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Introduction to Coastal Zone Management
WHAT IS A COASTAL ZONE?
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For all the vast miles of open waves, for all the leagues of deep, dark water, for all the huge openness and mystery of the open ocean, some of the most important waters are those within several hundred miles of the coasts.
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In this section, we will treat the coastal zone primarily as the freshwater bodies that drain to the sea, the land area influencing those water-bodies, and the water within the continental shelf of a landform, especially estuarine waters (waters where salt and freshwater mix).
WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?
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The water on earth is a constantly changing, dynamic system; it flows, evaporates, condensates, is stored, is absorbed. Events in one waterway later affect downstream waters and the ocean. The impacts of coastal zones on marine ecosystems and fisheries is profound, not only because of the incredibly biodiversity and biomass in coastal waters, but also because of the various ecosystem functions that coastal areas provide. Coastal and estuarine areas are often critical spawning and recruitment grounds; damages to the ecosystem and to fisheries there can have wide-ranging effects on the population elsewhere. Furthermore, many fish migrate upstream into freshwaters to spawn (anadromous fish, like shad) or live in freshwater and spawn in the ocean (catadromous fish, like eels); changes in water quality or physical habitat can destroy these populations by decimating their reproductive capacity. The connections between freshwater, estuarine, and marine areas are many and are not yet fully understood. However, we do know that in order for creatures to survive, they require--on the most basic level--food, water, and a place to live. An organism's habitat encompasses these concepts. It is the foundation for a healthy ecology. Without an environment in which its basic needs can be fulfilled, an organism cannot survive. As such, our group proposes to maximize habitat and water quality in these areas so as to minimize fishery mortality from environmental factors.
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Worm, B., Barbier, E.B., Beaumont, N., Duffy, J.E., Folke, C., Halpern, B.S., Jackson, J.B.C., Lotze, H.K., Micheli, F., Palumbi, S.R., Sala, E., Selkoe, K.A., Stachowicz, J.J., Watson, R. (3 November 2006). Impacts of Biodiversity Loss on Ocean Ecosystem Services. Science Magazine, 314, 787-790. Retrieved 19
October 2007, from the World Wide Web: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/314/5800/787
Bildstein, Keith L, Bancroft, G Thomas, et al. (1991). Approaches to the Conservation of Coastal Wetlands in the Western Hemisphere. The Wilson Bulletin, 103(2), 218. Retrieved November 2, 2007, from Sciences Module database. (Document ID: 3813300).
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