Open AccessChasing Science at Sea: Racing Hurricanes, Stalking Sharks, and Living Undersea With Ocean Experts
Author(s) -
Lee Cindy
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
eos, transactions american geophysical union
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.316
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 2324-9250
pISSN - 0096-3941
DOI - 10.1029/2008eo500005
Subject(s) - creatures , serendipity , stalking , oceanography , hydrothermal vent , personal account , history , geology , sociology , art , narrative , archaeology , paleontology , philosophy , epistemology , literature , criminology , natural (archaeology) , hydrothermal circulation
Ellen Prager's new book, Chasing Science at Sea , is a personal account of why fieldwork is so important in many areas of ocean science, and how exciting that fieldwork can be. Prager has interwoven her own story of studying carbonates at the interface between biology and geology with stories from friends and colleagues. Storm stories and up‐close‐and‐personal encounters with ocean creatures such as reef squid, marine iguanas, and whales abound. Throughout the book, she emphasizes the idea that the combination of observations and serendipity plays a critical role in science, and she gives examples of where this combination has led to especially important discoveries (e.g., that of hydrothermal vent organisms).