World Atlas of Coral Reefs (Hardcover)

~ Mark D. Spalding (Author), Edmund P. Green (Author), Corinna Ravilious (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School-Unique in scope, this atlas provides cleanly rendered maps, colorful photos, and lots of solid information. Part one is devoted to background material on such topics as coral-reef evolution, species diversity, environmental concerns, and even reef mapping techniques. Content is detailed enough to satisfy adults with a scientific background, yet remains accessible to high school students. The section on types of coral reefs is accompanied by excellent illustrations. Photos liberally sprinkled throughout range from super-macroscopic space views to the microscopic. The bulk of the book looks at each global region. Maps show reefs and the areas surrounding them. Included are natural features such as forests and human constructs such as dive centers, settlements, and protected underwater sites. Instead of making dramatic, emotion-laden speeches for preservation, the book defends the value of this wondrous ecosystem rationally, providing plenty of factual backup and pointing out cases where sensible and sustainable management is possible. This atlas covers all bases, making it a great resource for students and teachers alike.

Sheila Shoup, Fairfax County Public Library, VA

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

While coral reefs cover less than two percent of Earth's continental shelf area, they are the most biologically diverse marine habitats in the world. Prepared at the UN Environment Programme (UNEP)-World Conservation Monitoring Center, this reference best described as an "atlas plus" provides a comprehensive and detailed account of all the world's coral reefs. Each area of the world's reefs has its own chapter, with sections for each country; coverage includes location, description, maps, photographs, health assessment, and legal protection status. Also included are several excellent introductory chapters on the definition of coral reefs, biodiversity, ecological threats and responses, and reef mapping. An extensive bibliography is included with each chapter, along with information on the sources for the chapter maps. While this atlas will serve as a valuable reference for scientists (one of our biologists has already recommended it to our library), it is also accessible to lay readers and students interested in ecology, scuba diving, marine biology, geography, or just good photographs. A number of other books treat coral reefs (almost all of them listed in the chapter bibliographies), but none is as comprehensive and as current as this work. Highly recommended for all public, high school, and academic libraries. Margaret Rioux, Woods Hole Oceanographic Inst. Lib., MA

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press; 1 edition (September 3, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520232550
• ISBN-13: 978-0520232556
• Product Dimensions: 11.9 x 8.4 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #389,378 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #6 in	Books > Outdoors & Nature > Ecosystems > Coral Reefs
  #19 in	Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Zoology > Ichthyology
  #45 in	Books > Science > Nature & Ecology > Oceans & Seas > Coral Reefs

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A groundbreaking (waterbreaking?) achievement!, October 22, 2001

By	Osha Gray Davidson (Iowa City, IA USA) - See all my reviews

As the author of books about the ocean, I've read a lot of other books and articles about coral reefs. This is by far the best and most thorough book of its kind. Want to know what conditions are like on the Great Barrier Reef system? Around the Red Sea? Off Sulawesi? This is the place to go for answers. With wonderful maps and easy-to-understand text, it's destined to become the standard reference for divers, marine biologists and armchair adventurers who just want to learn more about this precious and fascinating ecosystem.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, February 1, 2002

By	David N. Smith "[e-mail]" (Gaylordsville, CT United States) - See all my reviews

I bought this for my daughter, a graduating Biologist, but it was so fascinating that I'm afraid she got a slightly used book. It covers all coral reefs anywhere in the world. The maps are superb, as are the color photographs of the reefs. Each reef had a discussion of conditions in the reef, and the life that grows there. It's a huge book but one starts wishing for more; more maps, more photos, more detail. Maybe in the next edition, but meanwhile we can enjoy this superb book just as it.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Very little information about corals!, June 8, 2007

By	Rob Martin "Ichthyopaleo doc" (Jax, FL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Having purchased Green and Short's "World Atlas of Seagrasses", also from California Press, I was quite excited to find this volume. Green and Short describe nearly all of the world's seagrasses, complete with line drawings and species comparisons, and map their distribution. They also include info on preservation, destruction, etc. It is an invaluable resource for anyone needing to identify or locate seagrasses. I was disappointed, however, when I received "World Atlas of Coral Reefs". The entire text is devoted to describing areas where reefs are found, but rarely mentions anything about the corals themselves! I saw <Diadema> listed more often than any coral genus! If you want to learn about the per capita fish consumption of Mauritius or phosphate mining on the atoll of Nauru, this is the book for you. If, however, you are interested in corals and the reefs that they construct (which is probably why you are reading this) you should move on to another book.