undersea life

“Undersea life” probes today’s ocean, observing with a brilliant photographic eye the kaleidoscopic life that thrives beneath its surface. Author Joseph S. Levine focuses on the ocean’s inhabitants and environments to create a palpable understanding of the interrelationships in marine life on all levels (from the basic link between predator and prey and the exquisite symmetry of symbiosis to the delicate and complex web that connects ecosystem to ecosystem and, ultimately, life in the sea to life on land. Events that seem remote from our daily experience, such as the reclamation of marshland or the overfishing of certain species, gain a surprising urgency and fascination when we read how they affect us directly and profoundly. With a text that is both eloquent and highly readable, Levine guides us through the breathtaking panorama of marine life and the more 150 striking photographs by underwater photographer Jeffrey L. Rotman provide an almost tangible experience of this splendor. This unusual and intriguing book answers a great many questions about life in the ocean. More important, “Undersea life” raises essential issues about the ocean and its uncertain future with humankind.

Edition: 1985