Professor Dorrik Stow, of Heriot-Watt University, is a sedimentologist and oceanographer. As well as publishing over 200 research papers, he has been active in science outreach, lecturing widely. His most recent books include Encyclopedia of the Oceans (OUP, 2004), Sedimentary Rocks in the Field: A Colour Guide (Manson Publishing, 2005), and Vanished Ocean (OUP, 2012).
Dorrik Stow's book is a keenly observed narrative about the beauty and complexity of Earth's oceans. This slim volume with its elegant prose is a must read for anyone who wishes to understand why oceans are central to the flourishing of humans as well as the planet itself. Professor Paul Pinet, Colgate University a