Natural Sciences Modelling in Coastal and Shelf Seas

This chapter describes the structure, main processes and functions of coastal and marine habitats. Models offer a way to synthesise our understanding of the environment, analyse changes in ecosystems with complex and non-linear interactions, and forecast future changes. A feature of the shelf sea environment is that it is heavily influenced by processes on and in the adjacent land and open ocean environment. This interaction means that the shelf region cannot be modelled in isolation. The possibilities to address this interaction by coupling terrestrial, coastal and marine models are discussed, as well as the limitations and possibilities of modelling for understanding coastal ecosystems futures.