How continental hydrology contributes to the Blue Economy

The “Blue Economy” is generally defined as the sustainable use of ocean, sea, and coastal resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and jobs while preserving ocean health. It mostly focuses on marine and coastal areas, including sectors such as fisheries, aquaculture, tourism, maritime transport, marine renewable energy, coastal infrastructure, seabed mining, and marine biotechnology.

Continental hydrology, which involves freshwater systems like rivers, lakes, and aquifers located inland, is typically not part of the Blue Economy. The Blue Economy, as defined by the European Union and the World Bank, primarily concerns economic activities related to oceans, seas, and their coastal zones, rather than inland freshwater systems or continental hydrology.

Therefore, BWI is outside the Blue Economy landscape. However, in light of the urgency to take better care of our oceans and marine environments, at BWI we thought we had to take a few minutes emphasize the importance of managing interconnected water systems (seas, rivers, aquifers) for overall water resource sustainability. Hence this blog post.

Indeed, continental hydrology contributes significantly to coastal and marine economies primarily through the freshwater, nutrients, and sediments it delivers to coastal and marine ecosystems via river runoff. This connection supports the productivity and health of coastal waters, estuaries, and adjacent marine environments, which in turn bolster various economic activities such as fisheries, aquaculture, tourism, and coastal industry.

As BWI sees it, key contributions of continental hydrology to the Blue Economy include:

• Freshwater input from continental rivers influences coastal circulation, salinity, and temperature regimes, which shape habitats critical to marine species and aquaculture operations.
• Nutrients transported by river runoff fertilize coastal waters, sustaining the food web that supports fish stocks and shellfish farming—essential parts of the blue economy.
• Sediment delivery from continental systems helps build and maintain coastal landforms and habitats, which protect shorelines and support tourism and fisheries.
• Changes in runoff volume and timing due to climate or land use impact coastal ecosystem health and thus the economic viability of coastal industries.

In sum, continental hydrology feeds coastal and marine economic sectors by hydrologically linking inland freshwater systems with the ocean, making it an indirect yet crucial component for coastal and marine economic sustainability.