Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

The complexity of the richest coral reefs on the planet is the theme of an audiobook version of marine scientist Dr Peter Vine’s authoritative work.

Growth and Decay of Coral Reefs: 50 Years of Learning is a summary of how reefs have changed in a single lifetime.

Growing up in an age of underwater exploration made possible by scuba diving, the author, Galway resident Dr Peter Vine, was director of a marine laboratory in the ancient harbour of Suakin, 30 miles south of Port Sudan on the western Red Sea coast. Beyond its desert shores lie some of the richest and most diverse coral reefs on our planet. Over a thousand species of reef fishes, matched by a similar abundance of living corals, created habitats that scientists were only just beginning to understand.

The complexity of the inter-relations was truly mesmerising, Dr Vine says. A single intervention, such as the removal of a key species, could bring the whole community into a cascading collapsed state. Healthy corals were transformed into green, weed-smothered reefs, accompanied by the loss of both corals and fish, he says.

The author draws on his own experience of living and working among some of the world's most prolific coral reefs. In doing so he uncovers hope that corals may fight back, in the face of predicted devastation, if only we give them a chance.

Growth and Decay of Coral Reefs, written by Peter J. Vine and performed by Chris Sorensen, is now available wherever you get your audiobooks.

Click here to listen to an audio sample, learn more about the book and purchase your copy.