September 07, 2004

9/7 - Steinbeck's Baseline from the Sea of Cortez: so shifted it's almost incomprehensible

How hard is it to not be a victim of "shifting baselines"? Ask the guys who re-enacted Steinbeck's cruise to the Sea of Cortez this spring. Here's an excerpt from the Seattle Times article about their journey.

"It wasn't until the end of this spring's trip that Jon Christensen, who helped organize the expedition and is writing a book about it, noted what he and his colleagues didn't see: turtles, sharks, giant manta rays. Without the benefit of Steinbeck's log or Ricketts' notes, he said, it wouldn't have occurred to him how empty the ocean had become."

cortez_bookcover.jpg


Posted by Randy Olson at September 7, 2004 10:26 AM
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