Coasts - A Vital Habitat Under Pressure

PR71098

BERLIN, HAMBURG and KIEL, Germany, Nov. 17, 2017 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

Maribus gGmbH, the Consortium of German Marine Research and the Cluster of

Excellence »Future Ocean« are taking on the crucial habitat of the coast in the

new »World Ocean Review 5« which covers a large range of topics from the fight

against natural threats to coastal protection and concepts for conservative use.

     (Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/605994/World_Ocean_Review.jpg )

Since time immemorial, the coastal habitat has been one of the most valuable

areas on earth: A great part of fishery takes place in coastal waters. Wind

energy, natural gas and oil production benefit from offshore infrastructure,

and sand as a resource for the construction industry is obtained on the coast.

Without harbors, global trade would be unthinkable and, last but not least, the

coasts are among the most popular recreational and tourist destinations in the

world. To this day, the attractiveness of the coasts for humans remains

unbroken - in economic as well as cultural terms.

»Coasts - A Vital Habitat Under Pressure« is the theme of the fifth volume of

the publication »World Ocean Review« (WOR). Published by the non-profit maribus

gGmbH with support from the magazine mare, the International Ocean Institute

(IOI) and coastal researchers from the German Marine Research Consortium (KDM)

and the Kiel Cluster of Excellence »Future Ocean«, the new issue of the marine

science publication is dedicated to this particular part of the earth with

in-depth information on the development, use and future scenarios for

responsible use.

»The still booming habitat harbours both boon and bane,« says Nikolaus Gelpke,

editor of »World Ocean Review«, founder of the magazine mare and board member

of the International Ocean Institute (IOI). »I am certain that with this issue

we will contribute to a topic of increasing importance, the coasts of our

earth.« The population on the coasts is growing disproportionately worldwide.

13 of the 20 megacities with more than 10 million people are located in the

immediate vicinity of the coast. The United Nations estimates that around 2.8

billion people are now living at a distance of no more than 100 kilometers from

the coast - half of them in areas up to only ten meters above sea level.

The coastal habitat is booming, but use and protection are out of balance in

many regions. For example, areas where sand is mined resemble inhospitable

lunar landscapes. Chemicals, pesticides, plastic particles or fertilizers reach

the ocean unfiltered. The natural protective function of coasts is being

replaced by concrete infrastructure, and climate change will raise sea levels

in the near future to the extent that today, entire areas can only be preserved

with comprehensive protection measures.

»Protection and use need a new orientation, as demanded by the Agenda 2030

Sustainability Goals, especially the Ocean Goal. The increasing interest in the

ocean and the coasts in political dialogues and associated protection demands

is a hopeful sign,« says Prof. Martin Visbeck, Speaker of the Kiel Cluster of

Excellence »Future Ocean« and head of the Research Unit Physical Oceanography

at the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel.

But how did coasts even come about? How do coasts differ worldwide? How do we

maintain their natural functions and how do we achieve sustainable use - not

only in the developed world? What strategies are useful to counter the threat

of sea-level rise? And which political and legal options can be implemented to

be able to act internationally? The fifth edition of the »World Ocean Review«

examines the history of the development and evolution of the world's coasts,

their service for nature and people, and the impact of climate change on the

coasts. The »WOR 5« ranges from the fight against natural hazards and sea-level

rise to coastal protection and concepts for more conservative use.

The study of coastal seas has a long tradition in Germany and a wide range of

different branches of science is exploring coastal seas worldwide. »This

edition of the »World Ocean Review« presents current knowledge on various

facets of the theme of the coast in compact form,« says Prof. Ulrich Bathmann,

Chairman of the Consortium for German Marine Research (KDM). »The contributing

experts are pooling their information to meet the challenges of future changes

in coastal seas.«

The »World Ocean Review 5« was presented on 16th November 2017 at the

Schleswig-Holstein's Permanent Mission in Berlin as part of an evening event

with guests from politics, business, science, media and education.

Images will be available for download starting on 17th November (following the

event) online at http://www.worldoceanreview.com

Links:

http://www.worldoceanreview.com

http://www.mare.de

http://www.deutsche-meeresforschung.de/en/index

http://www.futureocean.org

Background

maribus gGmbH was founded in 2008 by mare publisher Nikolaus Gelpke. It serves

as a non-profit organisation for the purpose of sensitising the public to

marine science and contributing to more effective marine conservation. The

first maribus publication, the »World Ocean Review 1« (WOR 1), was a

comprehensive and unique report, which showed the state of the oceans and the

connections between the ocean and ecological, economic and socio-political

relations. Following this, more detailed topic-specific publications were

published: the »World Ocean Review 2 - The Future of Fish - The Fisheries of

the Future«, the »World Ocean Review 3 - Marine Resources - Opportunities and

Risks« and the »World Ocean Review 4 - Sustainable Use of Our Oceans - Making

Ideas Work«. To date, about 120,000 printed copies of the »WOR« in German and

English have been ordered and distributed worldwide, in addition to countless

online downloads.

In the fifth maribus publication »Coasts - A Vital Habitat Under Pressure«, the

cooperation with the partners of the »WOR« was continued and even further

expanded to include the German Marine Research Consortium (KDM). The partners

stand for years of commitment to the oceans and the highest level of science:

- The International Ocean Institute (IOI), founded in 1972 by Elisabeth

Mann-Borgese.

- The German Marine Research Consortium (KDM) bundles the expertise of German

marine research. Its members comprise all research institutions active in

marine, polar and coastal research. One of KDM's main concerns is to share the

interests of marine research with national policymakers and the EU, as well as

with the public.

- The Kiel Cluster of Excellence »Future Ocean«, a network of more than 200

scientists from different disciplines, supported by Kiel University, GEOMAR

Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, the Institute for the World Economy

(IfW) and the Muthesius University of Fine Arts, and funded by the German

Federal Government and the Länder within the Excellence Initiative of the

German Research Foundation (DFG).

- mare - the magazine of the oceans

The »World Ocean Review 5« is being published in a total circulation of 24,000

copies. The publication is not sold, but given away for free. There is no

profit-making intent. It is available at http://www.worldoceanreview.com. At

the same time as the printed edition, the entire publication will also be

published online. In addition to the German version, an English-language

edition will be available shortly.

»Coasts - A Vital Habitat Under Pressure«, ed. maribus gGmbH, Hamburg 2017, 208

pages, with numerous graphics and photographs, paperback.

Contact and example copies:

maribus gGmbH

Bettina Wittich

Press Relations

Telephone: +49-40-368076-22

E-Mail: wittich@maribus.com

Cluster of Excellence »Future Ocean«, Kiel University

Friederike Balzereit

Public Outreach

Telephone: +49-431-880-3032

E-Mail: fbalzereit@uv.uni-kiel.de

Source: maribus gGmbH