Plotting the Oceans by Sarah Hamylton

Five stories that demonstrate the history and power of maps and the impact they have on our world

Charles Darwin mapped the world’s coral reefs to support a theory about how they formed, and in doing so developed insights that shaped his eventual theory of evolution. The trailblazing Marie Tharp, barred from ocean expeditions in the 1950s, nevertheless created the first detailed map of the ocean floor, providing key evidence for the then radical idea of continental drift. Maps have triggered territorial claims, saved giant tortoises and brought home the fragility of the Great Barrier Reef in the face of climate change.

Charting the course through these stories of discovery and disruption is Sarah Hamylton, herself an accomplished mapmaker who has travelled the globe and followed in the footsteps of cartographic giants. She explains what lies behind and beyond the maps we find in history books, scientific papers and contemporary news stories.

Riveting, illuminating and beautifully written, Plotting the Oceans answers critical questions about what the evolving nature of maps means for understanding our world, how it changes and how we’re changing it.

‘By following geographer Sarah Hamylton on this enchanting voyage through time via maps of atolls, reefs and spreading sea floors a reader sees where longitude and latitude yield to insight and attitude.’ Dava Sobel, author ofLongitude

Riveting, illuminating and beautifully written, Plotting the Oceans answers critical questions about what the evolving nature of maps means for the future of the natural environment, and for our own place in it.

About the Author:

Sarah Hamylton is an Associate Professor at the University of Wollongong, past President of the Australian Coral Reef Society and Director of the Spatial Analysis Laboratory. She has been sailing to, diving around and walking along shorelines to map coastal and marine environments for over 20 years in Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Fiji, the Seychelles and the Red Sea. Her maps have helped establish marine protected areas and informed coastal management policies. Sarah is also a nature writer who has published over 120 scientific research papers and several books on coastlines and mapping.

01 Feb 2026
 

Plotting the Oceans: Stories of Powerful Maps and Their Makers by Sarah Hamylton ISBN 9781923451476