Two of Taiwan’s top marine science researchers have channeled their passion for knowledge visualization to outstanding effect. Detailed graphics, myriad on-location photos, and colorful stories make this marine science book an excellent fit for readers everywhere.

The Kuroshio Current is the world’s second largest ocean current. Taiwan’s varied, complex coastal terrain has made research on the current flowing past its shores into a repository of marine scientific data worth knowing about. Guided by their enthusiasm for scientific knowledge visualization, two of Taiwan’s top researchers in the field have drawn on nearly thirty years of marine science research to create this invaluable book with easy-to-understand illustrations.

Grounded in solid academic theory and featuring an impressive layout, the book provides a well-organized look at relevant ocean research over the years, plus explanations of the mysterious Kuroshio Current’s directional flow and seasonally influenced ecosystem. Text and images help readers to understand the current’s complex hydrographic structure – resembling a cross-section of a layer cake – as well as how an international struggle for sea power affects the progress of scientific research. Interspersed with these explanations are the authors’ fascinating stories about their work and life aboard ocean research vessels, lending this science-based text a human touch. The authors have also joined forces with hardworking fishermen to help accurately predict environmental changes, and even spoke with director Ang Lee about how Pi’s boat should drift in the movie Life of Pi.

The authors, who have studied the ocean for many years, have found that uncovering the ocean’s secrets is often an easier task than getting people interested in them. This book introduces research on the Kuroshio Current in a format the general public can understand, hoping to make marine science in Taiwan more accessible and also to narrow the gap between what experts and the public know about the ocean. After all, our planet’s oceans affect everyone.