Description

While everyone agrees that the oceans are the most important part of the earth's life support system, and that their environmental management is necessary if serious problems are to be prevented -- little action is taken (or enforced) because too few believe that effective ocean environmental management can be profitable as well as responsible. Written by a leading authority in the field, this book provides a complete non-technical survey of the problems of ocean pollution and the promise of effective ocean management. Discusses -- in an unbiased manner -- all important aspects of ocean environmental management: the important functions of the oceans; the environmental impacts of ocean pollution in physical, biological, and economic terms; the man-made and natural sources of pollution; methods for the prevention of pollution; effective management of ocean use and ocean resources; containment and clean up of pollution; and planning of the long-term effective management of ocean use in an environmentally safe manner. For anyone concerned with the maintenance of the world's oceans as a resource, including general readers and students curious about environmental developments in the oceans.