The publisher has printed the following summary on the book. "With editors among the most noted international scholars in coastal ecology and contributors who are world-class in their fields, the 20 chapters in this book cover a wide array of exceptional studies on coastal lagoons around the world."

While congratulating Mike Kennish, we decided to ask him a few questions. See what he said.

Q: Is it your first published book?
"Coastal Lagoons: Critical Habitats of Environmental Change" is my 12th scholarly book that has been published. I am the author of 5 of these books and the editor of 7 others. As editor, I have also authored chapters in these 7 books, while concurrently editing the contributions of other academic authors in the volumes. In addition, I have also edited 6 compendium science journal volumes on various topics in estuarine and marine science.

Q: What makes you think that the release of the book is a major accomplishment and why is it an important event? Are there other books on this particular topic?
This is the only scholarly book currently available in the world that focuses on and assesses the environmental conditions of coastal lagoons worldwide. It is, therefore, a major contribution to the academic knowledge base of these unique coastal ecosystems. The book provides a single-source reference on coastal lagoons within the arena of the global environment for scientists, coastal managers, and decision makers. It analyzes biotic and water quality indicators of change, examines how natural and anthropogenic factors impact them, and investigates the drivers of structural and functional changes in these critically valuable ecosystems. A major focus is escalating eutrophication problems in coastal lagoons, which have become serious around the globe. Coastal lagoons are important for another reason: they are exceptionally valuable for fisheries, transportation, energy production, and other human uses.

Q: How long did it take to write this book?
This book took nearly three years to write and edit. It consists of 20 chapters (558 pages) prepared by nearly 100 authors and co-authors.

Q: Was it your initiative to write this book or was it an order from some academic organization?
It is an outgrowth of a special session of the Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation Conference held in Providence, Rhode Island in November 2007, which was chaired by Hans Paerl (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) and me. Dr. Paerl is also the co-editor of the book. It was the idea of both Kennish and Paerl to produce this book as an outcome of the content of the presentations at this conference.

Q: What are the target audiences for this book?
The primary target audiences of the book are academic researchers, students, government scientists, consulting scientists, and all others interested in coastal environments.

Q. Are you planning to write any more books?
Yes, I expect to publish more books. I'm currently working on two others which will be ongoing over the next 5 years or so. In addition, of course, I'm concomitantly publishing scientific articles in peer-reviewed science journals. Please see the attachment (text on the left in the attachment) which provides more information on the book.

Q: Why is this book so expensive? It costs about $80 on Amazon.
The book costs $80 on Amazon. This is the going rate today for hard-bound, comprehensive scholarly books, which provide extensive and highly technical scientific information/data to the scientific community.

Q: Are you getting paid for each book sold or as a lump sum payment for the work?
The editors and authors did not write/edit this book with interest in making money. It was a purely academic exercise. I have not been paid one penny for this book. Royalties, if they are granted by the publisher, will be subdivided among the 100 authors and co-authors.

Q: Can you autograph my own copy of this book if I decide to buy it?
Of course, I would sign a copy of the book for you.