Sea Level

“Like the metre, the minute, or the meridian that runs through Greenwich, England, ‘sea level’ is best thought of as a social and historical construct, the result of an inherently arbitrary decision taken by generations of people doing their best to make sense of a strange and chaotic world. Von Hardenberg’s history is a story not of the way sea level has changed over time but, rather, of the ways in which humans have understood, and made use of, sea level as a concept, a marker of where we stand in the world.”  * New Yorker * “Sea Level is a powerful reminder that examining the history of scientific values can shed light on both the structure of modern science and its impact on the near future. This book is concise, well written, and informative, and it is a strong example of what ocean history has to offer.” * Science * “Hardenberg’s history illustrates how values of the zero-level reference plane varied from country to country, depending not only on varying geography but also on how national priorities for the allocation of research resources affected the choice and extent of the data sets obtained.”  * Natural History * “As this readable and thoughtful book explains, making sense of sea level was a matter of measurement. Von Hardenberg traces the ways in which philosophers, map-makers and bureaucrats from the eighteenth century onwards grappled with the problems of measuring elevation.  . . . This is the story of how sea level was transformed from a local to a universal reference.” * Times Literary Supplement * “Those whose interests encompass one or more of the Earth sciences, as well as those who study the history of science—particularly its applications and intersections with politics and commerce—should add this new book to their reading list, as should all who would simply like to acquire a better understanding and informed perspective on the terminology, techniques, and overall understanding of one of the more commonly referenced measurement values cited in the present-day discussions and debates about climate change.”  * The Well-Read Naturalist * “Brilliant . . . all adults should read and understand Sea Level. Highly recommended.”  * Choice * “Sea Level is a delightfully compacted study, refreshingly free of the kind of doomsaying that usually accompanies this subject. And the sotto voce warning about hobbling science with the politics of the moment is unfortunately pointed.” * Open Letters Review * “Traversing major debates within the history of science, Hardenberg offers his readers an interdisciplinary account of the abstraction and mathematization of the global coastlines. He tells this story from a unique vantage point located in the present climate politics. Thoroughly researched, highly original, and robustly argued, this book is a pleasure to read.” -- Debjani Bhattacharyya, author of Empire and Ecology in the Bengal Delta: The Making of Calcutta