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It is a curious and distressing fact that, in spite of all we know about life on Earth, so many basic questions still remain, especially when it comes to life in the ocean. What lies underneath the large ocean that covers more than 70 percent of the planet's surface? We know that it's full of salty water and that life can be found in every drop of it—actually, tens of thousands of bacteria in every drop. And, in a place like the western Mediterranean, we can discover as many as 100 different species of plants in an area the size of a dinner plate.

But, when it comes to guessing how much life there is in the entire ocean, we are unsure by a factor of 20. Experts estimate that there may be between 500,000 and 10 million different marine species—some difference! This is why the Census of Marine Life was launched. The Census is an international effort with the goal of answering three basic questions: What lived, lives, and will live in the world's ocean? Over the past decade, 2,000 scientists searched the ocean from Pole to Pole, from top to bottom, for everything from microbes to whales. The goal was not just to estimate the number of species but also to figure out how much their numbers have changed over time and what the future of marine life might be. The Census has been a journey of discovery.

There is no agreed-upon method for making a census of marine life. So the Census used an eclectic array of tools—from scuba diving to satellites—and human ingenuity to construct an impressive collage of information, from the discovery of new species of deep-sea creatures to the tracking of the migration of large ocean predators such as tuna. It's detective work—fascinating, challenging, and often exhilarating. Take reef fish. How can we know how many there are on a particular coral reef? You swim along a 50-meter line, identifying, counting, and estimating the size of every fish within two meters on each side. This is harder than it sounds. Imagine yourself swimming against a current, with schools of hundreds of small fishes moving frantically from one side of the line to the other while other fish dive down into the reef to hide.

To complicate things, males and females are colored differently in some species, just like some birds. In addition, large fishes tend to swim away as fast as fishly possible, which makes it very difficult for one to estimate how big they are. Now multiply this times 300 species or more. For the rest of the ocean, mostly beyond what our human bodies can tolerate, the quest is even more daunting. Exploring the deep sea is similar to space exploration: We need sophisticated submersibles to isolate us from the hostile environment—dark, cold, and under intense pressure. We can catch only glimpses of a world where we are welcome only as temporary guests...

While I've attempted to give you a good overview of how you might build a shipping container home, there are so many individual preferences, needs, and approaches, it is impossible and impractical to cover them all. That said, this guide along with the accompanying resources section is a living beast. The resources section in particular will be constantly updated with new information and additional resources.

And the best bit? It's all based on what you want! Shoot me an email if you have any ideas or questions about shipping container homes and I'll do my best to answer your question and include any additional information in the resources section. We're a community of shipping container home enthusiasts. We can learn from each other, share what we know and help to change the landscape of domestic building with this nontraditional technique.

So don't be shy! Let me know what you want to see in future editions of this guide, and what you would find helpful in the resources section. Here are some of my ideas, let me know what piques your interest: Sample Plans and Example Documentation, In-depth Interviews with Shipping Container Home Owners, Typical Details, Product Recommendations.

Here is a quite rare and classic book on ancient and modern vessels. The main content of the book is made of five major chapters; while the opening chapter is purely introductory, the next chapters provide the interested readers with the useful information about the ancient ships that used to sail in the Red and Mediterranean as well as in the Seas of Northern Europe, Medieval ships, Modern wooden sailing ships.

The appendix contains description of an archaic greek bireme. Just imagine, the publication was originally printed in London more than hundred years ago, by Wyman and Sons, for His Majesty's Stationery Office; the body of the volume contains more than seventy interesting illustrations. Believe it is absolutely needless to underline that the present publication will be a great one for the collection of any sea lover, shipbuilder and naval historian.

