ABSTRACT
Many factors contributed to the growth of interest in the state of the coastal environment during the second half of the twentieth century. This social and cultural development was reflected in the iconic status enjoyed by figures such as Rachel Carson and Jacques-Yves Cousteau. Carson stressed the vulnerability of the oceans, exhibiting a scientific, yet eloquent and impassioned approach to the subject, which helped bring her warnings to a wide audience (Carson, 1953). Later, she bravely fought the ugly campaigns waged against her by American agrochemical corporations (Connor, 1999). Her Silent Spring (1962), by exposing the effects of the indiscriminate use of pesticides, especially DDT, demonstrated the dangerous potential of transfer pollution. These substances might be found in animals in the Arctic and could enter the human food chain. This work helped to galvanize the early environmental movement.
