Restless Waters

Press, Volume C, Issue 29513, 13 May 1961, Page 3

Restless Waters

Frontiers of the Sea. By Robert C. Cowen. Gollancz. 307 pp. Oceanography, the description of the sea and all that it contains, is the subject of this book by Robert C. Cowen, Natural Science Editor of the “Christian Science Monitor.” Oceanography as a science is as old as mankind, though apart from the early works of the dependable Aristotle, it is comparatively young as an organised science. The oceans’ importance for seagoing vessels, food resources, mineral deposits, in defence, in communications, as a dumping area for sewage and as a possible one for radioactive wastes is apparent to all. There is also as much necessity to understand the watery 70 per cent, of the earth’s surface as there is to investigate the space layers surrounding this planet. Oceanography of itself has the same motivation as any other science, the search for truth and then its presentation in an orderly manner. Such research is being pursued all over the world and New Zealand is no exception, there being a strong Oceanographic Institute within the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research.

Mr Cowen, having no particular hypothesis to expound or theory to defend, has written a splendid book—not a “Wonders of the Seas”—but a balanced account of all the physical and biological features of the oceans. Probably the two best chapters are "The Unseen Landscape” and "The Restless Waters.” In the former the structure and appearance of the land beneath the seas is discussed. Huge mountains, great troughs (among which is our own Kermadec Trough) may come as a shock to some but until relatively recently it was frequently assumed that sediments would gradually smooth out the dissected landscape, but this has been shown not to be the case.

At one stage or another we all learned about the Gulf Stream, and the Equatorial currents, while Kon Tiki reminded us of the Humboldt Current. Mr Cowen, however, reports the most fascinating discovery of the Cromwell Current, a counter current to the Gulf Stream flowing several hundred feet below the surface of the Gulf Stream. Similar counter-currents have been found and these have given rise to new problems for oceanographers. These and other problems are presented in the chapter, “The Restless Waters.” Mr Cowen covers most aspects of the science of the sea; plants and animals are considered, the prospect of farming the sea with methods t 0... improve yield, modern methods of research, the bathyscape, “tidal waves,”! and coral reefs are all considered and discussed. The book is most enjoyable, easily read despite an American bias, and a worthwhile investment for anyone interested in the sea. The plates are well reproduced but some of Mary Cowen's drawings are not up to the standard of the text.