Swim out to the pelagic zone of your sea of knowledge, then dive, dive, dive.

Atlantic Trivia

Environment

Military

Consumerism

From a story by Jake Lundberg

What author published three books about the sea from 1941 to 1955 before writing her most famous, about pesticides, in 1962?

Show Hint

That last book is Silent Spring.

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And by the way, did you know that if all the salt in the world’s oceans were extracted and dried out, a layer of it could cover the entirety of the Earth’s land?

The layer, in case you’re interested, would be more than 500 feet thick.

Have a great weekend!

Find previous questions here, and to get Atlantic Trivia in your inbox every day, sign up for The Atlantic Daily. If you think up a question yourself, send it my way via trivia@theatlantic.com.

Drew Goins

Drew Goins is a senior editor focused on trivia and other creative projects. Before joining The Atlantic in 2025, Drew was a newsletter writer and editor for The Washington Post’s Opinions section—as well as a 10-game player on the quiz show Jeopardy.

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If you think up a question yourself, send it my way via trivia@theatlantic.com._\n\n![](https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/OrOcG85JffxxB8K59qmofMqSieA=/45x45:827x827/120x120/media/img/authors/2025/09/Untitled/original.jpg)\n\n[Drew Goins](https://www.theatlantic.com/author/drew-goins/)\n\nFollow\n\n[Drew Goins](https://www.theatlantic.com/author/drew-goins/) is a senior editor focused on trivia and other creative projects. 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