“I’m aware of the study,” said Pitt, “but the results came in after Giordino and I left for Egypt.” Pitt was comfortable with the fact that Gunn would eventually level with him. He and Gunn had an easygoing relationship despite the obvious differences in their lifestyle. Gunn was an intellectual with degrees in chemistry, finance, and oceanography. He would be totally at home living in the basement of a library inundated by books, compiling reports and planning research projects.

Pitt, on the other hand, enjoyed working with his hands on things mechanical, especially on the old classic automobiles in his collection in Washington. Adventure was his narcotic. He was in paradise when flying antique aircraft or diving on historic shipwrecks. Pitt had a master’s degree in engineering and took great pleasure in tackling the jobs others thought impossible. Unlike Gunn, he was seldom found at his desk in the NUMA headquarters building, preferring the excitement of probing the unknown depths of the sea.

“The bottom line is the reefs are in peril and dying off at an unheard-of rate,” Gunn answered. “Right now, it’s a hot topic among marine scientists.”

“What parts of the oceans show this trend?”

Gunn stared at his coffee. “You name it. The Caribbean from the Florida Keys to Trinidad, the Pacific from Hawaii to Indonesia, the Red Sea, the coasts of Africa.”

“All with the same attrition rate?” asked Pitt.

Gunn shook his head. “No, it varies by locale. The worst-case scenario appears to be along the West African coast.”

“I didn’t think it uncommon for coral reefs to go through cycles where they stop reproducing and die before becoming healthy again.”

“That’s correct,” Gunn nodded. “When conditions return to normal the reef will recover. But we’ve never seen such widespread damage at such an alarming rate”

“Any idea of the cause?”

“Two factors. One, the usual culprit, warm water. Periodic rises in water temperature, generally from changes in sea currents, cause the tiny coral polyps to eject, or vomit if you will, the algae they feed on.”

“The polyps being the little tubular devils that build the reefs with their skeletal remains.”

“Very good.”

“What about sums up my knowledge on coral,” Pitt admitted. “The life-and-death struggle of coral polyps rarely makes the evening news.”

“A shame,” Gunn said briefly. “Especially when you consider that changes in coral can be an accurate barometer of future trends in sea and weather conditions.”

“All right, so the polyps spit out the algae,” Pitt prodded. “Then what?”

“Because algae is the nutrient that feeds the polyps and gives them vibrant colors,” Gunn went on, “its loss starves the coral, leaving it white and lifeless, a phenomenon known as bleaching.”

“Which seldom occurs when the waters are cool.”

Gunn looked at Pitt. “Why am I telling you this if you already know it all?”

“I’m waiting for you to get to the good part.”

“Let me drink my coffee before it gets cold.”

There was a silence. Gunn wasn’t really in the mood for coffee, but he sipped away until Pitt became impatient.