Five chapters are presented which address a number of aspects of riverine and runoff effects on coastal marine systems. Examples are presented and documented in which the apparent effects of runnoff-related nutrient enrichment and consequent eutrophication have been important. Various other aspects, such as sedimentation, etc. are explored. The purpose is to advance the scientific, policy, and political dialogue on issues related to utilization and protection of coastal marine ecosystems. The "Marine Catchment Basin" or "MCB" appears to be the logical scale of policy and management interest wherever terrestrial runoff has substantial impacts on a marine system. The MCB expands the "marine ecosystem" concept to include not only the marine aquatic system, but also the adjacent land areas that drain into it. The MCB concept has been identified primarily with semi-enclosed seas, where effects have been particularly dramatic and where the "catchment basin" retains an easily visualized geological context. However, even along open ocean coasts, hydrodynamic processes act to retain coherent masses of water, together with their contained organisms and materials, against the coast. Thus open coastal areas may exhibit MCB features similar to those of enclosed or semi-enclosed basins

Environmental problems in coastal ecosystems can sometimes be attributed to excess nutrients flowing from upstream watersheds into estuarine settings. This nutrient over-enrichment can result in toxic algal blooms, shellfish poisoning, coral reef destruction, and other harmful outcomes. All U.S. coasts show signs of nutrient over-enrichment, and scientists predict worsening problems in the years ahead. Clean Coastal Waters explains technical aspects of nutrient over-enrichment and proposes both immediate local action by coastal managers and a longer-term national strategy incorporating policy design, classification of affected sites, law and regulation, coordination, and communication. Highlighting the Gulf of Mexico's "Dead Zone," the Pfiesteria outbreak in a tributary of Chesapeake Bay, and other cases, the book explains how nutrients work in the environment, why nitrogen is important, how enrichment turns into over-enrichment, and why some environments are especially susceptible. Economic as well as ecological impacts are examined. In addressing abatement strategies, the committee discusses the importance of monitoring sites, developing useful models of over-enrichment, and setting water quality goals. The book also reviews voluntary programs, mandatory controls, tax incentives, and other policy options for reducing the flow of nutrients from agricultural operations and other sources.

A comprehensive, state-of-the-art synthesis of biogeochemical dynamics and the impact of human alterations at major river-coastal interfaces for advanced students and researchers.

Highlighting new technologies, Remote Sensing of Natural Resources explores advanced remote sensing systems and algorithms for image processing, enhancement, feature extraction, data fusion, image classification, image-based modeling, image-based sampling design, map accuracy assessment and quality control. It also discusses their applications for

The new edition of this widely respected text providescomprehensive and up-to-date coverage of the effects ofbiological–physical interactions in the oceans from themicroscopic to the global scale. considers the influence of physical forcing on biologicalprocesses in a wide range of marine habitats including coastalestuaries, shelf-break fronts, major ocean gyres, coral reefs,coastal upwelling areas, and the equatorial upwelling system investigates recent significant developments in this rapidlyadvancing field includes new research suggesting that long-term variability inthe global atmospheric circulation affects the circulation of oceanbasins, which in turn brings about major changes in fish stocks.This discovery opens up the exciting possibility of being able topredict major changes in global fish stocks written in an accessible, lucid style, this textbook isessential reading for upper-level undergraduates and graduatestudents studying marine ecology and biological oceanography

As the Gulf of Mexico recovers from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, natural resource managers face the challenge of understanding the impacts of the spill and setting priorities for restoration work. The full value of losses resulting from the spill cannot be captured, however, without consideration of changes in ecosystem services-the benefits delivered to society through natural processes. An Ecosystem Services Approach to Assessing the Impacts of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico discusses the benefits and challenges associated with using an ecosystem services approach to damage assessment, describing potential impacts of response technologies, exploring the role of resilience, and offering suggestions for areas of future research. This report illustrates how this approach might be applied to coastal wetlands, fisheries, marine mammals, and the deep sea-each of which provide key ecosystem services in the Gulf-and identifies substantial differences among these case studies. The report also discusses the suite of technologies used in the spill response, including burning, skimming, and chemical dispersants, and their possible long-term impacts on ecosystem services.