World Atlas of Coral Reefs
Mark D. Spalding, Corinna Ravilious and Edmund P. Green
Pulsing with life, visible even from space, coral reefs are among the world's most remarkable natural systems—and one of the most endangered—beset on every side by overfishing, pollution and unchecked tourism. Enter the World Atlas of Coral Reefs (University of California Press, $55) by Mark D. Spalding, Corinna Ravilious and Edmund P. Green. This comprehensive mapping of the Earth's coral reefs—accessible to both lay and scientific audiences—is the most definitive resource yet compiled on these imperiled undersea treasures.
—Louis Bayard
