We are mistaken if we think we know our planet. While we know a lot about the landmass, only about a quarter of the ocean floor has been mapped. Less than one percent of the deep sea has been explored. Hydrography is an underrated science, but its work is of great importance.
The Canadian Laura Trethewey dedicates a book to her, “To the Bottom of the World”, which brings us closer to this geoscience. A discipline that has a surprising number of parallels to space travel and yet competes with it.
Trethewey reports on large-scale research projects for seabed measurement, on technical and social challenges, but also on possible solutions, for example with underwater drones, and on a spectacular record attempt that significantly advanced hydrography. It is dedicated to the opportunities and risks of deep-sea mining, the perspectives of indigenous peoples and marine archaeology. And she emphasizes the role of pioneering women in this science.
Her extremely exciting and captivating book takes us into a world that is closer to people than space, but mentally so far away. Sometimes she broadens the view quite a bit, but it is always informative and instructive. Only one important topic is neglected in the book: littering in the oceans and the consequences of human actions for the deep sea. Hans Siglbauer
Laura Trethewey
To the bottom of the world
mareverlag, 368 pages, € 28,–
ISBN 978-3-86648-763-5