Integrated Riverine, Estuarine and Coastal Research in the UK Land- Ocean Interaction Study (LOIS)

摘要

Most people (～60%) on the globe live in the coastal zone. The wastes and effluents from industries and cities on the coast, together with those from the river catchments, find their way to the sea through rivers and estuaries where nutrients and contaminants are sequestered, degraded and recycled. The estimated value to humanity of the assimilative capacity of such systems is considerable at 7.1 % of the global GNP (derived from Costanza et al, 1997), so it is important that the factors determining assimilative capacity are known and understood. Where that capacity is exceeded, the toxic effects of contaminants and eutrophication are greatest in coastal regions.