With the Foreword by Jennifer Marohasy And the legal saga by Morgan Begg Peter Ridd has lived by the Great Barrier Reef for most of his life. He knows it and he loves it. Nothing is so important than its protection and preservation. For more than three decades the Reef and the marine region of which it is a key part have been central to his scientific research. In this book Ridd provides a comprehensive, evidence-based account of the state of the Reef for Australians interested in this priceless national treasure, and the science they need to understand its condition properly. He systematically examines major potential dangers to the Reef - coral-eating crown-of-thorns star fish, the impact nutrient pollution from agriculture, dredging of shipping ports, climate change, coal dust, over-fishing, herbicides. The conclusion of this measured, evidence-based study is that it is essential that the health and vitality of the Reef and its environs should be jealously protected. Equally, there is little in its present condition, analysed in the perspective of more than half-a-century, to warrant the alarm and even hysteria which too often mark any discussion or debate about the Reef and the policies promoted by governments purportedly to safeguard its well-being. A key to protecting the future of the Reef is ensuring the quality of the science upon which governments base policies and legislation for its protection. He advocates rigorous, independent quality assurance of major research, especially that which forms the foundation of public policy. Peter Ridd, a marine geophysicist, is the author or joint author of more than 100 scientific papers and co-inventor of a range of instruments used on reefs around the world.

One of the world's natural wonders, the Great Barrier Reef stretches more than 2000 kilometres in a maze of coral reefs and islands along Australia's north-eastern coastline. Now unfolding the fascinating story behind its mystique this 2002 book provides for the first time a comprehensive cultural and ecological history of European impact, from early voyages of discovery to developments in Reef science and management. Incisive and a delight to read in its thorough account of the scientific, social and environmental consequences of European impact on the world's greatest coral reef system, this extraordinary book is sure to become a classic.

The real Great Barrier Reef is not just a single clown fish or a colony of branching stag horn coral. It is not simply the crystal clear water, cocktails and beautiful bodies of the tourist ads. Nor is it just the stage for murders, mishaps, shipwrecks, shark attacks, crocodile death rolls or gropers that swallow men's heads whole and only sometimes spit them back out. The real Great Barrier Reef is a living thing - a 2300-kilometre-long, untamed organism, made up of trillions of animals. It is the magnificent and terrifying home to the wild things of nightmares and hallucinations. James Woodford wanted to understand the real reef in all its complexity and along its entire, extraordinary length. For a year he worked and dived with marine biologists, exploring it from the coral outpost of Lord Howe Island in the south to the crocodile-haunted waters at the reef's northern boundary in Cape York. The Great Barrier Reef is a thrilling study of the reef - of its beauty, mystery and terror as it faces its greatest threat, rising sea temperatures that stem from global warming. Part science, part history, part travel and wholly adventurous, Woodford's book is as captivating, grand and magical as the reef itself.

Like many coral specialists fifteen years ago, Veron thought Australia's Great Barrier Reef was impervious to climate change. Then he saw for himself the devastation that elevated sea temperatures can inflict on corals.

This 2002 book provides a cultural and ecological history of European impact on the Great Barrier Reef.

In the last two decades since publication of the first edition, substantial advancements have been made in the science, the need for transdisciplinary approaches to coral reef protection greater than ever before. This new edition, now in full color throughout with accompanying animations, goes beyond identifying foundational information and current problems to pinpoint science-based solutions for managers, stakeholders and policy makers. Coral reefs are connected by currents that carry plankton and the larvae of many reef-based organisms. Further, they supply food to reefs. Currents also bring pollutants from the land and, together with the atmosphere, affect the surrounding ocean. The chapters in this book provide a much-needed review of the biophysics of reefs with an emphasis on the Great Barrier Reef as an ecosystem. The focus is on interactions between currents, waves, sediment and the dynamics of coastal and reef-based ecosystems. The topographic complexity of reefs redirects mainstream currents, creates tidal eddies, mushroom jets, boundary layers, stagnation zones, and this turbulence is enhanced by the oceanographic chaos in the adjoining Coral Sea. This is the environment in which particles and organisms, of a range of sizes live, from tiny plankton to megafauna. This generates faunal connectivity at scales of meters to thousands of km within the Great Barrier Reef and with the adjoining ocean. Pollution from land-use is increasing and remedial measures are described both on land and on coral cays. The impact of climate change is quantified in case studies about mangroves and corals. Modelling this biophysical complexity is increasing in sophistication, and the authors suggest how the field can advance further.

"A journey into the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef, as experienced by explorers, scientists, and artists"--