If humankind were given a mandate to do everything in our power to undermine the earth's functioning, we could hardly do a better job than we have in the past thirty years on the world's oceans, both by what we are putting into it-millions of tons of trash and toxic materials-and by what we are taking out of it-millions of tons of wildlife. Yet only recently have we begun to understand the scale of those impacts. Defying Ocean's End is the result of an unprecedented effort among the world's largest environmental organizations, scientists, the business community, media, and international governments to address these marine issues. In June 2003, in the culmination of a year-long effort, they met specifically to develop a comprehensive and achievable agenda to reverse the decline in health of the world's oceans. As conservation organizations begin to expand their focus from land issues to include a major focus on preservation of the sea, it is increasingly apparent that we have to approach marine conservation differently and at much larger scale than we have to date. What's also clear is the magnitude and immediacy of the growing ocean concerns are such that no one organization can handle the job alone. Defying Ocean's End is a bold step in bringing the resources needed to bear on this vast problem before it is too late. It offers a broad strategy, a practical plan with priorities and costs, aimed at mobilizing the forces needed to bring about a "sea change" of favorable attitudes, actions, and outcomes for the oceans-and for all of us.

Coastal waters around the globe suffer from strain due to a widerange of human activities. The situation calls for a holisticapproach, combining expertise from nature and social science, toreach a balanced and sustainable development of the coastal zone. This important book comprises the proceedings of TheInternational Symposium on Integrated Coastal Zone Management,which took place in Arendal, Norway between 11-14 June 2007. The main objective of the Symposium was to present currentknowledge and to address issues on advice and management related tothe coastal zone. The major themes of papers included in this bookare: Coastal habitats Impacts on coastal systems Integrated Coastal Zone Management Coastal governance Comprising a huge wealth of information, this timely and welledited volume is essential reading for all those involved incoastal zone management around the globe. All libraries in researchestablishments and universities where fisheries and aquaticsciences are studied and taught will need copies of this importantvolume on their shelves.

This book informs environmental planning professionals, students and those interested in oceans and coasts from an environmental perspective about what is needed for planning and management of these unique environments. It is comprised of twelve chapters organized in three parts. Part I highlights the basics tenets of environmental planning for oceans and coasts including important concepts from the general field of planning and coastal and ocean management (e.g., hydrography, oceans policy and law, geomorphology). Environmental problems inherent within oceans and coasts (such as sea level rise, marine pollution, overdevelopment, etc.) are also addressed, especially those at the land–sea interface. Part II covers those methodological approaches regularly used by planners working to improve environmental quality and conditions of oceans and coasts among them: integrated planning and management, ecosystem services, pollution prevention, and marine spatial planning. Part III focuses specifically on state-of-the-art tools and technologies employed by planners for marine and coastal protection. These include systematic conservation planning for protected areas, decision support tools, coastal adaptation techniques and various types of communication, including visualization, narration and tools for stakeholder participation. The final chapter in the book reviews the most important concepts covered throughout book and emphasizes the important role that environmental planners have to play in the protection and well-being of oceans and coasts. Michael K. Orbach, of the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University, penned the book's foreword.

Long regarded as an empty and inhospitable environment, the deep ocean is rapidly emerging as an ecological hot spot with a remarkable diversity of biological life. Yet, the worlds oceans are currently on a dangerous trajectory of decline, threatened by acidification, oil and gas drilling, overfishing, and, in the long term, deep-sea mining, bioprospecting, and geo-engineering. In The Geopolitics of Deep Oceans, noted environmental sociologist John Hannigan examines the past, present and future of our planets final frontier. The author argues that our understanding of the deep - its definition, boundaries, value, ownership, health and future state - depends on whether we see it first and foremost as a resource cornucopia, a political chessboard, a shared commons, or a unique and threatened ecology. He concludes by locating a new storyline that imagines the oceans as a canary-in-the-mineshaft for gauging the impact of global climate change. The Geopolitics of Deep Oceans is a unique introduction to the geography, law, politics and sociology of the sub-surface ocean. It will appeal to anyone seriously concerned about the present state and future fate of the largest single habitat for life on our planet.

"Delve into this underwater world with ocean experts Sylvia A. Earle and Linda K. Glover, who have devoted their lives to understanding the ocean and who share their insights in this atlas, along with those of 27 other scientists and specialists. Other stunning data and imagery are revealed by the skills of expert photographers, cartographers, and illustrators. Ocean: An Illustrated Atlas distills decades of research, firsthand observations, scientific data, and analyses and engages and informs all who may want to more deeply explore the nature of this blue planet." "Accompanying the text are more than 100 maps, including 5 extraordinary new maps showing the nature of the seafloor of the major ocean basins in detail not published before. More than 170 photographs and three dozen illustrations provide new ways of looking at this amazing place, with a perspective on the past, present, and future of the ocean and on how it relates to human economies, health, security, and the very existence of life."--BOOK JACKET.

Examines a handful of famous ocean explorers and naturalists--including Jacque Cousteau, Thor Heyerdahl, and Rachel Carson, among others--to demonstrate how their work helped shape the way many Americans would think about, and interact with, the ocean.