Coral Reefs: Majestic Realms under the Sea

A revealing introduction to the complexity, wonder, and vital roles of coral reefs.

“Part memoir, part popular science, part call to action on climate change, the book makes a compelling case for why coral reefs deserve more attention. Sale’s argument is as simple as it is powerful: as coral reefs go, so goes the rest of the planet.” —Bryan P. Galligan, Commonweal

When the massive coral bleaching and die-offs were first identified in the 1980s and eventually linked to warming events, the scientific community was confident that such a dramatic and unequivocal signal would serve as a warning about the devastating effects of global warming. Instead, most people ignored that warning. The following decades have seen greater degradation. Reefs worldwide have lost more than 50 percent of their living coral since the 1970s.

In this book, distinguished marine ecologist Peter F. Sale conveys his passion for the unexpected beauty, complexity, and necessity of coral reefs. By placing reefs in the broader context of global climate change, Sale shows how their decline is more than a mere environmental tragedy; it is an existential warning to humanity. He offers a reframing of the enormous challenge humanity faces as a noble enterprise to guide the planet to safer waters that might even preserve some coral reefs.