Book Club: July 6, 2026, 2-4pm. Fellows and External Fellows – Zoom only event
- This event has passed.
July 6 @ 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
July 6, 2026, 2-4 pm – Fellows and External Fellows
The Underworld: Journeys to the Depths of the Ocean, by Susan Casey (2023)
Discussion Leader: William Logan
Cutting-edge technologies in recent years have allowed scientists and explorers to dive miles beneath the surface of the ocean, and we are beginning to understand this strange and exotic underworld: A place of soaring mountains, smouldering volcanoes, and valleys 7,000 feet deeper than Everest is high, where tectonic plates collide and separate, and extraordinary life forms operate under distinct rules. This book brings the depths of the oceans to life. The author is a journalist who has written much about the ocean and participates in the deep dives herself. She does a great job of discussing the importance of mapping the ocean floor and of exploring all the life that teems below. She highlights the many men and women that have devoted their lives and money to something often overlooked by the larger science community. From a climate perspective, she includes a chapter on deep sea mining, exploiting the sea for minerals and other substances which can have severe environmental consequences. The other environmental issues discussed are destructive fishing, plastics and other pollutants. This book informs us of a major part of our world about which we know so little but is of such importance to us and deserves more of our attention. (Available in all formats; 352 pages)
The book includes color plates, but for those who want an even more vivid illustration of the material in this book, David Attenborough’s new film Ocean is recommended. https://silverbackfilms.tv/shows/oceanwithdavidattenborough/.
The link to register is https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/r3jBPd8YDL
The deadline to register is the Monday morning the day of the event at 8 am. The Zoom link will be sent to registrants only.
If you have any questions, please contact the organizer, Mary Jane Ashley at maryjane.ashley@utoronto.ca.
