This 614-page volume is a selection of 78 full papers presented at the 22nd European Marine Biology Symposium, held in Barcelona from 17th to 22nd August, 1987. The first EMBS to take place in Spain, it atracted more than 400 researchers, from 34 European and outside countries. The three topics of the Symosium (Persistent frontal systems, Bottom communities, Estuaries, deltas, and coastal lagoons) were broad enough to lure more than 175 invited lectures, oral communications and poster communications. A feature of the 22nd EMBS was the high proportion of participants from southern European countries, compared to previous meetings.