The new marine green? Sustainability and health challenges for coastal communities

Marine Environment and Human Health: An Overview

The marine environment currently provides many beneficial goods and services to mankind but also poses a risk to the health of coastal populations. For example, toxic algal bloom events, microbial pathogens and pollutants all act to negatively impact human health mediated by the marine environment. At the same time, regular contact with the natural environment results in many health benefits, including increased fitness and reduced levels of stress. The marine environment is under pressure from land-derived contaminants and climate change, of which the socio-economic consequences and the implications for human health and wellbeing are not well understood. The scientific challenge is to understand and predict the consequences of environmental changes and exploitation of natural resources upon our coastal ecosystems and upon society, including human health. Addressing this challenge requires the integration of a wide range of disciplines, from physical oceanography and marine biology, to molecular biology and epidemiology.