This document presents the results of a workshop conducted during August, 1996, to better define a research agenda to study the combined effects of natural variability and anthropogenic change in Pacific Northwest coastal ecosystems. It contains five complementary syntheses written for the workshop on the topics of human intervention in coastal ecosystems (Chapter 2), the socioeconomic causes and consequences of coastal ecosystems change (Chapter 3), variability and stability of climatic/oceanic regimes (Chapter 4), variability of marine ecosystems (Chapter 9, and variability of riverine and estuarine ecosystems (Chapter 6). It also contains the critical responses and research ideas of the peers who attended the workshop (Chapter 7).