沿岸海洋地區指的是大陸棚到陸地之間的海域。全世界超過一半的人口生活在這距海岸100公里以內的區域。近年來，有關河口和海岸的研究亦趨蓬勃發展，皆是因為這些地區的急遽變化對食物鏈以及海洋環境造成重大的影響。河流和地表徑流的淡水，輸送來自陸地的物質，如營養鹽和重金屬微量元素等，對海洋影響甚鉅。隨著世界各地沿海地區人口的持續增加，這些物質對生態系統的壓力越來越嚴重，也挑戰相對應的環境、社會經濟和政策問題。沿海海洋是邊界層，陸地和海洋的物質在此迅速發生眾多變化，反應動能積極交換，這些物理，化學和生物間交錯的複雜反應更控制著物質的終極宿命。本課程闡述沿海海洋環境基本奠基，與其中的物質運輸與變化過程，尤其著重於生物地球化學的反應，為自然學科領域的學生提供全面觀的河口和沿海科學基礎專業知識及能力。
A coastal area is a region between continental shelf break to the land shore. More than half the human population lives within 100 km of coast. The study of estuaries and coasts has seen enormous growth in recent years, since changes in these areas have a large effect on the food chain, as well as on the physics and chemistry of the ocean. As the coasts and river banks around the world become more densely populated, the pressure on these ecosystems intensifies, putting a new focus on environmental, socio-economic and policy issues. Freshwater from river and surface runoffs, also the land derived materials such as nutrients and trace elements have great influence on the coastal seas. Chemical reactions occurred rapidly between substances from the land and from the ocean. As of physics, a coastal sea acts as a boundary layer and kinetic energy is actively exchanged. Because the physical, chemical and biological processes relate to the material transport in the sea, it can be said the coastal oceanography is a genuinely interdisciplinary study. This course clarifies the material transport processes in the shelf and coastal ocean. Approach especially focused on the biogeochemistry processes. Provides a comprehensive scientific backgrounds for all professionals and students in the area of estuarine and coastal science.