Diving to a Deep-Sea Volcano (review)
2006; Johns Hopkins University Press; Volume: 60; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1353/bcc.2006.0822
ISSN1558-6766
Autores Tópico(s)Ocean Acidification Effects and Responses
ResumoReviewed by: Diving to a Deep-Sea Volcano Elizabeth Bush Mallory, Kenneth Diving to a Deep-Sea Volcano. Houghton, 200660p illus. with photographs (Scientists in the Field) ISBN 0-618-33205-7$17.00 Ad Gr. 4-8 The focus of this entry in the Scientists in the Field series is Rich Lutz, a marine biologist specializing in the study of mollusks. A 1979 dive aboard the submersible Alvin piqued his interest in a colony of clams that forms near hydrothermal vents, growing about three hundred times faster than their typical deep-sea clam cousins. A second series of dives from 1991 through 1999 allowed Lutz and other scientists to observe the destruction and rebirth of an entire ecosystem around a hydrothermal vent known as Nine North, off the western coast of Central America. A volcanic eruption at the sea floor, which Lutz witnessed firsthand, apparently obliterated all life in the immediate vicinity, but in spewing forth dense clouds of hydrogen sulfide on which deep sea bacteria thrive, the very act of destruction provides the basis for the reemergence of new colonies that develop in predictable order: microbes, Jericho tubeworms, Riftia tubeworms, and finally clams and mussels. Consistent with other entries in the series, Diving includes information not only about the field study itself but also about the technology that enables it; this entry is unusual, however, in giving relatively little attention to Lutz's background, so readers who envision themselves in a similar career learn little about what might prepare them. Moreover, this title follows a research project concluded the better part of a decade ago and devotes a considerable amount of space to the Alvin's already well-documented work in the 1970s; apart from organizing the making of an IMAX movie aboard Alvin in 2001, no mention is made of Lutz's current undertakings. It's still an inviting look at a science career far away from white coats and labs, though, and kids may find the raptures of the deep sufficient to keep them absorbed. The layout teems with engrossing color photos, and end matter comprises a useful glossary, index, and suggestions for further print and online reading. Copyright © 2006 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
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