The Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands

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The Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands are wild, raw, bountiful-and virtually unknown to most people. This richly illustrated book unveils the mystery and wonder of the vast region, from the shores of Alaska, along the volcanic stretch of the Aleutian Islands, to the Russian coast.

Written by University of Alaska Fairbanks associate professor Terry Johnson, the engaging and authoritative text is accompanied by more than 450 colour photos, drawings, and maps showing the region's people, villages, landforms, plants, and animals.

Johnson tells how the biological and physical worlds above and below the sea meld to form a complex and rich natural environment. He describes the intricacies of the marine food web and explains natural phenomena such as how the tiniest microscopic plankton feed the world's biggest animals, the great whales.

The book has colour photographs of fish, birds, marine mammals, and shore-scapes by some of Alaska's top outdoor photographers. The kaleidoscopic colours of the submarine environment in the Aleutians is portrayed in rare pictures of kelp forests and sea creatures photographed by pioneering scientists who plunge into the frigid waters to explore these undersea jungles.

As for human culture and influences, Johnson covers highlights (and lowlights) of the region's history from early Russian exploration and exploitation and the awful hardships inflicted on Native peoples, through the U.S. purchase of Alaska, the international struggles of World War II and the Cold War, to present-day efforts to study, manage, and utilize the region's abundant but sometimes threatened natural resources.