Evolution of Marine Coastal Ecosystems under the Pressure of Global Changes

Coastal and estuarine environments at the interface of terrestrial and marine areas are among the mostproductive in the world. However, since the beginning of the industrial era, these ecosystems have beensubjected to strong anthropogenic pressures intensified from the second half of the 20th century, when therewas a marked acceleration in the warming (climate change) of the continents, particularly at high latitudes.Coastal ecosystems are highly vulnerable to alteration of their physical, chemical and biological characteristics(marine intrusion, acidification of marine environments, changes in ecosystems, evolution and artificializationof the coastline, etc.).In contact with heavily populated areas, these environments are often the receptacle of a lot of chemical andbiological pollution sources that significantly diminish their resilience. In this context of accelerated evolutionand degradation of these areas important for food security of many populations around the world, it isnecessary to better identify the factors of pressure and understand, at different scales of observation, their effects and impacts on the biodiversity and on the socio-eco-systems, in order to determine the degree ofvulnerability of these coastal ecosystems and the risks they face. A transdisciplinary and integrated approachis required to prevent risks. Within this framework, operational coastal oceanography occupies an importantplace but also the implementation of a true socio-eco-system approach in order to set up an environmentallyfriendly development.