Erodibility of a mixed mudflat dominated by microphytobenthos and Cerastoderma edule, East Frisian Wadden Sea,Germany |
| |
| Authors: | TJ Andersen M Lanuru C van Bernem M Pejrup R Riethmueller |
| |
| Institution: | 1. Institute of Coastal Research, GKSS Research Centre, Max Planck Str., 21502 Geesthacht, Germany;2. Department of Geography and Geology, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 10, 1350 Copenhagen K, Denmark;3. Coastal Research Laboratory, Institute of Geoscience, Kiel University, Otto-Hahn Platz 3, 24118 Kiel, Germany;4. Department of Marine Science, Hasanuddin University, Makassar 90245, Indonesia |
| |
| Abstract: | Sediment erodibility and a range of physical and biological parameters were measured at an intertidal site in the German Wadden Sea area in June, September and November 2002 and February and April 2003 in order to examine the influence of macrozoobenthos and microphytobenthos on sediment erodibility and the temporal variation. The study site was a mixed mudflat situated in the mesotidal Baltrum–Langeoog tidal basin at the East Frisian barrier coast. The mud content at the site was about 35% and the filter-feeding cockle Cerastoderma edule was the dominating macrozoobenthic species (by biomass). The erodibility of the sediment showed strong temporal variation with high erosion thresholds in spring and late summer and significantly lower thresholds during the rest of the study period. The erosion thresholds were strongly dependent on the contents of chlorophyll a (chl a) and colloidal carbohydrates, both indicators of the content of microphytobenthos, in this environment primarily benthic diatoms. The content of microphytobenthos was high in September 2002 and April 2003, and regression analysis indicated that this was the only likely reason for the low erodibility found at these times. A biostabilisation index of about 4.5 was found for a situation with both abundant biofilms and cockles. |
| |
| Keywords: | tidal flat sediment erodibility Cerastoderma edule microphytobenthos Wadden Sea |
| 本文献已被 ScienceDirect 等数据库收录！ |
|
