Until a few decades ago, the ocean depths were almost as mysterious and inaccessible as outer space. Oceans cover two-thirds of the earth's surface with an average depth of more than two miles -

Bibliographische Detailangaben

1. Verfasser:	Ballard, Robert D. 1942- (VerfasserIn)
Format:	Buch
Sprache:	English
Veröffentlicht:	Princeton, NJ Princeton Univ. Press 2000
Schlagworte:	Geschichte Underwater exploration > History Bathygraphie Meeresgeologie Unterwasserforschung Erforschung Unterseeboot Tiefsee Unterwasserfahrzeug Meereskunde Erlebnisbericht
Zusammenfassung:	Until a few decades ago, the ocean depths were almost as mysterious and inaccessible as outer space. Oceans cover two-thirds of the earth's surface with an average depth of more than two miles - yet humans had never ventured more than a few hundred feet below the waves. One of the great scientific and archaeological feats of our time has been finally to cast light on the "eternal darkness" of the deep sea. This is the story of that achievement, told by the man who has done more than any other to make it possible: Robert Ballard. Ballard discovered the wreck of the Titanic. He led the teams that discovered hydrothermal vents and "black smokers"--Cracks in the ocean floor where springs of superheated water support some of the strangest life-forms on the planet. He was a diver on the team that explored the mid-Atlantic ridge for the first time, confirming the theory of plate tectonics. Today, he is exploring the ancient trade routes of the world in hopes of launching a new field of research in deep-water archaeology In this book, he combines science, history, spectacular illustrations, and firsthand stories from his own expeditions in a uniquely personal account of how twentieth-century explorers have pushed back the frontiers of technology to take us into the midst of a world we could once only guess at. Ballard begins in 1930 with William Beebe and Otis Barton, pioneers of the ocean depths who made the world's first deep-sea dives in a cramped steel sphere. He introduces us to Auguste and Jacques Piccard, whose "bathyscaph" descended in 1960 to the lowest point on the ocean floor. He reviews the celebrated advances made by Jacques Cousteau. He describes his own major discoveries-- from sea-floor spreading to black smokers -
Beschreibung:	XII, 388 S., [4] Bl. zahlr. Ill., Kt.
ISBN:	0691027404