A REEF COMES TO LIFE
Creating an Undersea Exhibit
by Nat Segaloff & illustrated by Paul Erickson
A ``New England Aquarium Book'' based on a multimedia show, ``Inside the Giant Ocean Tank,'' that documents the planning and building of a three-story coral environment, home to over 300 species at Boston's New England Aquarium. The authors show corals in nature and describe what they are and how they feed, grow, and form living reefs; then, step by step, the undersea environment is constructed by artists, designers, technicians who mold and paint thousands of plastic corals and sponges, and by engineers who build the reef superstructure in a space larger than an airplane hangar. Finally, the whole is flooded with sea water, ready for its living inhabitants. This should intrigue both science and engineering enthusiasts; the color photos are enthralling. Endpaper maps of coral reefs; glossary; brief bibliography; index. (Nonfiction. 10+)