George's Bank

This extraordinary project summarizes a large body of information on Georges Bank, the vast marine plateau off the coast of New England which supports one of the world's richest and most exploited fisheries and which has recently been at the center of a charged political debate over proposals for oil exploration. Until now debates about alternative uses of the bank have been hampered by the fact that much of the basic research has been available only to specialists and has been scattered among many publications. In bringing the available information on this complex region together for the first time, Georges Bankprovides a basic and indispensable reference tool for anyone involved in studying the bank or in making decisions about its use. Moreover, the depth and clarity of the book's 57 articles and 8 nontechnical introductions will make it useful for anyone involved in oceanographic or ocean policy studies. Sections cover all aspects of this huge marine ecosystem-geology, weather and climate, physical oceanography, chemistry, phytoplankton, primary production, zoology and secondary production, the fisheries, and conflicting uses. Articles are designed to be accessible to both scientists and general readers, and the maps provide easy intercomparisons. Georges Bank'slarge-size format includes 176 six-color maps, 54 four-color illustrations-392 charts, graphs, and drawings. Georges Bankis the first major project of the Coastal Research Center of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.Backus, Richard H. is the author of 'George's Bank' with ISBN 9780262022231 and ISBN 0262022230.