Controls on the coastal environment and their changes under climate change: a case study for the Island of Okinawa in the western pacific

Coastal environments are increasingly under threat due to the climate impacts associated with global warming and increasing terrestrial impacts through coastal development and inappropriate land management. As a result, a third of the world's coral reefs are facing the threat of extinction. In order to conserve and manage coral reef ecosystems, it is important to accurately assess the interactions of natural and anthropogenic (including climatic) stresses that are operating.