Here is a very compact and concise but in fact remarkably comprehensive and authoritative technical overview of the most important marine energy devices of today, released with the ultimate goal of reaching to the sustainable electrical energy generation. The content of the volume includes many full-colour images and photos providing really inspiring case studies of the most technically promising energy devices and their developments. The publication is mainly aimed ant a very wide readership from general readers to the industry professionals, policy makers plus all other players of the energy industry. Brief contents below... Preface; Introduction - Marine energy and Planet, Marine resources, Historical overview, Power, energy and performance, Into the future; Capturing Marine Energy - Ocean waves, Wave energy conversion, Tidal streams, Tidal stream energy conversion, Research and development; Generating Electricity - Introductory, Power take-off, Alternate current electricity, Generators, Connecting to a grid, Large scale renewable energy; Several Case Studies on Wave Energy/Tidal Stream Energy Converters. Another interesting book on the new, quite perspective and absolutely environment friendly ways of getting electricity.

Very rare book first published in 1885, now digitized by Google, Legends and Superstitions of the Sea and of Sailors in All Lands and at All Times was written by Fletcher S. Bassett, Lieutenant of U.S. Navy. It is culturally important as it sheds the light on many almost loss myths and stories related to the sailing.

The characters involved include the Gods, Saints and Demons of the sea, wind-makers and storm-raisers, sea monsters and sea serpents, sea-giants and dwarfs, storm-raising deeds, and many others. It also tells the reader about sacrifices, offerings and oblations, ceremonies and festivals, as well as famous sea voyages.

We have a good chance today to offer you an excellent and remarkably interesting popular publication which was originally prepared by Haydn Middleton and which is telling readers a story about one of the most famous seamen in the maritime history. This nice book has been written in a very easy-to-read language, and that is why we would highly recommend it even to the children; moreover, there are numerous colourful illustrations supplementing the main text of the volume that will make it even more attractive to the junior readers.

Obviously and without any discussion, Captain Cook is one of the most prominent figures in the history and someone everyone should know about. One of the greatest explorers of the world ocean and adventurer, whose geographical explorations filled in the remaining vacant spaces on the world map. The fascinating way of telling the story will make this book one of the most favourite books in the collection of your kid; however, we are quite sure that you will love it yourself. An easy reading for the weekend or after a long day, just relax and let yourself get transferred a couple of centuries back, to the times of sea adventures, we promise you will not get disappointed.

Led by the need to find food, or just curiosity, people have always explored the world around them. Our ancestors probably made their first journeys on water by floating out into rivers and bay on top of tree trunks. As long as 10,000 years ago, they had learned to make simple boats called dugouts by hollowing out tree trunks. Many thousands of years later people discovered that boats could be built by joining wooden planks together. Boats could now be any shape or size. Small ones were pushed along by paddles or oars, but larger ones needed the power of wind pushing against sails to propel them. All the great voyages of exploration were made by sailing ships. Then, in the 1800s, the invention of the steam engine opened up a new source of power and led to new designs. In this century, new materials and small powerful engines have made lightweight yachts and motor-boats possible. And the popularity of water sports has led to the invention of water skis, the sailboard, and the jet ski.

A fascinating story of the author's adventure in a boat all around the western coasts of the British Isles. This adventure started when he decided to leave his life in a cozy home in Sussex and go for the sea adventure. He has a 42-foot wooden ketch, the Auk, and was accompanied by a friend of him who knew a bit about sailing.

Adam Nicolson - the author of this interesting title - sailed off Cornwall to Scilly and then t western coast of Ireland prior to heading to the Orkney Islands and finally Faroe Islands. Note, however, that the present volume shall not be treated as just a travel journal. The author has written about his yearnings for the sea and open spaces.

There is an excellent and interesting dialogue running all through the content of this book with the author being between the various attractions of home/not home together with the certainties of what one knows and seductions of he or she does not. The publication is filled with the rich experience of the author presented in a very poetic and reflective manner.

This is a story telling readers about the marvels of the Atlantic coast and depicting the portrait of a man who has determined to check what it is all for, being somewhere in the middle of his life. Exceptionally well written book which is quite personal but still panoramic. Highly recommended to all sea lovers.