Submarines - Military History, Submarines, Oceanography, Marine Biology - General & Miscellaneous, Natural Terrain - Oceans & Seas, Ecosystems, Shipwrecks & Underwater Exploration

The Octopus's Garden

Name: The Octopus's Garden
Author: Karen Jacobsen
ISBN: 9780201407709

by Karen Jacobsen

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Overview

For years scientists believed that the ocean floor was an underwater wasteland, incapable of supporting any life whatsoever. In The Octopus's Garden, Cindy Lee Van Dover introduces the general reader to the life-forms that scientists have only recently discovered thriving 9 to 12,000 feet below sea level. These remarkable organisms live in hydrothermal vents - geysers that spew 600-degree fluid and support an ecosystem utterly unlike anything else on the planet. From the stunning beauty of the "Rose Garden," home to the tubeworm, a six-foot-long creature without mouth or gut, to transparent sea cucumbers and blind shrimp, Van Dover takes us on a fascinating voyage to our planet's last frontier. She also describes the incredibly difficult circumstances under which she and other scientists explore the bottom of the sea. Maneuvering inside of Alvin - a submersible the size of two bathtubs - for nine-hour stretches, oceanographers study this exotic ecosystem under the ever-present threat of landslides and earthquakes. The Octopus's Garden is a vivid account of dangerous and exciting discoveries deep under the waves.

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Editorials

School Library Journal

YAVan Dover gives an accessible account of her experiences as an oceanographer and as the first woman to pilot the research submersible ALVIN. Scientists use ALVIN to descend to the sea floor and observe firsthand geologic features such as trenches and hydrothermal vents as well as the flora and fauna that brave this harsh environment. The author emphasizes the need for further study in this field, especially the revolutionary hypothesis that the origins of life on Earth occurred at ancient submarine hydrothermal vents. Her experiences as a pioneer woman in what had been a man's field and on the frontier of human knowledge of the world's oceans will fascinate aspiring oceanographers and engineers. Van Dover brings an intriguing and largely unknown science, deep water marine biology, to a level that will appeal to any student.Hilary Stevens, Earthwatch, Watertown, MA

Brenda Grazis

Van Dover describes a wondrous abyssal life as rich and productive as that of coral reefs and shallow seas, and presents clear geological explanations for the sources of the hydrothermal vents and black smokers that provide the nutrients to sustain such denizens as giant tubeworms, blind shrimp, mussels, and crabs. As interesting as the science, however, is the author's account of her attainment of the unique dual rank of both scientist and pilot of the "Alvin" research submersible. It is evident that the scholarship demands, the around-the-clock work schedules, the claustrophobic diving conditions, and the potential for danger that she encounters rival the complexities and pressures challenging the astronauts, and establish that she, indeed, has the "right stuff." A well-written, upbeat story of an obstacle-strewn pursuit of a dream.