The early 1990's have seen a dramatic increase in research focusing on the outer shelf and the interaction and exchange between the shelf and the open ocean. In the past there was a tendency to focus on the shelf in isolation. However this perspective has changed as satellite images and other observations have revealed complex current and temperature fields linking the outer shelf and open ocean. Brief overviews are given below of recent research on exchange between the outer shelf and open ocean along the west and east coasts of the United States.