volcanoes she paints a dramatic picture of recent volcanic events on Montserrat which although not incorrect, is not completely balanced. Upon reading this, it might appear that Montserrat is neither safe or a place worthy of visiting as an (eco)tourist. The contrary is true. Having recently been there assisting with biodiversity issues I know first hand that, in addition to an active volcano which can be observed safely, this tiny Caribbean Island still has large tracts of beautiful forests as well as abundance, diversity and endemism of natural life unparalleled in the region. Montserrat is open for business and well worth a visit.

Brendan J. Godley, Editor, Marine Turtle Newsletter.