Note that the data published in the 2002 State of the Nation’s Ecosystems Report as well as the 2003 and 2005 Web-Only Updates have been superseded by the 2008 Report and thus should be used with caution. For the most recent data, purchase the 2008 Report from Island Press.

Review the indicators at a glance

What do we mean by “coasts and oceans”?

“Coasts and oceans” consists of three components: estuaries, ocean waters under U.S. jurisdiction, and the shoreline along both estuaries and oceanfront areas.

Estuaries are partially enclosed bodies of water (often referred to as bays, sounds, lagoons, fjords, and the like), where fresh water from the land is mixed with salt water from the ocean. They are generally considered to begin at the upper end of tidal or saltwater influence and end where they meet the ocean, although major rivers often have plumes of brackish water (mixed fresh and salt) that extend for great distances. Many estuaries are highly productive, highly variable environments, and many have been greatly affected by human activities.

Table 5.1. Reporting Areas for Coasts and Oceans Indicators
Shorelines	Estuaries	Estuaries and Ocean Waters within 25 Miles of Shorea	Estuaries and Ocean Waters to 200 Miles	Ocean Waters within 25 Miles of Shorea
Shoreline Types Coastal Erosion Recreational Water Quality	Non-native Species Condition of Bottom- Dwelling Animals	Areas with Depleted Oxygen Contamination in Bottom Sediments Chlorophyll Concentrations	Coastal Living Habitats At-Risk Marine Species Unusual Marine Mortalities Harmful Algal Blooms Commercial Fish and Shellfish Landings Status of Commercially Important Fish Stocks Selected Contaminants in Fish and Shellfish	Sea Surface Temperature
a While it would be preferable in many cases to adjust the width of the reporting zone to conform to the extent of brackish water, the lack of consistent national monitoring of the extent of brackish water makes this impractical at this time. Because of this, these indicators focus on the area within 25 miles of the coast, a relatively conservative value for the width of this zone.

In general, ocean waters along the coast are largely influenced by the deep ocean, while terrestrial ecosystems are the main influence on estuaries. Both estuaries and ocean encompass a wide variety of habitats, including salt and brackish water, subtidal habitats (e.g., soft and hard bottom communities, coral and oyster reefs, and beds of seagrasses and kelp) and intertidal habitats (rocky shores, mud flats, marshes, and mangrove forests). By definition, U.S. waters extend to the boundaries of the 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ),¹ but not all indicators report on this entire zone. In reporting the extent of coastal waters (see the core national extent indicator), we have selected the area of "brackish water"—the area in which the influence of fresh water from rivers and groundwater reduces salinity below that of the open ocean. The width of this area varies; along the Pacific Coast it is relatively narrow, while along parts of the Atlantic Coast it may be as wide as 200 miles. Table 5.1 shows the reporting area for each of the 16 indicators.

A Note about Regions

Eight of the sixteen Coasts and Oceans indicators are reported on a regional basis, and they all make use of the same regional definitions (see Map 5.1). These indicators are Shoreline Types, Areas with Depleted Oxygen, Sea Surface Temperature, At-Risk Species, Condition of Bottom-Dwelling Animals, Chlorophyll Concentration, Commercial Fish and Shellfish Landings, and the Status of Commercially Important Fish Stocks.

¹ The Exclusive Economic Zone of the United States was established in 1983 by presidential proclamation (#5030). According to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, nations have sovereign rights in a 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) with respect to natural resources and certain economic activities, and they exercise jurisdiction over marine science research and environmental protection in the EEZ. See United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (accessed November 21, 2001).