Stan Ulanski is a professor of geology and environmental science at James Madison University in Virginia. After receiving his doctorate from the University of Virginia, he embarked upon his professional career as a research scientist at Battelle Laboratories in Washington. In addition to his interest in ocean currents, such as the Gulf Stream, Ulanski pursues an active research agenda, studying the mechanism of Saharan dust transport across the Atlantic Ocean. He is also the author of The Science of Fly-Fishing, published by the University of Virginia Press.
The book explores the fascinating story of the Gulf Stream, a powerful Atlantic Ocean current with a force 300 times that of the mighty Amazon. During Europe’s dominance in the New World, the Gulf Stream sped ships laden with the fortunes in spices, sugar, and rum from the burgeoning colonies back to Spain and guided the ships of the buccaneers who preyed upon them. Later, the current was essential to the development of the transatlantic slave trade. So important was the Gulf Stream to all of this trade that early maps depicting its course were closely guarded secrets.The Gulf Stream blends science and history and spans both distance and time to reveal how the Gulf Stream affects and is affected by every living thing that encounters it—from tiny planktonic organisms to giant bluefin tuna, from ancient mariners to big-game anglers. The book examines the scientific discovery of ocean circulation, the biological life teeming in the stream, and the role of the ocean currents in the settlement of New World. It is a story that connects the complex network of physics, biology, and human interactions that characterize our world.
Ulanski, Stan The Gulf Stream: Tiny Plankton, Giant Bluefin, and the Amazing Story of the Powerful River in the Atlantic University of North Carolina Press232 pages, 9.6 x 6.4 inches ISBN 978 0807832172
We don't have paywalls. We don't sell your data. Please help to keep this running!