This unique assessment of the world's coasts and oceans details the ecological, environmental and economic importance of each and the global challenges we face to manage common waters and the resources they contain before development threatens to destroy the ultimate source of all life on the 'blue planet'. With global and regional maps, from the Arabian Gulf to the Great Barrier Reef and including the Baltic, the Black Sea, the North Atlantic, the Mediterranean, the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, the South Pacific and all the other major global waterways, The Atlas of Coasts and Oceans considers the impact of climate change, industrial growth, pollution and over-fishing as well as the steps being taken towards conservation.
Introduction
Part 1: People and Coasts
1.1. Population Growth along Coasts
1.2. Urbanized Coastlines
1.3. Eroding Shorelines
Part 2: Major Threats To Ocean Resources
2.1. Ocean Ecosystems under Threat
2.2. Coastal Dead Zones Americas: Gulf of Mexico, Chesapeake Bay, Montevideo Europe: including Baltic Sea Africa, Asia & Australia Black Sea diagram. Sea of Japan
2.3. Collapsing Coastal Resources
2.4. Coral Reefs in Peril
2.5. The Empty Ocean
Part 3: Trade, Commerce and Tourism
3.1. Major Shipping Lanes
3.2. Energy from the Sea: Off Shore Oil & Gas Production
3.3. Tourism
3.4. Farming the Sea: Marine culture and Aquaculture
Part 4: Climate Change
4.1. Climate Conveyor Belt
4.2. Impact on Coastal Areas: Rising Seas
4.3. Extreme Weather Events
4.4. Ocean Acidification
4.5. Disappearing Arctic
4.6. Antarctic: The Shrinking Continent
Part 5: Seas in Conflict
5.1. Contested Islands
5.2. Resource Conflicts
5.3. Piracy: A Growth Industry
Part 6: Management of Coastal and Marine Areas
6.1. Sustainable Management of Coastal Areas and Fisheries
6.2. Shared Seas and Management Plans
6.3. Marine Protected Areas
6.4. Ocean Zoning
Don Hinrichsen is the author of many books on the environment and development, including Coastal Waters of the World, Our Common Future and the Atlas of the Environment. Now Senior Development Manager at the Institute of War and Peace Reporting in London, he has worked with UN agencies, governments and NGOs in some 60 developing countries.
"An excellent comprehensive survey of the main problems confronting our seas and coasts."
- Jens Sorensen, International Coastal and Ocean Organization
"An extremely important contribution to marine science and a superb way of consolidating large amounts of complex information, and putting it into a format and language that can only enhance our understanding of the marine world around us."
- Greg Stone, Senior Vice President for Marine Conservation and Chief Scientist for Oceans, Conservation International
"Hinrichsen is one of the best writers specializing in ocean and coastal issues."
- Stephen B. Olsen, Director, Coastal Resources Center, University of Rhode Island