be successful in its aim. It provides a very readable overview of the important issues: the history of the region; its resources and the battle to exploit them; international governance -- the nature of the treaties covering the region and their problems; the ecology of the region -- the threats to rare species, management of fisheries and problems with introduced species; climate change -- the key role of the Southern Ocean and the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) in circulating nutrients around the world's oceans and as an important sink for heat and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ). Climate change The book describes the formation of the ACC this way: "Some 34 million years ago, Australia and Zealandia separated from Antarctica, and along with a mobile South America created a passage of deep water all the way around the Southern Hemisphere. The opening of this last gap, between the tip of South America and the Antarctic Peninsula (known as the Drake Passage) allowed the westerly winds and currents an unimpeded romp around the globe. This accident of geography created the world's greatest current system -- the ACC. And it was the inauguration of the ACC that directly contributed to a massive shift in the Earth's climate from hot to cold, . . " The Antarctic Circumpolar Current - The ACC area is shaded orange (All figures from book) This current, together with churning of the sea by wind, resulted in removal of carbon dioxide and heat from the atmosphere as well