This report explores the growth prospects for the ocean economy, its capacity for future employment creation and innovation, and its role in addressing global challenges. Special attention is devoted to the emerging ocean-based industries.

This book presents a broad overview of the current state of knowledge regarding the Red Sea, from its geological formation and oceanographic development to the environmental influences on its ecology and the changes it is experiencing due to the rapid development of its coastlines and role as one of the world’s major transport routes. The book gathers invited contributions from researchers with an interest in the geology, geophysics, oceanography and environment of the Red Sea, while also providing comprehensive new data and a complete review of the literature. It will be of interest not only to researchers actively studying the sea and its surroundings, but will also appeal to all those involved in planning and managing the Red Sea, its environment, its resources and the countries which rely on its existence.

Submarine mass movements are a hidden geohazard with large destructive potential for submarine installations and coastal areas. This hazard and associated risk is growing in proportion with increasing population of coastal urban agglomerations, industrial infrastructure, and coastal tourism. Also, the intensified use of the seafloor for natural resource production, and deep sea cables constitutes an increasing risk. Submarine slides may alter the coastline and bear a high tsunamogenic potential. There is a potential link of submarine mass wasting with climate change, as submarine landslides can uncover and release large amounts greenhouse gases, mainly methane, that are now stored in marine sediments. The factors that govern the stability of submarine slopes against failure, the processes that lead to slope collapses and the collapse processes by themselves need to be better understood in order to foresee and prepare society for potentially hazardous events. This book volume consists of a collection of cutting edge scientific research by international experts in the field, covering geological, geophysical, engineering and environmental aspects of submarine slope failures. The focus is on understanding the full spectrum of challenges presented by this major coastal and offshore geohazard.

This book is a comprehensive collection of state-of-the-art studies of seafloor slope instability and their societal implications. The volume captures the most recent and exciting scientific progress made in this research field. As the world’s climate and energy needs change, the conditions under which slope instability occurs and needs to be considered, are also changing. The science and engineering of submarine – or more widely subaqueous – mass movements is greatly benefiting from advances in seafloor and sub-seafloor surveying technologies. Ultra-high-resolution seafloor mapping and 3D seismic reflection cubes are becoming commonly available datasets that are dramatically increasing our knowledge of the mechanisms and controls of subaqueous slope failure. Monitoring of slope deformation, repeat surveying and deep drilling, on the other hand, are emerging as important new techniques for understanding the temporal scales of slope instability. In essence, rapid advances in technology are being readily incorporated into scientific research and as a result, our understanding of submarine mass movements is increasing at a very fast rate. The volume also marks the beginning of the third IGCP project for the submarine mass movement research community, IGCP-640 S4SLIDE (Significance of Modern and Ancient Submarine Slope LandSLIDEs). The Submarine Mass Movements and Their Consequences symposium is the biannual meeting under the IGCP umbrella.

In the summer of 1803, Thomas Jefferson sent Meriwether Lewis and William Clark on a journey to establish an American presence in a land of unqualified natural resources and riches. Is it fitting that, on the 200th anniversary of that expedition, the United States, together with international partners, should embark on another journey of exploration in a vastly more extensive region of remarkable potential for discovery. Although the oceans cover more than 70 percent of our planet's surface, much of the ocean has been investigated in only a cursory sense, and many areas have not been investigated at all. Exploration of the Seas assesses the feasibility and potential value of implementing a major, coordinated, international program of ocean exploration and discovery. The study committee surveys national and international ocean programs and strategies for cooperation between governments, institutions, and ocean scientists and explorers, identifying strengths, weaknesses, and gaps in these activities. Based primarily on existing documents, the committee summarizes priority areas for ocean research and exploration and examines existing plans for advancing ocean exploration and knowledge.

Sustainable Ocean Resource Governance offers perspectives on the legal interface between sustainable economic growth, effective marine resource management and environmental protection of the sea.