Alien Seas (PDF)

Michael Carroll is a space artist and science writer. He has done commissioned work for NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. His art has appeared in several hundred magazines throughout the world, including National Geographic, Time, Asimov's Science Fiction, Smithsonian, Astronomy, and others. One of his paintings was flown aboard Russia's MIR space station in 1995. Recent murals include the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Fleet Science Center in San Diego, and Lockheed/Martin. Carroll is a Fellow of the International Association for the Astronomical Arts and has written articles and books on topics ranging from space to dinosaurs to Biblical archaeology. His articles have appeared in Popular Science, Astronomy, Astronomy Now (UK), Sky & Telescope, and a host of children's magazines. In 2007, he was awarded the Lucien Rudaux Award for lifetime contribution to the astronomical arts. Carroll has authored two books already for Springer, entitled "The Seventh Landing" (2009) and "Drifting on Alien Winds" (2011). 

Dr. Rosaly Lopes is a Senior Research Scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where she is also a Lead Scientist for Geophysics and Planetary Geosciences. An expert on volcanism on Earth and the planets, Dr. Lopes currently studies ice volcanism on Saturn's moon Titan. She worked for several years on the Galileo mission studying the active volcanoes of Jupiter's moon Io, where she discovered 71 previously unknown active volcanoes and was named in the Guinness Book of World Records as having discovered more active volcanoes than anyone else. She has published four books, 'Volcanic Worlds: Exploring the Solar System Volcanoes' (Springer 2004), 'The Volcano Adventure Guide' (CUP 2005), 'Io After Galileo' (Springer 2007), 'Alien Volcanoes' (John Hopkins University Press, 2008), 'Volcanoes' (OneWorld Publications, 2011). She has received many awards, including the Carl Sagan Medal from the American Astronomical Society, in recognition for her work

From the reviews:

“Space artist and science writer Carroll (The Seventh Landing, CH, Feb’10, 47-3129) and research scientist Lopes (NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Caltech) provide an overview of fluids in Earth’s solar system and possibly elsewhere. … Summing Up: Recommended. General readers.” (N. W. Hinman, Choice, Vol. 51 (9), May, 2014)

“The slender volume contains essays by many active planetary scientists who also happen to be excellent writers … . they each deliver an up-to-date yet concise and accessible summary of the state of planetary science for each different kind of world in the solar system. … the volume is abundantly illustrated with both well-selected photos and lots of artworks by Michael Carroll … . This is an excellent gift book for the space enthusiast in your life, or even for a science-obsessed high school student.” (Emily Lakdawalla, The Planetary Society - Emily’s Blog planetary.org, December, 2013)

“Through beautifully-written essays by some of the most knowledgeable scientists in the field … this book takes us by the hand, lifts us off the Earth, takes us to the edges of those alien seas, sits us down on their beaches, and tells us their stories. … this book would be worth buying. … this book’s publication is very timely, and offers readers a great opportunity to ‘catch up’ with the state of this area of planetary science. … Get it. You’ll love it.” (Cumbrian Sky, cumbriansky.wordpress.com, December, 2013)

“Lopes and Carroll have done a masterful job of melding chapters that feature contributions by themselves along with other leading scientists and planetary researchers. … this book is a treasure trove of information. … volume contains 105 illustrations, with 60 illustrations in color, including new artwork by the talented Michael Carroll that depicts alien seas as well as the latest ground-based and spacecraft images. You’ll find a wonderful read here … with the text punctuated by original diagrams