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Handbook on Marine Environment Protection pp 139–148Cite as

Impacts of Coastal Developments on Ecosystems

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Abstract

In this chapter a brief overview of direct and indirect human impact to coastal systems is given. The concept of coastal morphodynamics as relevant drivers of coastal ecosystems is explained and the interactions of important processes in different spatio-temporal scales are introduced. In several examples it is shown how coastal developments act as perturbations to the dynamic equilibria of natural coastal environments. Important uncertainties in system understanding are identified and their relevance for the interpretation of model predictions is stressed out. Numerical models serve as common tools for coastal development impact assessment, and the more and more user friendly design of modelling systems will increase their use in the future. This calls for an increased awareness and very careful interpretation of model results considering model applicability and model prediction skills. Management should thus follow an adaptive approach, which involves learning and monitoring of the evolution of coastal systems. This also involves regular re-assessments of past predictions and the identification of needs for model development.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Marine Environmental Sciences MARUM, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany

    Christian Winter

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  1. Christian Winter
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Correspondence to Christian Winter .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. German Advisory Council on the Environment, Berlin, Germany

    Markus Salomon

  2. University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany

    Till Markus

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Winter, C. (2018). Impacts of Coastal Developments on Ecosystems. In: Salomon, M., Markus, T. (eds) Handbook on Marine Environment Protection . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-60156-4_7

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