A Financial Times Best Science Book of 2023A scientist's exploration of the "ocean engine"—the physics behind the ocean's systems—and why it matters.All of Earth's oceans, from the equator to the poles, are a single engine powered by sunlight, driving huge flows of energy, water, life, & raw materials. InThe Blue Machine, physicist & oceanographerHelen Czerskiillustrates the mechanisms behind this defining feature of our planet, voyaging from the depths of the ocean floor to tropical coral reefs, estuaries that feed into shallow coastal seas, & Arctic ice floes.Through stories of history, culture, & animals, she explains how water temperature, salinity, gravity, & the movement of Earth's tectonic plates all interact in a complex dance, supporting life at the smallest scale—plankton—and the largest—giant sea turtles, whales, humankind. From the ancient Polynesians who navigated the Pacific by reading the waves, to permanent residents of the deep such as the Greenland shark that can live for hundreds of years, she introduces the messengers, passengers, & voyagers that rely on interlinked systems of vast currents, invisible ocean walls, & underwater waterfalls.Most important, however,Czerskireveals that while the ocean engine has sustained us for thousands of years, today it is faced with urgent threats. By understanding how the ocean works, & its essential role in our global system, we can learn how to protect our blue machine. Timely, elegant, & passionately argued,The Blue Machinepresents a fresh perspective on what it means to be a citizen of an ocean planet.°°°Helen Czerskiis a physicist & oceanographer at University College London. The author ofThe Blue Machine&Storm in a Teacup, she is a columnist for theWall Street Journal, writing regularly about the physics of everyday life. She lives in London.