Coastal Ecosystem Processes

Introduction
Beaches and Tidal Flats
Introduction
Food Chains, Energy, and Carbon Flow
Nitrogen Cycling
Linkages to Physical Processes
Mangroves and Salt Marshes
Introduction
Global Trends in Plant Biomass and Primary Production
Factors Limiting Plant Production and Growth
Food Webs and Decomposition Processes
Nitrogen Flow
Outwelling
Seaweed and Seagrass Ecosystems
Introduction
Standing Crop and Primary Productivity
Photosynthesis and Whole-Plant Carbon Balance
Limiting Factors
The Role of Grazers
Detritus and Mineralization Processes
Ecosystem Budgets
Carbon Balance: Export and Links to Adjacent Systems
Coral Reefs
Introduction
Sources of Carbon Production
The Fate of Organic Matter
Nitrogen and Phosphorus: Cycles and Limitation
The Coral Factory: Carbon and Energy Budgets
Systems-Level Perspectives: Models and Budgets
The Role of Coral Reefs in the Tropical Biosphere
The Coastal Ocean I. The Coastal Zone
Introduction
The Coastal Ocean Defined
What Is an Estuary?
Hydrographic Classification of Coastal Systems
Coastal Plain Estuaries, Tidal Lagoons, and Bays (Types IV, V, and VI)
Coastal Lagoons (Type VII)
River-Dominated Systems (Types I, II, and III)
The Coastal Ocean II. The Shelf Proper and Shelf Edge
Introduction
Shelf-Sea Fronts
Along- and Across-Shelf Gradients
Processes at the Shelf Edge
Nutrient Cycles and Global Change in the Coastal Ocean
Global Estimates of Fishery Yields to Humans
Degradation and Conservation
A Glimpse at the Global Problem
Eutrophication
Habitat Modification and Destruction
Restoration Attempts: Problems and Progress
Sustainability: Implications for Management
Conservation: Tools and Impediments
Global Climate Change: Coastal Implications
A Final Remark
References
Index