Life and Death Of Coral Reefs [Hardcover]

Charles Birkeland (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 31, 1997

Coral reefs have shaped the surface of our planet far more than has any other ecosystem. They are dynamic systems, producing limestone at the rate of 400-2,000 tons per hectare per year, and influencing the chemical balance of the world's oceans. Coral reefs have been around since before the prairies or other ecosystems of flowering plants existed, yet they vanish about a million years before other groups of organisms each time there is a global mass extinction. They return after each catastrophe, however, following a long period of absence. Although coral reefs are the most productive communities in the sea, the fisheries of coral reefs are among the most vulnerable to overexploitation. Despite having the power to create the most massive structures in the world made by living creatures (including man), the thin veneer of living tissue of coral reef is particularly sensitive to natural disturbances and effects of human activities. Coral reefs are the first to go during periods of climate change, but they have always come back. This combination of attributes, creative power and fragility, resilience and sensitivity, makes management of coral-reef systems a challenge to science. Over 70% of the coral reefs in the Caribbean and Asian waters have been degraded, and perhaps a third of the 400 species of corals in Japanese waters are in danger of local extinction unless effective coastal management practices are established. This book presents what is known about factors that shift the balance between accretion and erosion, recruitment and mortality, stony corals and filamentous algae, recovery and degradation--the life and death of coral reefs. Insight into the factors controlling the direction of these processes is essential for appropriate management decisions.

Editorial Reviews

Review

What sets it apart is that the editor, Chuck Birkeland, has charged his distinguished group of seventeen contributors with examining the ebb and flow of life on reefs, and how this can be affected by people. - Reef Encounter, JUly 1997

Product Details

• Hardcover: 560 pages
• Publisher: Springer; 1 edition (January 31, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0412035413
• ISBN-13: 978-0412035418
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,761,752 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #69 in Books > Science & Math > Nature & Ecology > Oceans & Seas > Coral Reefs

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful basic guide to study corals and coral reefs, June 15, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Life and Death Of Coral Reefs (Hardcover)

This is a basic and comprehensive book about the processes that affect coral reefs. Exelent edition by Birkeland, includes some of the most restpectable scientists in the field. the book includes plentiful references very useful if you need to start a search in any of the topics included in the book.