A lot of my work over the years has been to describe in total what are the factors controlling the reef, and then try to separate out those caused by man and those caused by nature. Another project in which Grigg is involved concerns fossil reefs. By looking at fossil reefs, Grigg hopes to put global warming and possible changes it will produce into perspective. For example, global warming is expected to result in a rise of sea level of half a meter or more during the next century. But as traumatic as this change sounds, it is dwarfed by past sea level rises.
People get very upset about global warming.
But if you look at the fossil record you notice right away that during the last 20,000 years sea level has risen 110 meters or more due to the melting of the ice caps, and you see that the planet has undergone these kinds of changes, even much greater ones, and has somehow muddled through. Grigg's love of the ocean is palpable. This integration of the intellectual, the physical and the spiritual seems to come quite naturally to Grigg. A quote from his recently published book, Big Surf, Deep Dives and the Islands, seems to say it best. Follow your heart, be purely honest and let integrity be your guide.