Language:  GlossaryImagesHelp
 
Home: ABOUT: Coasts and Coral Reefs
Advanced Search | an expanded view of Topics and Knowledge in the Atlas
 Login for Members
 

 Username
 
 Password
 

 

Forgotten your Password?

 

Not a Member? Join Now

 Getting started
 
Navigate the Atlas:
 Related Knowledge (49)
 9 SUB-TOPICS:
 Background on Ocean-land Interface Background on Ocean-land Interface
 Coastal Populations and Topology Coastal Populations and Topology
 Coast Types and Processes Coast Types and Processes
 Coral Reefs Coral Reefs
 Deep-Sea Corals Deep-Sea Corals
 Flows Flows
 How Do Stony Corals Grow? How Do Stony Corals Grow?
 River Basins River Basins
 Virtual Office_Deep Sea Corals Planning Meeting Virtual Office_Deep Sea Corals Planning Meeting
 Topic Overview
 ID# : 3518
 Visits: 23481
 Added: 01-Jan-2000
 Updated: 18-Jun-2013
  E-Mail Topic link
 Editors
 Daniel Seidman
 John Everett
 Frances B. Michaelis
 Become a joint editor
 
 
 
 
Coasts and Coral Reefs Maintained by FAO-FI  
Text-only     Printer-friendly version             
Home for Two-Thirds of World Population
 
The sea can have such a powerful influence on coastal communities that local people may know more about the immediate seabed offshore than the land that ranges behind them. ".. Whereas I can name a hundred or more subsea features around Fogo Island", says Newfoundlander Leslie Harris, "I cannot name more than ten hills or prominent features of the interior".

About 60 percent of the world population lives within 60 kilometres of the coast. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), this proportion will rise to 75 percent within two decades. The continental shelf is where over 80 percent of all ocean resources are concentrated. Of the world's 23 mega-cities (those with over 2.5 million inhabitants), 16 are in the coastal belt and are growing at a rate of about one million people per day. These cities almost always grew up because of a sheltered harbour for ships seeking trade, searching for resources, or providing a "relief valve for overpopulation." Coastal cities often provide access to and from the interior through a major river system, and to plentiful sources of animal protein in the seas. Nowadays, the coasts are a powerful magnet for tourism, the world's top growth industry. (Text courtesy of UNESCO)   See More...
Photo credit: NOAA
 
Sea Level Rise
 
If global temperature continues to increase, scientists predict a parallel rise in sea level. This is partly due to an increased rate of melting of polar ice-caps, partly to the fact that water expands as it warms - and so sea level goes up. The critical question is by how much?

Ever since the end of the last ice age, the sea has been rising, some 1-2 mm per year in the last century or so. Some times it has been much faster as thick ice has slid off land into the sea. Even at the the current rate, there is constant pressure on coral reefs to keep pace and nesting beaches continue to get narrower, wherever they are not taken away completely by human activities. (Text courtesy of UNESCO)   See More...
Photo credit: NOAA
 
 
 
 
All   (49) News   (12) Events   (3) Websites   (16) Documents   (9) Books   (6) Multimedia   (3)
  9 Documents 
  
Special issue of the magazine <a href=http://pemsea.org/publications/tropical-coasts-magazine/tropical-coasts-magazine>Tropical Coasts</a> devoted to food security in the seas of East Asia. Coastal Resources: Productivity and Impacts on Food Security Special issue of the magazine <a href=http://pemsea.org/publications/tropical-c...  
Fact sheets:Climate Change, Coral bleaching and the Great Barrier Reef Fact sheet: Climate Change, Coral bleaching and the Great Barrier Reef Fact sheets:Climate Change, Coral bleaching and the Great Barrier Reef 
An easy to use underwater book, with photographs, that provides genus level identification anywhere in the Indo Pacific. Training workshops to build skills and capacity are available. Indo Pacific Coral Finder An easy to use underwater book, with photographs, that provides genus level ide...  
Outcomes of the East Asian Seas Congress 2006. Topics include oil spill compensation, integrated coastal management, marine pollution prevention, coastal tourism, conflict resolution, public-private partnerships and sustainable financing. One Vision, One People Outcomes of the East Asian Seas Congress 2006. Topics include oil spill compens...  
The report gives an overview of the impact of the Indian Ocean tsunamis on coral reefs from a country perspective Status of Coral Reefs in Tsunami Affected Countries: 2005 The report gives an overview of the impact of the Indian Ocean tsunamis on cora...  
PDF Presentation on The Health of Ocean and Coastal Waters (USA focus) The Health of Ocean and Coastal Waters (USA focus) PDF Presentation on The Health of Ocean and Coastal Waters (USA focus) 
The Health of the Oceans report discusses the most pressing issues in ocean conservation and management. The Health of the Oceans The Health of the Oceans report discusses the most pressing issues in ocean con...  
A waterproof field guide to the common animals and plants living on the rocky seashores of southern and northern New Zealand. The Rocky Shore Guide A waterproof field guide to the common animals and plants living on the rocky s...  
Editor's Award for the team of international expert scientists who provide a 12 volume resource for professionals and students in the area of estuarine and coastal science. Treatise on Estuarine and Coastal Science Editor's Award for the team of international expert scientists who provide a 12...  Editor's Choice
979 Topics - 5276 Related Knowledge - 11278 Members - 48 Editors
freeMem:150,175,856 totMem:475,463,680 reqNum:142558 openSessions:0 generationTime:2013/06/20 09:42:09