Wadden Sea Eutrophication: Long-Term Trends and Regional Differences
The Wadden Sea is a shallow intertidal coastal sea, largely protected by barrier islands and fringing the North Sea coasts of Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark. It is subject to influences from both the North Sea and major European rivers. Nutrient enrichment from these rivers since the 1950s has im...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2019-07-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Marine Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmars.2019.00370/full |
| _version_ | 1819027985744789504 |
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| author | Justus E. E. van Beusekom Jacob Carstensen Tobias Dolch Annika Grage Richard Hofmeister Hermann Lenhart Onur Kerimoglu Kerstin Kolbe Johannes Pätsch Johannes Rick Lena Rönn Hans Ruiter |
| author_facet | Justus E. E. van Beusekom Jacob Carstensen Tobias Dolch Annika Grage Richard Hofmeister Hermann Lenhart Onur Kerimoglu Kerstin Kolbe Johannes Pätsch Johannes Rick Lena Rönn Hans Ruiter |
| author_sort | Justus E. E. van Beusekom |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Wadden Sea is a shallow intertidal coastal sea, largely protected by barrier islands and fringing the North Sea coasts of Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark. It is subject to influences from both the North Sea and major European rivers. Nutrient enrichment from these rivers since the 1950s has impacted the Wadden Sea ecology including loss of seagrass, increased phytoplankton blooms, and increased green macroalgae blooms. Rivers are the major source of nutrients causing Wadden Sea eutrophication. The nutrient input of the major rivers impacting the Wadden Sea reached a maximum during the 1980s and decreased at an average pace of about 2.5% per year for total Nitrogen (TN) and about 5% per year for total Phosphorus (TP), leading to decreasing nutrient levels but also increasing N/P ratios. During the past decade, the lowest nutrient inputs since 1977 were observed but these declining trends are leveling out for TP. Phytoplankton biomass (measured as chlorophyll a) in the Wadden Sea has decreased since the 1980s and presently reached a comparatively low level. In tidal inlet stations with a long-term monitoring, summer phytoplankton levels correlate with riverine TN and TP loads but stations located closer to the coast behave in a more complex manner. Regional differences are observed, with highest chlorophyll a levels in the southern Wadden Sea and lowest levels in the northern Wadden Sea. Model data support the hypothesis that the higher eutrophication levels in the southern Wadden Sea are linked to a more intense coastward accumulation of organic matter produced in the North Sea. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T05:51:10Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-bd62ac89ff4447ba92ea86fa50e86180 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-7745 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T05:51:10Z |
| publishDate | 2019-07-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Marine Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-bd62ac89ff4447ba92ea86fa50e861802022-12-21T19:13:59ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Marine Science2296-77452019-07-01610.3389/fmars.2019.00370428870Wadden Sea Eutrophication: Long-Term Trends and Regional DifferencesJustus E. E. van Beusekom0Jacob Carstensen1Tobias Dolch2Annika Grage3Richard Hofmeister4Hermann Lenhart5Onur Kerimoglu6Kerstin Kolbe7Johannes Pätsch8Johannes Rick9Lena Rönn10Hans Ruiter11Institut für Küstenforschung, Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht, Geesthacht, GermanyDepartment of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Roskilde, DenmarkWadden Sea Station Sylt, Alfred-Wegener-Institut, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar-und Meeresforschung, Bremerhaven, GermanyBundesamt für Seeschifffahrt und Hydrographie, Hamburg, GermanyInstitut für Küstenforschung, Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht, Geesthacht, GermanyDepartment of Informatics, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, GermanyInstitut für Küstenforschung, Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht, Geesthacht, GermanyNiedersächsischer Landesbetrieb für Wasserwirtschaft, Küsten- und Naturschutz, Betriebsstelle Brake-Oldenburg, Oldenburg, GermanyInstitute of Oceanography, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, GermanyWadden Sea Station Sylt, Alfred-Wegener-Institut, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar-und Meeresforschung, Bremerhaven, GermanyNiedersächsischer Landesbetrieb für Wasserwirtschaft, Küsten- und Naturschutz, Betriebsstelle Brake-Oldenburg, Oldenburg, GermanyRijkswaterstaat, Utrecht, NetherlandsThe Wadden Sea is a shallow intertidal coastal sea, largely protected by barrier islands and fringing the North Sea coasts of Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark. It is subject to influences from both the North Sea and major European rivers. Nutrient enrichment from these rivers since the 1950s has impacted the Wadden Sea ecology including loss of seagrass, increased phytoplankton blooms, and increased green macroalgae blooms. Rivers are the major source of nutrients causing Wadden Sea eutrophication. The nutrient input of the major rivers impacting the Wadden Sea reached a maximum during the 1980s and decreased at an average pace of about 2.5% per year for total Nitrogen (TN) and about 5% per year for total Phosphorus (TP), leading to decreasing nutrient levels but also increasing N/P ratios. During the past decade, the lowest nutrient inputs since 1977 were observed but these declining trends are leveling out for TP. Phytoplankton biomass (measured as chlorophyll a) in the Wadden Sea has decreased since the 1980s and presently reached a comparatively low level. In tidal inlet stations with a long-term monitoring, summer phytoplankton levels correlate with riverine TN and TP loads but stations located closer to the coast behave in a more complex manner. Regional differences are observed, with highest chlorophyll a levels in the southern Wadden Sea and lowest levels in the northern Wadden Sea. Model data support the hypothesis that the higher eutrophication levels in the southern Wadden Sea are linked to a more intense coastward accumulation of organic matter produced in the North Sea.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmars.2019.00370/fulleutrophication indicatorsWadden SeaNorth Seanutrientslong-term trendsphytoplankton |
| spellingShingle | Justus E. E. van Beusekom Jacob Carstensen Tobias Dolch Annika Grage Richard Hofmeister Hermann Lenhart Onur Kerimoglu Kerstin Kolbe Johannes Pätsch Johannes Rick Lena Rönn Hans Ruiter Wadden Sea Eutrophication: Long-Term Trends and Regional Differences Frontiers in Marine Science eutrophication indicators Wadden Sea North Sea nutrients long-term trends phytoplankton |
| title | Wadden Sea Eutrophication: Long-Term Trends and Regional Differences |
| title_full | Wadden Sea Eutrophication: Long-Term Trends and Regional Differences |
| title_fullStr | Wadden Sea Eutrophication: Long-Term Trends and Regional Differences |
| title_full_unstemmed | Wadden Sea Eutrophication: Long-Term Trends and Regional Differences |
| title_short | Wadden Sea Eutrophication: Long-Term Trends and Regional Differences |
| title_sort | wadden sea eutrophication long term trends and regional differences |
| topic | eutrophication indicators Wadden Sea North Sea nutrients long-term trends phytoplankton |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmars.2019.00370/full |
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