ABSTRACT
For many different reasons, the coastal marine environment can be considered to be an important part of the geoenvironment. It is the recipient of (1) liquid discharges from surface runoffs, rivers, and groundwater, and (2) waste discharges from land-based industry, municipal, and other anthropogenic sources. It is also a vital element in the geoenvironment that provides the base for life support systems. The combination of these two large factors, with their direct link to human population, makes the coastal marine environment an integral part of the considerations on the sustainability of the geoenvironment and its natural resources.
