"Understanding our global environment and our role in it is the first step toward living in better harmony with nature."
Reports to the Nation: Our Changing Planet

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From Monsoons to Microbes

Committee on the Ocean's Role in Human Health
Ocean Studies Board
Commission on Geosciences, Environment, and Resources
National Research Council

National Academy Press, 1999
ISBN 0-309-06569-0

Excerpts from the book's back cover

What can sharks teach us about our immune system? How do ocean currents affect the strength of hurricanes? The more we learn about the ocean, the more we realize how critical these vast bodies of water are to our health and well-being.

This book recommends ways we can implement exciting new technologies to monitor the physics, chemistry, and biology of the ocean to recognize change as it happens. From the impact of worldwide atmospheric warming to the significance of exotic bacteria from submarine hydrothermal vents, the ocean has many depths left for us to explore.