This valuable work, published in September 2000, provides a comprehensive review of the environmental condition of the seas of the world, sea by sea and region by region. It focuses on all aspects of man's interactions with the seas and with their biological and physical systems. The three volumes of Seas at the Millennium: an Environmental Evaluation cover issues of global and regional importance such as: biological description of the coast and continental shelf waters; development and use of the coast; landfill and its effects; pollutant discharges over time; effects of over-fishing; management methods and techniques used to ensure continued ecosystem functioning.

The relative importance of water-borne and airborne routes differ in different parts of the world, so routes and paths of pollutant movement in different areas will be examined and described in their local and global context. Each chapter is written by experts in the field. The regional chapters include: an historical overview of the area concerned in environmental terms; uses to which it has been put and to which it is put today; its current environmental status and major problems arising from human use of both the sea and its watershed; informed comment on major trends, problems and successes; and recommendations for the future. The global issues chapters cover major habitats and species groups, governmental, education and legal issues, fisheries effects, remote sensing, climate change and management.