Murmurs from the Deep: Scientific Adventure in the Caribbean

By Gilles Fonteneau

A scientific expedition into unknown parts of the Caribbean to study the tectonic plates of the region answers the intriguing question: Is there a language of fish? Gilles Fonteneau, a longtime... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1559707763
• ISBN13: 9781559707763
• Release Date: May 2006
• Publisher: Arcade Publishing
• Length: 239 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.8" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

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The blend of natural history and area political insights combine in a fine first-person survey

You may not readily recognize the author's name; but he launched his own expedition ala Cousteau in 2001 to measure the movement of the tectonic plates of the Caribbean - and indeed joined Cousteau's team and sailed with him for several years. So while his background is similar and influenced by Cousteau, he moved on to become a business executive for thirty years before returning to his first love, marine exploration. His goal was more than measuring plate movements: he wanted to make audio recordings of the fish of the Caribbean, and wished to study the erosion of local coral reefs. The blend of natural history and area political insights combine in a fine first-person survey of adventure in MURMURS FROM THE DEEP: SCIENTIFIC ADVENTURE IN THE CARIBBEAN. Diane C. Donovan California Bookwatch

Report of an Expedition to the Caribbean

Now this is the way to retire. Enough money to have a good sized catamaran and to afford the time to go on a privately funded research trip that lasted several months. To be sure there was a scientific justification for the trip, two actually. He was installing equipment to measure the movement of the tectonic plates, and he was recording the noises that fish make. But while this work was being done, there was plenty of time available to sit and observe the sunset, to look at the beauty of the islands, to visit the locals. So to wrap up a summary of the book: o It has a discussion on the tectonic plates, where they are, how they move, and how they cause tsunamis. o It breaks some new ground in the area of fish noises, and proves that they do communicate to a certain extent. o And it is a beautifully written travelogue of a slow moving life around a part of the caribbean. I find myself wondering just how much the fish recordings did. There has been an awful lot of listening done in the oceans by the people looking for submarines. Big, sensitive networks of listening devices cross the ocean. I can't help but believe they heard the fish. But does this really matter. It's a delightful, entertaining book.