Watersheds, Bays, and Bounded Seas: The Science and Management of Semi-Enclosed Marine Systems (Volume 70) (Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment (SCOPE) Series)

ISBN 10: 1597265039 / ISBN 13: 9781597265034

Published by Island Press, 2008

About this Item

pp. 288 Index 2nd Edition.

Seller Inventory # 261261410

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Watersheds, Bays, and Bounded Seas: The Science and Management of Semi-Enclosed Marine Systems (Volume 70) (Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment (SCOPE) Series)
• Publisher: Island Press
• Publication Date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1597265039
• ISBN 13: 9781597265034
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

Some of the world’s most important bodies of water, from the Black Sea to the Bay of Bengal, are classified as “semi-enclosed marine systems” (SEMS). Separated from the open seas by a strait, island archipelago, or physical process, SEMS are particularly vulnerable to environmental damage and particularly difficult to fully understand and manage.
 
Watersheds, Bays, and Bounded Seas provides state-of-the-science information about these complex systems and identifies best management practices to preserve them. With contributions by natural and social scientists, the book examines both the political and biophysical forces affecting semi-enclosed marine systems.
 
SEMS comprise a substantial portion of the coasts—areas with high population density—and we rely on them for often-competing services such as navigation and transport, disposal of waste, provision of food, extraction of minerals, and leisure. The book describes how human activities could irrevocably alter these fragile ecosystems, exploring threats from runoff to climate change. It also addresses the unique challenges of managing SEMS, including cooperation between multiple  nations.

About the Author

Edward R. Urban, Jr. is SCOR Executive Director.

Bjørn Sundby is professor at the Université du Québec à Rimouski and in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at McGill University, and is the SCOR President.

Paola Malanotte-Rizzoli is a professor of Physical Oceanography in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and past president of IAPSO.

Jerry M. Melillo is past president of SCOPE and co-director of The Ecosystems Center of the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.