Estuarine, coastal and shelf sediments cover only a small fraction of the global seafloor yet their proximity to land and decreasing water depth amplify physical, chemical, and biological processes affecting their biogeochemistry and cycling of matter. In the Anthropocene, sedimentary environments are increasingly impacted by human activities, and in the shelf, the effects are amplified as the shallow water depths limits dilution of anthropogenic nutrient input resulting in more frequent algal blooms and expanding hypoxia. Technological challenges and high costs associated with investigations at the seafloor and in high-energy shallow water environments make it difficult for investigators to keep up with the relatively rapid changes in the global shelf environment, which now is increasingly influenced by effects of sea level rise, warming, acidification and storms. This presentation addresses some recent technological developments and new insights gained through them with emphasis on benthic studies in the shelf environment.

Primary Presenter: Markus Huettel, Florida State University (mhuettel@fsu.edu)

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