Scientists and the sea, 1650-1900

This book traces the history of Oceanography from its remote beginnings to its establishment as an independent science. 17th-century scientists hoped their studies would improve safety at sea, as well as answering important scientific questions. Major advances occurred when the increasing interest of biologists in the scientific exploration of the deep sea was joined to the expertise gained in laying submarine telegraph cables. The work of H.M.S. Challenger and similar expeditions from the 1870s onwards at sea, and the rise of marine stations and fishery laboratories on shore, laid the foundations of modern oceanography. The author considers the motives, work and observations of well-known figures such as Robert Boyle, Robert Hooke, Sir Isaac Newton, Sir Joseph Banks, William Whewell and T. H. Huxley, as well as many whose contributions were more closely confined to the field. Scientists and the Sea, first published in 1971, is reprinted here together with a new introduction and bibliography.