The Blue Machine

July 15, 2023
An eclectic collection of essays exploring the ocean and its impact on the lives of humans. In a book replete with diagrams and illustrations, London-based physicist and oceanographer Czerski, author of Storm in a Teacup, begins by discussing what "the blue machine" is and how it works. The major physical influences include temperature, salinity, density, and spin. The author continues by discussing the shape of the ocean, including the historical debate regarding continental drift and evidence that the first Americans passed along a coastal route 16,000 years ago. She also shares her complaint regarding the sentiment that "We know more about the Moon/Mars than we do about the deep sea" and explains why it is untrue. Some of Czerski's most fascinating explorations are below the surface: She writes intriguingly about the "messengers" of the blue machine, light and sound, as well as the "passengers" and "voyagers" of the ocean, such as plankton, penguins, turtles, seabirds, and fish. Finally, Czerski discusses the future of the ocean and asks us to consider our relationship with it, noting that science must play the leading role in guiding our actions. The burning of fossil fuels and changing land use have led to an energy imbalance, which ends in the ocean with heat. "More than 90 per cent of all the additional energy accumulating on Earth because of human changes to the climate system has ended up in the ocean as heat," she writes. Furthermore, "with a deeper knowledge of the ocean comes the responsibility to be good citizens of our ocean planet. The benefit of hindsight tells us that, for the most part, we have not been good citizens over the past two hundred years." The book is packed with statistics, which may deter some readers, but diligent environmentalists will be pleased with the author's rigor. A compelling read for science buffs and ocean enthusiasts.

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Starred review from August 21, 2023
University College London oceanographer Czerski (Storm in a Teacup) takes readers on a riveting “voyage through the global ocean,” exploring its role in the planet’s ecosystem and human cultures. The ocean “acts as an energy reservoir for the whole planet,” Czerski contends, noting that the ocean’s ability to store energy from the sun as heat during warmer months and release it when the air cools keeps the planet from experiencing “huge swings in temperature” that would be difficult for living organisms to survive. The ocean’s microscopic residents can make big waves, she points out, explaining that as each hemisphere enters spring, the longer days lead to the proliferation of photosynthesizing plankton, which in turn draw larger creatures that feed on them and create mobile “rainforests” as they’re carried together by currents. The cultural history fascinates, covering how surfing’s importance to Hawaiian culture (kings and queens had “their own special surfboards”) owes much to the rarity of squalls and gales on the islands, and how the historical markers of shipwrecks posted around Reykjavik’s harbor betray Iceland’s wary relationship with the surrounding ocean, which “can be fierce.” Wide-ranging and meticulously detailed, this captures the wonder, beauty, and intrigue of its subject.