Coastal Ecosystem Processes

Alongi, Daniel M.

• IntroductionBeaches and Tidal FlatsIntroductionFood Chains, Energy, and Carbon FlowNitrogen CyclingLinkages to Physical ProcessesMangroves and Salt MarshesIntroductionGlobal Trends in Plant Biomass and Primary ProductionFactors Limiting Plant Production and GrowthFood Webs and Decomposition ProcessesNitrogen FlowOutwellingSeaweed and Seagrass EcosystemsIntroductionStanding Crop and Primary ProductivityPhotosynthesis and Whole-Plant Carbon BalanceLimiting FactorsThe Role of GrazersDetritus and Mineralization ProcessesEcosystem BudgetsCarbon Balance: Export and Links to Adjacent SystemsCoral ReefsIntroductionSources of Carbon ProductionThe Fate of Organic MatterNitrogen and Phosphorus: Cycles and LimitationThe Coral Factory: Carbon and Energy BudgetsSystems-Level Perspectives: Models and BudgetsThe Role of Coral Reefs in the Tropical BiosphereThe Coastal Ocean I. The Coastal ZoneIntroductionThe Coastal Ocean DefinedWhat Is an Estuary?Hydrographic Classification of Coastal SystemsCoastal 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 EdgeIntroductionShelf-Sea FrontsAlong- and Across-Shelf GradientsProcesses at the Shelf EdgeNutrient Cycles and Global Change in the Coastal OceanGlobal Estimates of Fishery Yields to HumansDegradation and ConservationA Glimpse at the Global ProblemEutrophicationHabitat Modification and DestructionRestoration Attempts: Problems and ProgressSustainability: Implications for ManagementConservation: Tools and ImpedimentsGlobal Climate Change: Coastal ImplicationsA Final RemarkReferencesIndex

"This will be a useful reference book, particularly because of the inclusion of the tropical literature. It would be very appropriate as a textbook for graduate marine ecology courses, particularly ones that focus on comparative ecology."--Jane M. Caffrey, The Quarterly Review of Biology, Vol. 75, No. 2"…a balanced approach to the topic…appropriate as a reference for marine ecologists and as a text for advanced courses in coastal ecology."--C. E. Tanner, St. Mary's College of Maryland"There is an enormous amount of information in the book and Alongi has done an excellent job bringing together the recent literature."-Ecological Engineering, Vol. 16, 2001