The
Issue: Shorelines
have
wide
appeal,
which
means
there
are high
demands
for recreational,
business
and residential
developments
near
the water.
Coastal
areas
only
make
up 10
percent
of the
United
States’ landmass,
and yet
more
than
54 percent
of Americans
live
on the
coast.
By 2025,
the Department
of Commerce
predicts
that
nearly
75 percent
of Americans
will
live
in coastal
counties.
With
the growing
population
and its
density
living
on the
coast,
there
has been
a corresponding
rise
in coastal
pollution
and environmental
degradation.
Communities
must
balance
economic
and environmental
values,
manage
the impacts
of nutrient
runoff
and waste
disposal,
while
maintaining
the integrity
of coastal
ecosystems.
Sea
Grant: Sea
Grant aims
to identify
the most
pressing
research
needs related
to urban
coasts along
U.S. marine
and Great
Lakes waters
and develop
a research
and outreach
agenda that
prioritizes
and addresses
these needs.
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