Deep Water: the World in the Ocean

James Bradley
Scribe, £22.00

In Deep Water, James Bradley beautifully describes how our lives are inextricably linked to the sea. The deep ocean is not separate from human activity and is not simply a new frontier to be exploited.

The book doesn’t shy away from uncomfortable facts. Industrial fishing has reduced the ocean’s biomass of fish and other marine animals by about 90%. Tyres, fishing nets, sports bags and beach balls have all been seen at depths below 3,000 metres.

Bradley highlights research that suggests previous climate models underestimated the sensitivity of Earth’s systems, meaning temperatures could rise much faster and much higher than initially predicted.

Despite these dire warnings, Deep Water also contains messages of hope. Opposition to deep-sea mining is growing, with many major corporations signing declarations that they won’t use materials sourced from the deep sea. There are hopeful signs that avoiding destruction at sea won’t simply lead to more destruction on land – for example, cobalt recycling within a circular economy shows that there is a cleaner path towards a low-emission economy.

There are also exciting moves towards the development of cargo ships powered by sail: one of Bradley’s interviewees is working on plans for a 500-tonne, steel-hulled sailing vessel that can cross the Pacific and Atlantic.

The ultimate fate of our oceans is to be borne away by solar wind, when the sun transforms into a red giant that produces enough heat to trigger a runaway greenhouse effect. However, we have roughly a billion years before that happens, so for now we have the power and incentive to ensure that our deep waters remain conducive to life. However much is lost, there is still more to save.

Dr Rebecca Nesbit

Reviewed by writer, artist and ecologist Dr Rebecca Nesbit