The ever increasing interest in work in oceanography and marine biology and its relevance to global environmental issues creates a demand for authoritative reviews summarising the results of recent research.Oceanography and Marine Biology: an Annual Review has catered for this demand since its foundation, by the late Harold Barnes, more than 35 years ago. Its objectives are to consider, annually, basic areas of marine research, returning to them when appropriate in future volumes; to deal with subjects of special and topical importance; and to add new ones as they arise. The favourable reception accorded to all the volumes shows that the series is fulfilling a very real need: both reviews and sales have been gratifying. The series is an essential reference text for research workers and students in all fields of marine science and related subjects, and finds a place in not only the libraries of marine stations and institutes but also universities. It is consistently among the highest ranking impact factors for the marine biology category of the citation indices compiled by the Institute for Scientific Education.