The Dance of Air and Sea by Arnold H Taylor

 

This is a fascinating look at the interactions between ocean currents, winds and living things. Unfortunately, the text is way more scientific than the title leads you to expect. I have a botany degree, which included a good amount of ecology and a module on environmental physics, yet I sometimes found myself having to read some paragraphs a few times to make sure I understood what was really being said. So, this book is definitely not aimed at the interested layperson, which is a shame, as it is a very interesting and important area of study and this book offers lots of valuable insights into how earth systems work and interact.

The book examines various ocean currents and systems such as the Gulf Stream, outlining the routes they take and how they are affected by weather, including temperature and wind. Specific examples are given of how ocean currents and weather between them affect ecosystems, focussing on phytoplankton, the tiny organisms that are the basis of so many food chains. The author also looks at how our changing climate affects 1) the distribution of various species of birds and butterflies - many species are moving northwards as the climate warms - 2) the timing of breeding - many species are now breeding earlier in the year and 3) the stability of ecosystems - where changes in population of one organism that may be directly affected by climate change then affects other species in the wider ecosystem. 

Reference is made to a number of scientific studies, profiling some of the scientists who have made significant contributions to the field. The author examines evidence of historical and pre-historical climatic changes, putting things into the long term perspective, arguing overall that humans are definitely altering the climate by our actions but at the same time pointing out that it is more complicated than we may have been led to believe.

Admittedly, it is difficult to make such a complex topic easy to understand and there's nothing worse than dumbing down important science, but on the other hand a little more accessible explanation might have helped make this book more useful to a more general audience, or a more scientific title might have fitted better with the content. 

The Dance of Air and Sea by Arnold H Taylor, published (2011) by Oxford University Press. 

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I'm delighted to have a haiku included in the Birdsong issue of Haiku Girl Summer.