Marine Pollution Control and Management
Contents: Preface. 1. Health and marine environment. 2. Coastal and marine degradation. 3. Marine pollution. 4. Techniques of marine pollution control. Appendices. Bibliography. Index.
“Oceans cover more than 70 per cent of the earth’s surface and contain some of the earth’s most complex and diverse ecosystems. In addition to serving as the habitat for a vast array of plants and animals, the oceans also supply people with food, energy and mineral resources. Over half the people in the developing countries obtain 40 per cent or more of their total animal protein from fish.
The coastal zone constitutes only about 10 per cent of the total oceanic area, but accounts for more than half of the ocean’s biological productivity and supplies nearly all the world’s catch of fish. Coastal areas contain many kinds of ecosystems that are vital to marine life and humankind; four of the most productive are slat marshes, mangroves, estuaries, and coral reefs. About 60 per cent of the world’s population, or nearly 3 billion people live on or within some 100 km of a sea coast. In parts of South East Asia, 75 per cent of the population live along the coast. Along the coastlines of Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, population densities often reach upto 500 per square kilometer, representing more than twice the number of the people living in the interior. The recreational use of coastal waters attacks large numbers of people, at least seasonally, in many countries. In some areas this represents the major or often the only industry, and often the major source of foreign exchange earnings.
Coastal areas are the most vulnerable and most abused zones of the oceans. They receive direct discharges from rivers, surface run-off and drainage from the hinterland, domestic and industrial effluents through outfalls, and various contaminants from ships. Equally important are the physical changes in natural habitats, especially salt marshes, sea-grass beds, coral reefs and mangrove forests, resulting from increasing population pressures and often ill-planned development activities in coastal areas.
This book will be of immense help to all those contemplating to acquire expert knowledge of marine pollution and control besides coastal zone management."
