From the preface:
"Until now, much of the information on Antarctic seaweeds has existed in a fragmented form, as individual articles in what are, for the non-phycologist, rather obscure and specialist scientific publications. Our main aim in writing this book was to make up-to-date scientific information on the seaweeda of Antarctica more accessibleto the general scientific reader. We wanted to make the task of recognising seaweeds simpler and faster, and we sought to present current knowledge of species in the form of a comprehensive account of their biology that helps to explain how Antarctic seaweeds are adapted to life in this extreme environment. We have added photographs of as many species as possible, including many of the commoner Antarctic seaweeds."