Marine Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning
EU Network of Excellence

 
Main Menu

· Home
· Contacts
· Data Systems
· Documents
· FAQ
· Links
· MarBEF Open Archive
· Network Description
· Outreach
· Photo Gallery
· Quality Assurance
· Register of Resources
· Research Projects
· Rules and Guidelines
· Training
· Wiki
· Worldconference

 

Register of Resources (RoR)

 People  |  Datasets  |  Literature  |  Institutes  |  Projects 

[ report an error in this record ] Print this page

The eco-metabolism of estuarine intertidal flat
dbs.cordis.lu/cordis-cgi/srchidadb?action=d&session=121512002-2-25&doc=2&tbl=en_proj&rcn=ep_rcn:31739&caller=en_cordis

Dutch title: Ecoflat: het eco-metabolisme van een estuariene intergetijdenplaat
Funder identifier: ENV4-CT96-0216 (Other contract id)
Acronym: ECOFLAT
Period: May 1996 till April 1999
Status: Completed

Thesaurus terms: Benthos; Estuaries; Tidal flats
 Institutes | Publication | Datasets 

Institutes (5)  Top | Publication | Datasets 
  • Flemish Government; Policy Domain Environment; Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO), more
  • Ghent University; Faculty of Sciences; Biology Department; Marine Biology Section (MARBIOL), more
  • Koninklijk Nederlands Instituut voor Onderzoek der Zee; NIOZ Yerseke, more
  • WL | Delft Hydraulics
  • National Institute for Coastal and Marine Management (RIKZ), more

Abstract
A multidisciplinary study of processes important for the carbon and nutrient cycling within a tidal flat ecosystem, and between the tidal flat system and the estuary. Investigation of the benthic microbial food web.

Tidal flats are important components of macro- and mesotidal estuaries all over the world, yet the mechanistic description of carbon and nutrient cycling within tidal flats and between tidal flats and the water column is far from complete. This description requires the multi-disciplinary study of physical, chemical and biological processes and fluxes at small spatial and temporal scales. In contrast, environmental management of estuarine and coastal areas requires answers and solutions to problems posed at larger scales (estuarine scale, regional scale). The project aims at bridging the gap between the smaller scales at which processes operate and are measured, and the larger scales relevant for management, by explicitly studying the small scale processes and by integrating them in mathematical models.

The project's work programme is centered around five joint field campaigns by all participants. The first four of these are executed on a tidal flat in the Westerschelde estuary (S.W. Netherlands). Validation of the models and predictions will be done during a final campaign in a different estuary. The research is subdivided into three work packages. The first package focuses on the quantification and prediction of benthic-pelagic exchange mechanisms involving carbon and nutrients. Physical and biological processes in this exchange are considered; the processes are framed in the context of a detailed hydrodynamical modelling of the flat. The second package considers the processes of production, mineralised and transformation of organic material and nutrients within the sediments. Attention will be paid to primary production and to grazing processes within the benthic small food web. The sensitivity of the overall system to the dynamics of these internal interactions within the benthic system will be investigated. The third package integrates the measurements performed in the first and second packages into detailed mathematical process models for the biogeochemical processes in tidal flats sediments. The process models will be integrated into a general ecosystem model. Upscaling of the results of the process studies to the scale of the estuary will be considered by defining relationships between ecosystem target variables and key forcing factors in the estuary.

The former Institute for Nature Conservation was a partner in this project

Datasets (2)  Top | Institutes | Publication 
  • Spatial heterogeneity of nematodes on an intertidal flat in the Westerschelde Estuary, more
  • Tidal migration of nematodes on an estuarine tidal flat in the Western Scheldt, more

Publication  Top | Institutes | Datasets 
  • Ysebaert, T.J.; Meire, P. (1999). Macrobenthos of the Schelde estuary: predicting macrobenthic species responses in the estuarine environment: a statistical analysis of the Schelde estuary macrobenthos within the ECOFLAT project. Rapport Instituut voor Natuurbehoud, 1999(19). Institute of Nature Conservation/Instituut voor Natuurbehoud: Brussel. ISBN 90-403-0114-X. 40, 178, 8 pp.

All data in the Integrated Marine Information System (IMIS) is subject to the VLIZ privacy policy Top | Institutes | Publication | Datasets 


If any information here appears to be incorrect, please contact us
Back to Register of Resources
 
Quick links

MarBEF WIKI

Erasmus Mundus Master of Science in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation (EMBC)
Outreach

Science
Responsive Mode Programme (RMP) - Marie Nordstrom, copyright Aspden Rebecca

WoRMS
part of WoRMS logo

ERMS 2.0
Epinephelus marginatus Picture: JG Harmelin

EurOBIS

Geographic System

Datasets

 


Web site hosted and maintained by Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) - Contact data-at-marbef.org