{"product_id":"killer-algae-alexandre-meinesz-9780226519234","title":"Killer Algae","description":"Two decades ago, a Stuttgart zoo imported a lush, bright green seaweed for its aquarium. \u003ci\u003eCaulerpa taxifolia\u003c\/i\u003e was captively bred by the zoo and exposed, for years, to chemicals and ultraviolet light. Eventually a sample of it found its way to the Oceanographic Museum in Monaco, then headed by Jacques Cousteau. Fifteen years ago, while cleaning its tanks, that museum dumped the pretty green plant into the Mediterranean. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis supposedly benign little plant--that no one thought could survive the waters of the Mediterranean--has now become a pernicious force. \u003ci\u003eCaulerpa taxifolia\u003c\/i\u003e now covers 10,000 acres of the coasts of France, Spain, Italy, and Croatia, and has devastated the Mediterranean ecosystem. And it continues to grow, unstoppable and toxic. When Alexandre Meinesz, a professor of biology at the University of Nice, discovered a square-yard patch of it in 1984, he warned biologists and oceanographers of the potential species invasion. His calls went unheeded. At that point, one person could have pulled the small patch out and ended the problem. Now, however, the plant has defeated the French Navy, thwarted scientific efforts to halt its rampage, and continues its destructive journey into the Adriatic Sea. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eKiller Algae\u003c\/i\u003e is the biological and political horror story of this invasion. For despite Meinesz's pleas to scientists and the French government, no agency was willing to take responsibility for the seaweed, and while the buck was passed, the killer algae grew. And through it all, the Oceanographic Museum in Monaco sought to exculpate itself. In short, \u003ci\u003eKiller Algae\u003c\/i\u003e--part detective story and part bureaucratic object lesson--is a classic case of a devastating ecological invasion and how \u003ci\u003enot\u003c\/i\u003e to deal with it. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"[U]tterly fascinating, not only because of the ecological battles [Meinesz] describes but also because of the wondrous natural phenomena involved.\"--Richard Bernstein, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Akin to Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, Killer Algae shows the courage of a voice in the wilderness.\"--\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"A textbook case of how not to manage an environmental disaster.\"--Kirkus Reviews \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Meinesz's story is a frightening one, reading more like a science fiction thriller than a scientific account.\"--\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Alexandre Meinesz\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0226519236\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780226519234\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of Chicago Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/01\/2001\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 360\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.06lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.03h x 6.03w x 0.88d","brand":"Alexandre Meinesz","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48447602491647,"sku":"9780226519234","price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_b1412dc2-f89d-4cbd-9735-e98663230e87.jpg?v=1777233788","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/killer-algae-alexandre-meinesz-9780226519234","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}