ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS: MARINE POLLUTION

Abstract

Review by Kenneth L. Carriveau, Jr. Government Documents/Agriculture Librarian, Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Library, University of Guam, UOG Station, Mangilao, GU 96923. USA. TEL: 671-734-9144/9403. Gorman, Martha. ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS: MARINE POLLUTION. (Contemporary World Issues series). Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, Inc., 1993. xiii, 252 pp. US$39.50 ISBN: 0-87436-641-0. Acid-free paper. The ocean covers approximately 70% of the earth's total surface area and accounts for almost 97% of the total water in the environment. It is also home to a great variety of marine life whose populations may number in the trillions. Given its sheer enormity of size and diversity of life, it is not surprising that humankind has taken the ocean for granted until earlier this century. It is difficult to believe that something so massive and seemingly resilient can really be adversely affected by our activities. Gorman's MARINE POLLUTION serves as an excellent reminder that the relationship between humans and the earth is more complex than previously thought and that small actions today may have far reaching consequences in the future. Similar in format to earlier volumes of the Contemporary World Issues series, Gorman opens her work with a broad introduction to the basic issues of marine environmental studies: (1) description and definition of the six major categories of marine pollutants, (2) a brief history of human activities having significant effects on the physical condition of the ocean and/or socio-political attitudes towards the ocean, (3) brief biographical sketches of relevant historical figures, (4) citations for U.S. and international legal documents concerned with the marine environment, and (5) compilation of statistical facts, figures and tables. This narrative is not as eloquent as the journalistic style employed by Anne W. Simon in NEPTUNE'S REVENGE (Franklin Watts, 1984) nor as detailed a scientific analysis as Sebastian A. Gerlach's MARINE POLLUTION (Springer-Verlag, 1981); however, this does not mean that her presentation is without merit. Gorman expresses rather complex issues succinctly and in such a manner that an educated layperson who is interested in learning more about the plight of the world marine environment will find a wealth of introductory information at his/her fingertips. The novice environmentalist will also find the directory of international marine environmental organizations and bibliographies of print and non-print resources particularly helpful. Though this book focuses only on U.S. marine coastal areas and estuaries, readers from around the world will find that the issues discussed here apply in their countries as well. Recommended for public, four-year college, and undergraduate level university libraries.