Helen Czerski, a physicist and oceanographer known for her engaging science presentations, explores the profound connection between the ocean and human civilization. She discusses how currents shape marine ecosystems and the unique role of the Humboldt Current in Chile's coastal waters. Czerski highlights the critical impact of climate change and overfishing on our oceans, emphasizing the need for greater awareness. She also shares a thrilling personal account of the St. Jude storm, reflecting on nature's awe-inspiring power.
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insights INSIGHT
Motivation Behind "Blue Machine"
Helen Czerski, a physicist and oceanographer, explains her motivation for writing "Blue Machine".
She realized the ocean's crucial role in our world is often overlooked, focusing on marine life rather than the water itself.
insights INSIGHT
The Ocean's Hidden Engine
The ocean isn't just a big, salty lake; it has a complex internal structure that impacts our world.
This "engine" drives currents, influences ecosystems, and shapes human civilization.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Humboldt Current and its impact
The Humboldt Current off Chile's coast demonstrates how currents impact life.
This nutrient-rich upwelling supports abundant marine life and historically impacted geopolitics through fish and guano.
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In 'Blue Machine', Helen Czerski delves into the physics and biology of the ocean, illustrating its role as a single engine powered by sunlight that influences animals, weather, and human history. The book offers a fresh perspective on being a citizen of an ocean planet and highlights the urgent need to protect this vital system.
Storm in a Teacup
Helen Czerski
In 'Storm in a Teacup', Helen Czerski provides an engaging and entertaining exploration of physics by linking ordinary objects and occurrences to big ideas like climate change and medical testing. The book offers insights into how physics underlies many common experiences, making the familiar fascinating again.
Storm in a Teacup
Helen Czerski
In 'Storm in a Teacup', Helen Czerski provides an engaging and entertaining exploration of physics by linking ordinary objects and occurrences to big ideas like climate change and medical testing. The book offers insights into how physics underlies many common experiences, making the familiar fascinating again.
To understand the world you need to understand the ocean. That’s the argument of physicist Helen Czerski who has long studied the complex ecosystems and forces that drive the ‘blue machine’ which covers 71% of our planet. Czerski joins Intelligence Squared to discuss her new book Blue Machine: How the Ocean Shapes Our World, and what we should know about these vast bodies of water – the waves, currents, invisible ocean walls and underwater waterfalls that are part of an interlinked system that shapes the world around us. In conversation with science editor of The Times Tom Whipple, Czerski discusses how, since the beginning of human civilisation, the oceans have been central to the way human societies have evolved and how threats like climate change and overfishing could threaten our future.
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