What the scientists got right
- Oil spills would decrease in frequency and quantity;
- More food would be collected from rocky shores, both recreationally and commercially;
- The global redistribution of non-native species would increase as global temperatures change;
- A combination of agricultural intensification, and riverside and coastal urbanisation, would lead to increased sediment running into rivers, estuaries and seas.
What the scientists got partly right
- The forecasts were insufficiently optimistic about reductions in the impacts of chemical compounds, such as tributyltin (TBT), which were subsequently the subject of international legislation;
- Scientists were very aware of the influence of climate fluctuations, but didn't fully appreciate the varied impacts they would have on species and ecosystems;
- They also underestimated the importance of extreme weather events resulting from climate change;
- Scientists correctly predicted an increase in coastal defence structures to tackle rising sea levels and stormier seas but underestimated their likely impacts on wider coastal ecosystems;
- Recreational use of coastal areas has increased, but rather than having a solely negative effect it has actually led to people appreciating these regions more.
What the scientists got wrong
- Coastlines are more vulnerable now to eutrophication - an increase in the concentration of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus - than they were 25 years ago;
- Concerns about the intensification of aquaculture, and particularly impacts from genetically modified organisms, have so far proved unfounded;
- Anticipated harm to habitats as a result of offshore renewable energy installations has not materialized;
- The impacts of ultraviolet radiation on coastal species were not fully appreciated.
What the scientists missed
- The impacts of coastal mining;
- Ocean acidification and its potential impact on marine species;
- The effects of artificial light pollution;
- The effects of noise pollution;
- Extreme flood and drought events;
- The scale and effects of plastic pollution;
- The impacts of pharmaceutical contamination;
- The combined effects of various environmental threats and chemical compounds.