Phytoplankton--the passively floating or weakly swimming plant life found in bodies of water--is generally inconspicuous. It is of basic importance in lakes and seas, however, as the primary producer of the organic material on which other forms of aquatic life depend; and it is probable that its total photosynthetic output exceeds that of land vegetation. This book reviews the information gained from culture studies in the laboratory on the growth kinetics and metabolism of algae and considers to what extent this information is applicable to phytoplankton populations in nature.Dr. Fogg has...

This book is the first to describe the development of scientific activity in the Antarctic (as distinct from exploration) in all its aspects. Coverage spans three centuries, starting with Halley who laid the foundations of geophysics which was to be the principal driving force behind Antarctic science for most of its history. Although early researchers built up a picture of the main features of the Antarctic environment, the idea of science specific to the continent emerged only later. As the main disciplines of oceanography, earth sciences, the sciences of atmosphere and geospace,...