For as long as I can remember, I’ve felt at home on the water. I grew up in a coastal neighborhood in south Brooklyn, surrounded by the sulfuric scent of low tide and the ubiquitous squawk of seagulls overhead. I learned how to swim in an inlet of the New York Bay, discovering not only how to move and keep myself afloat but also how to exist alongside the tide, paddling with the waves instead of fighting against them. I loved the wildlife too—the clams that would spray water up from their hiding place in the sand, the pipers pecking the shoreline for flies and sand fleas, the glossy, almost imperceptible fry glittering along the coast. Along with this adoration came immense respect for the sea's power. I had witnessed the water's might as well, the indomitable lull of rip currents, the searing graze of a jellyfish's tentacles, the hazy darkness of its depths.
Though often taken for granted, Earth’s oceans and the many ecosystems housed within them are foundational to all life, on sea and land alike. And yet, international waterways face greater threats than ever, imperiled by factors including climate change, pollution and plastic debris, offshore drilling, and destructive fishing practices. As we get ready to recognize World Ocean Day, celebrated annually on June 8, we’ve curated a collection of listens to inspire you to learn more and take action to recognize, restore, and protect the sea and all its inhabitants.
Legendary marine biologist and conservationist Rachel Carson forever changed the way we view and interact with the natural world. Her 1962 classic Silent Spring is widely credited with sparking the conversation on pollution and the modern environmentalist movement, but it was her National Book Award-winning The Sea Around Us that captured the very soul of our planet’s oceans. Though it covers more than 70 percent of our planet's surface, the sea and its vital connection to humankind and all living beings is often overlooked. In language both poetic and crystalline, Carson crafts a masterful portrait of the deep, from its origins to contemporary scientific observations. Jeffrey Levinton, an expert on ecology and evolution, brings this essential volume up to date with a new chapter on the most pressing issues threatening marine life today, and narrator Kaiulani Lee brilliantly mirrors the ebb and flow of Carson's exploration with her rhythmic, soothing delivery.
Despite their major presence in our lives, very little of our global oceans have actually been explored, mapped, or charted. Among the greatest mysteries is that of the ocean floor, an ecosystem as biodiverse as it is deep and dark, and thus, difficult to navigate. Yet what we do know of the deep sea is truly remarkable, a truth that marine biologist Helen Scales deftly explores in this author-narrated listen. The Brilliant Abyss takes listeners on a journey thousands of feet below the water's surface, illuminating those dim, unknowable trenches to bring into full view the vivid and varied landscape. Scales also explores the deleterious effects human beings have inflicted on these ecological communities in pursuit of material wealth through the harvesting of much-desired deep sea mineral resources.
Far too often, human beings operate on the supposition that we are the only wholly intelligent, emotional beings on Earth. This presumption, scientific philosopher Peter Godfrey-Smith argues, could not be farther from the truth. In Other Minds, Godfrey-Smith muses on the inner lives of cephalopods, creatures like the squid, cuttlefish, and octopus that, despite evolving in vastly different circumstances than our own, display a stunning sense of intellect. He traces cephalopod lineage back to the very beginnings of animal life, revealing how primitive subaquatic cellular organisms developed into the beings we recognize today, and assesses just how the solitary octopus prospered, advancing as one of the sharpest, most remarkable minds in the animal kingdom. Probing theories of consciousness and what it means to be, this listen is well worth pondering.
Coral reefs are sometimes referred to as the "rainforests of the sea” due to the sheer biodiversity of these underwater ecosystems. Millions of species live among reefs, from corals and clams to seahorses, sponges, and sea turtles. Reefs and rainforests also share a grimmer similarity—they are both in tremendous danger, their very existence threatened by human behavior, disease, and the devastation of the ongoing climate crisis. In Life on the Rocks, Juli Berwald, author of the jellyfish deep dive Spineless, turns her ocean scientist's eye toward the need to protect these radiant oceanic microcosms before they’re damaged beyond repair by factors including boat groundings, overfishing, and increasingly warmer waters. In her own voice, Berwald recalls her encounters with scientists and environmental advocates working tirelessly to protect reefs and rebuild the ecosystems that are home to so many. Throughout, she brings a memoirist’s flair to her storytelling, emphasizing the importance of maintaining hope in fights both intimate and large scale.
Oceanographer Edith Widder is a leading expert on bioluminescence, the process in which organisms produce and emit light to a variety of ends, from camouflage to communication. This fascinating natural process is prevalent in the deep ocean, where Widder has focused much of her research. But her listen on the topic is not a traditional scientific manual. Below the Edge of Darkness is an electrifying tale of intrepid exploration, in turns alight with adventure, discovery, and danger. Widder dove headfirst into her work quite literally, donning a heavy-duty submersible suit and getting a glimpse at life 800 feet beneath the surface. Instead of pure darkness, she was greeted by a dazzling show ablaze with the glow of the deep-sea community. Narrator Allyson Ryan brings an easy, genial cadence to Widder’s memoir, taking an already bright story to incandescent new heights.
