Biophysical and socio-economic assessments of the coastal zone: the LOICZ approach

The Land–Ocean Interactions in the Coastal Zone Project of the International Geosphere–Biosphere Programme focused on quantifying the role of the global coastal zone in the cycling of carbon and nutrients. From 1993 to date, it has developed protocols and tools that allow for site-specific and global assessments of coastal processes and their drivers. Indicators used in coastal assessments include the contribution of population and economic activities to waste load generation, and the resulting coastal system states relative to net production and nitrogen cycling.