| Japanese |

We hypothesize that many water quality and associated problems influencing coastal environments around the world today are related to past and on-going contamination of terrestrial groundwater because this groundwater is now seeping out along many shorelines. Such inputs thus contribute to the increased occurrences of coastal hypoxia, nuisance algal blooms, and associated ecosystem consequences. We propose to initiate direct measurements of groundwater discharge in selected areas of the Philippines. These studies, which will engage scientists from nearby countries, will form a base for more extensive research in the region and will represent an important element of our capacity building activities. Another major training component of our project consists of a regional workshop (in Thailand ) on management implications, measurement implications, measurement techniques, climatic effects, and the impact of the direct inflow of ground­water into the sea.