Eels are among the most perplexing critters in the sea. Their origins are unknown, their physiology equally bewildering, and their breeding methods totally mystifying. What are eels, exactly? And where did the slippery, serpent-like fish even come from? Swedish journalist Patrik Svensson seeks to uncover just that in his probing bestseller, The Book of Eels. Combining nature-centric nonfic with memoir, Svensson reflects on his relationship with his late father, who first introduced him to the peculiar species on the fishing trips of his childhood, as well as the elusive nature of the creature itself, musing on that which is unknowable to us, be it eels or death. While ultimately raising more questions than it answers, Svensson’s exploration of one of the ocean’s greatest enigmas offers a brilliant glimpse into the scientific process and how much still remains to be learned.
Few living beings are more misunderstood and unjustly villainized than the shark. The powerful predators are frequent fodder for horror films and their considerably infrequent attacks on humans kindling for incendiary headlines. Given the fact that humans pose a far greater threat to shark populations than they do to us, it’s imperative that we not only dispel long-held myths about these magnificent creatures but begin to urgently advocate for their protection. Paul de Gelder will be familiar to fans of Discovery Channel’s Shark Week programming—in 2009, the Australian navy vet had a fateful encounter with a bull shark in Sydney Harbor during which he lost two limbs. Now, in Shark, de Gelder pens a most unexpected love letter to the creatures that upended his life, sharing what he learned about sharks and the wider oceanic ecosystem while recovering from the attack. Bringing some serious narrative skills honed in his public speaking and television hosting gigs, de Gelder appeals to listeners directly, underscoring just how pivotal sharks are to the balance of the sea at large.
Whales are awe-inducing creatures, staggering in their size, methods of communication, and social behaviors. Rebecca Giggs, a writer who focuses on our relationship with and attitude towards our nonhuman counterparts during a time of environmental upheaval, turns that perspective towards the inner lives of whales and how they’ve experienced and adapted to widespread ecological change. A work of natural history and contemporary science reporting with a thoughtful philosophical edge, Fathoms traces defining moments in the culture of whales, from the brutality of the early whaling trade to the diverse beauty of whale song, the impact of human intervention and climate change woven throughout. Guided by Shiromi Arserio’s gentle performance, this acclaimed work ultimately challenges human listeners to understand their undersea neighbors with greater complexity and compassion.
Sabrina Imbler opens their memoir by recounting a quiet protest they once held, single-handedly, as a child, objecting to a big box pet store's treatment of fish. Though Imbler was booted from the store, that anecdote sets the tone for How Far the Light Reaches, a collection of essays that is as deeply humane as it is imaginative. With grace and empathy, Imbler intertwines experiences from their life as a queer, mixed-race person with observations of sea creatures as varied as sand striker worms and Chinese surgeons. They connect their own fight for survival and need for adaptation with the endurance displayed by deep-sea dwellers, while emphasizing how the nontraditional notions of family and community modeled by ocean ecosystems allow for a new vision of life for humankind. Melding sexuality and science to a stunning effect, this author-narrated listen is a compelling meditation on coming-of-age, trauma, body image and awareness, and what it means to exist in this big, beautiful, bewildering world.
The reality of climate change is no longer up for debate—as energy and environmental writer Jeff Goodell posits, it’s not a matter of whether mass flooding will devastate international communities but when. In The Water Will Come, Goodell considers a future in which melting ice sheets in the Arctic and rising temperatures will result in perilously high sea levels that will eventually drown the globe. Using scientific evidence from the front lines, he crafts an alarming narrative about this potential future, one that’s already well on its way, detailing a landscape redefined by Earth’s mounting waterways and how engineers have moved to innovate in the meanwhile, creating seawalls and structures in the hopes of buying coastal cities more time. While it’s a difficult pill to swallow, this eye-opening listen is a must for anyone seeking to understand the growing influence of global warming on our planet’s oceans and seaside communities alike.
A fascination with the ocean and its many curious and colorful inhabitants is often relegated to the realm of kid stuff. But in this Audible Original podcast, host and evolutionary biologist Ben Garrod proves that learning more about our planet is a lifelong process, one that we never really grow out of. In A Grown-Up Guide to Oceans, Garrod takes listeners on a journey from the beginning of life on Earth to the present day, emphasizing throughout useful knowledge and actionable advice on how to protect our waterways. From the dawn of the vertebrae to intelligent life under the sea to climate change's affect on the sea, this listen is a valuable resource for anyone looking for a thorough primer on all things aquatic.
