The New Ocean: The Fate of Life in a Changing Sea, by Bryn BarnardRead about another entry on the list.
This stark and urgent new book posits that human activity has affected life in the oceans so radically that they are becoming something quite different from the oceans we once knew. Familiar species will give way to those who can endure acidification and global warming. Barnard addresses the concerns facing a number of ocean dwellers, illustrating each with lovely, somber paintings. “Jellyfish can thrive anywhere,” she writes. Jellyfish evolved when the oceans had little oxygen, and so they are weathering the changing conditions better than most. Sea turtles, on the other hand, often become trapped, sickened, or wounded because of the pollutants that end up in the water, from plastic six-pack holders to oil. Some of the hard facts Barnard shares in this important book are sad, but can motivate kids to do what they can to help the oceans, from using less plastic to talking their parents into buying an electric car.
--Marshal Zeringue
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