Urban cities generate considerable potential for ecological disturbance leading to environmental degradation (Programme 2: Anthropogenic Disturbances of Coastal Habitats). In particular, there are problems for organisms on hard and soft substrata because of building jetties, seawalls, pilings, etc. Human disturbances include foraging for bait and food and disposal of wastes. The research to understand ecological changes due to these disturbances is time-consuming and long-term, particularly when experimental analyses of processes during disturbances are planned.
Predicting, measuring and interpreting impacts are hamstrung by poor sampling and analysis - often dictated by inadequate statutory requirements for Environmental Impact Statements. One major problem is that natural ecological assemblages of species vary enormously from time to time and place to place. Thus, even when undisturbed by people, ecological patterns are very different from place to place and change rapidly from time to time.
Anywhere that people live and work creates wastes, by-products and contamination. We dispose of sewage, industrial, agricultural and domestic chemicals, heat and freshwater in numerous outfalls. These operate continuously or sporadically (such as storm-water drains) to create a mosaic of short and long-term, acute and chronic contamination of coastal waters.
The Centre for Research on Ecological Impacts of Coastal Cities (EICC) has generated many scientific papers and theses from research projects on the effects of different forms of contamination. The link to the URL provided in this record provides a link to this research