Introduction
Oceans and Aquatic Ecosystems theme is a component of Encyclopedia of Natural Resources Policy and Management, in the global Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS), which is an integrated compendium of twenty one Encyclopedias.
The theme guides the reader through various pathways followed by surface water on earth. It describes the dominant processes that govern how organisms interact with water and with each other, and how they in turn can modify water properties. This knowledge is important for humanity. Indeed, only by understanding our actions impacts upon water, and the animals and plants living in it, can we learn to exploit water, marine and fresh-water habitats and the living organisms, without destroying the resources on which our livelihood and very survival depend. The Theme on Oceans and Aquatic Ecosystems discusses matters of great relevance to our world such as: Freshwater Wetland Resources and Biology; Problems, Restoration and Conservation of Lakes and Rivers; Coastal Regions; The Oceans and Seas; Oceanic Islands
These two volumes are aimed at the following five major target audiences: University and College students Educators, Professional practitioners, Research personnel and Policy analysts, managers, and decision makers and NGOs.
Editor(s) Biography
Eric Wolanski is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology Sciences and Engineering, and a Corresponding Member of the Académie Royale Belge des Sciences d’Outre-Mer. He is a member of the Sigma Xi Research Society of North America, and of the Australian Institution of Engineers. He is an editor of the scientific journal Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, and a member of the editorial advisory board of the scientific journals Continental Shelf Research, Journal of Coastal Research, Wetlands Ecology and Management, Journal of Marine Systems, and Oceanographic Literature Review. For the last twenty-two years he has been a senior principal research scientist at the Australian Institute of Marine Science, where he has been studying tropical coastal oceanography and its biological implications for mangroves and coral reefs
