Part I. Introduction -- Chapter 1. Southern Baltic Coastal Systems Analysis: Questions, Conceptions and Red Threads -- Chapter 2. Coastal Ecosystems from a Social-Ecological Perspective -- Part II. Ecological Structures and Functions of the German Baltic Sea Coast -- Chapter 3. The Abiotic Background: Climatic, Hydrological and Geological Conditions of the Southern Baltic -- Chapter 4. Geological and Sedimentary Conditions -- Chapter 5. Environmental Conditions at the Coast: The Terrestrial Ecosystems -- Chapter 6. Environmental Conditions at the Coast: Shoreline Ecosystems -- Chapter 7. Ecosystem and Landscape Functions of the Coast: Recent Research Results -- Chapter 8: Benthic Habitats and Their Inhabitants -- Part III. Ecological Structures and Functions of Coastal Water and Offshore Ecosystems -- Chapter 9. Introducing the Ecological Aspects -- Chapter 10. Baltic Sea Aquatic Ecosystems in a Gradient from Land to Open Sea -- Chapter 11. Comparison of Abiotic Parameters and Dominant Primary Producers Between the Two Main Investigation Areas -- Chapter 12. Short-Term Variability, Long-Term Trends and Seasonal Aspects in the Darß-Zingst Bodden Chain -- Chapter 13. Carbon Fluxes/Food-Webs: Effect of Macrophytes on Food Web Characteristics in Coastal Lagoons -- Chapter 14. Ecological Structure in Benthic Habitats of Offshore Waters -- Chapter 15. Patterns of Bioturbation and Associated Matter Fluxes -- Chapter 16. Seasonal Aspects and Short-Term Variability of the Pelagic Offshore Ecosystems -- Chapter 17. Long-Term Trends of the Offshore Ecosystems -- Chapter 18. Nutrient and Limitation Regimes in Coastal Water Ecosystems -- Part IV. Combining the Aspects: Ecosystem Service Assessment -- Chapter 19. The Human Factor: Coastal Social-Ecological Systems -- Chapter 20. Introduction: The Concept of Ecosystem Service Assessment Applied to Coastal Systems -- Chapter 21. The Missing Links in Ecosystem Service Research -- Chapter 22. Eudaimonic Valuation of Cultural Ecosystem Services -- Chapter 23. Economic Valuation of Cultural Ecosystem Services -- Chapter 24. Spatial Ecosystem Service Assessment Across the Land-Sea-Interface -- Chapter 25. Temporal Changes in Aquatic Ecosystem Services Provision: Approach and Examples -- Chapter 26. Assessing Temporal Changes in Ecosystem Service Provisions: Conceiving Future Pathways -- Part V. Synthesis: Assessment as a Tool for Managing Coastal Ecosystems? -- Chapter 27. Applying the Integrated Approach -- Chapter 28. Mechanisms of Ecosystem Service Production: An Outcome of Ecosystem Functions and Ecological Integrity in Coastal Lagoons -- Chapter 29. Ecosystem Service Assessment in European Coastal and Marine Policies -- Chapter 30. Ecosystem Services and Sustainable Development: The Case for Strong Sustainability -- Chapter 31. Concluding Remarks.