Growth and Decay of Coral Reefs: 50 Years of Learning
Fiona Martin
Published
During the pandemic, I created illustrations, charts, and maps for a book by renowned marine biologist and author, Dr. Peter J. Vine. The book, Growth and Decay of Coral Reefs: Fifty Years of Learning, was published as a hardcover and an ebook by CRC Press on September 15, 2023.
It was a great honor to work with Vine, who in the 1970s, led a group of British scientists who studied Red Sea reefs off the coast of Sudan, including corals growing on Cousteau’s abandoned underwater garage. He also studied the many fish and other creatures that inhabited the reefs, and the dynamics between coral, CCA (crustose coralline algae), sponges, and macroalgae. His observations are an important part of the historical record, documenting how coral reefs flourished or declined 50 years ago compared to today.
I helped to redraw 30 dive transects in a publishable format. I drew maps of the region, diagrams of experiments and Cousteau’s garage, and over 50 illustrations of Red Sea fish.