Deep-Sea Vents: Living Worlds Without Sun - Hardcover

Waters, John F.

9780525651451: Deep-Sea Vents: Living Worlds Without Sun

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0525651454 ISBN 13: 9780525651451

Publisher: Dutton Juvenile, 1994

Describes the discovery and investigation of openings in the ocean floor where heated water escapes and examines the new life forms and other phenomena that have been found there.

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From Kirkus Reviews:

In 1977, scientists discovered, miles beneath the sea, cracks in the earth's crust spewing out superheated water and chemicals, supporting astonishing life forms that are not dependent on light from the sun. These deep-sea vents--named ``Garden of Eden'' and ``Dandelion Patch''--host life forms that survive at temperatures of 400 degrees F. and thrive in an environment of hydrogen sulfide, lethal to most other life. The discoveries are causing scientists to rethink the origins of life and speculate on new solutions to pollution. Aiming at younger readers than R. V. Fodor's The Strange World of Deep-Sea Vents (1991), prolific science writer Waters describes the scientists' vehicles, explorations, findings, and speculations; his book is not only more accessible than Fodor's, it's also more current (to summer 1992), while the many color photos showing submersibles, odd life forms, and such intriguing phenomena as ``black smoker chimneys'' and ``sulfide knees'' make it especially attractive. The cutting edge of science for middle grade readers. Splendid! Index. (Nonfiction. 9-12) -- Copyright �1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

From Booklist:

Gr. 4-6. Waters explains what scientists have discovered about the deepest parts of the world's oceans since submersibles--state-of-the-art diving vehicles--opened that frontier to exploration. In particular, the book discusses the terrain, water temperatures, and conditions favorable to life near deep-sea vents, as well as the bacteria and animals found to be living there. Full-color photographs throughout the book show the scientists' equipment and the variety of deep sea land forms, as well as the creatures discovered in the ocean's deepest depths. Although Waters states repeatedly that the scientists were excited by their findings, especially the discovery of animals living in a habitat where the energy source is not the sun, his rather flat writing style does little to communicate their enthusiasm. Still, given the lack of information available to children on the subject, this book belongs in many collections. Carolyn Phelan

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