Estimation of submarine groundwater discharge in Plover Cove, Tolo Harbour, Hong Kong by Rn

Algal blooms in Tolo Harbour, Hong Kong have received much attention and submarine groundwater discharge is speculated to be a significant pathway carrying nutrients into the constricted estuary. Plover Cove, a small cove in the Harbour, was selected for SGD analysis using ²²²Rn budget. The volumetric SGD rates are estimated to be about 8000 m³/day for neap tide and about 17,000 m³/day for spring tide. Result of nutrient analysis of the porewater indicates that the nutrient loading through this pathway is speculated to be crucial for eutrophication in Tolo Harbour. Current practice for the management of algal blooms in Hong Kong, in which nutrient loading through SGD was ignored, has to be reviewed and the control measures of groundwater contamination are obviously required.     

Investigation of a eutrophic tidal basin: part 1—factors affecting the distribution and biomass of macroalgae

The distribution and biomass of macroalgae, principally Enteromorpha spp., have been estimated in Langstone Harbour, a 19 km² tidal basin in southenrn England. Comprehensive mapping was carried out annually at the time of maximum biomass and monthly mapping of selected areas allowed seasonal changes to be studied. Aerial false-colour photography and ground-level mapping were used for assessing the area and density of cover of macroalgae, but have identified no continuous trends between 1973 and 1982. In nine years, some 48% of the intertidal mudflat has supported >75% macroalgal cover at some stage, but generally only one-third of this potential has been achieved annually. The average peak biomass was determined by a stratified sampling method and varied about a mean of 38.5 g dry weight per square metre and showed significant annual differences. The processes controlling macroalgal growth and distribution reviewed, but, in general, factors other than nutrient availability are effective in determining areas supporting high macroalgal cover in any particular year.     

Primary production and nutrients in a tropical macrotidal estuary, Darwin Harbour, Australia

Tropical estuaries are under increasing pressure worldwide from human impacts, but are poorly studied compared with temperate systems. This study examined a tropical macrotidal estuary, Darwin Harbour, in northern Australia, using a combination of direct measurements and literature values to determine the main sources of primary production and the sources of nutrients supporting growth. The main source of primary production was calculated to be the extensive area of fringing mangroves and resulted in a net autotrophic system (P_G:R = 2.1). Much of the carbon in the mangrove forests appears to be retained within the forests or respired, as the water column was also net autotrophic despite the carbon inputs. Phytoplankton were the second largest primary producer on a whole-of-harbour basis, with low biomass constrained by light and nutrient availability. The phytoplankton were likely to be nitrogen (N) limited, based on low N:phosphorus (P) ratios, low dissolved bioavailable N concentrations (ammonium (NH₄⁺), nitrate (NO₃⁻), urea), and evidence that phytoplankton growth in bioassays was stimulated by NH₄⁺ addition. The largest new source of N to the system was from the ocean due to higher N concentrations in the incoming tides than the outgoing tides. Atmospheric inputs via N fixation on the intertidal mudflats and subtidal sediments were substantially lower. The rivers feeding into the harbour and sewage were minor N inputs. Nitrogen demand by primary producers was high relative to available N inputs, suggesting that N recycling within the water column and mangrove forests must be important processes. Darwin Harbour is adjacent to the rapidly growing urban area of Darwin city, but overall there is no evidence of anthropogenic nutrient inputs having substantial effects on primary production in Darwin Harbour.     

通过水体置换降低水库富营养化风险：长江口青草沙水库案例研究

城市淡水系统的富营养化风险是世界范围内普遍关注的问题。多种物理、生物和化学技术手段被应用到富营养化湖库的治理当中,以期抑制水体的富营养化程度和藻类生物量。经证实,在未有效降低营养盐来源的情况下,这些手段的效果有限。而在发展中国家,控制营养盐来源可能需要花费数十年的时间。本研究旨在分析某一高营养盐负荷的沿海水库的富营养化和藻类水华风险,以期确认通过水利调度来抑制水库富营养化状态的可行性。该案例水库为位于长江口的青草沙水库。该水库2009至2012年期间的库内五个点位的水质数据被用于进行案例分析。水质指标包括水温、透明度、溶解氧、总氮、总磷和浮游植物叶绿素a。该水库的建设期为2009年4月至2010年10月,期间水库未曾与长江口发生水体交换。该水库的试运营期为2010年10月至2011年1月,正式运营期为2011年1月至今。在运营期间,库内与长江口的水体交换逐步上升。综合营养状态指数（TLI）被用于评估该水库的营养状态变化情况,该指数是通过数个代表性水质指标计算得到。库区的TLI指数峰值在2009年夏季可达51,在2011年夏季可达55,超过TLI指数的富营养化阈值50。TLI的谷值32出现在2010年的夏季。水质观测期的其他时段的TLI指数均可保持在50以下。以上分析结果表明：水库在2009年和2011年夏季由于过量的营养盐负荷和藻类水华迅速恶化到富营养化状态。水库在2010年和2012年均未出现富营养化状态和藻类水华,这是由于2010年期间水库缺少营养盐输入,2012年期间水库调度充分地置换了库区水体。库区水质指标的时空变化均通过文中的观测资料和数据分析进行展示。经分析表明,通过潮汐涨落来充分置换库区水体的水库调度手段是一个极为经济有效的抑制高营养盐水体富营养化和藻类水华的工程手段。     

Factors influencing nutrient dynamics in the eutrophic Jiaozhou Bay, North China

We conducted studies of nutrients and water mass movements in a semi-enclosed bay in northern China to understand nutrient dynamics under varying tidal regimes. Four cruises were conducted under varying tidal regimes in Jiaozhou Bay, two at neap tide and one at spring tide in August and one at spring tide in October 2001. In addition to transect surveys, drift experiments and an anchor station were employed to show current and tidal effects. Samples for nutrient evaluation were taken from the five major tributary rivers in March (dry season) and August (flood season) of 2002 to estimate nutrient transport by rivers, and wastewater samples were collected to evaluate nutrients in wastewater discharge. Benthic nutrient fluxes were determined by (1) incubation of sediments with overlying seawater on board the boat and (2) calculated by Fick’s First Law from nutrient pore water profiles. Nutrient concentrations were high in the north, especially the northeast and northwest sectors, reflecting human activities. Jiaozhou Bay was characterized by high nitrogen, but low phosphorus and silica concentrations compared to Chinese coastal seas. Based on nutrient atomic ratios, the limiting elements for phytoplankton growth in Jiaozhou Bay were silica and phosphorus. The fluxes of nutrients between sediment and overlying water varied depending on the specific nutrient, the site and redox conditions. Benthic nutrient fluxes based on sediment incubations were all lower than the estimated diffusive fluxes, implying that the nutrients released from sediment pore waters were probably utilized by benthic microalgal and bottom-water primary production. A preliminary estimate of nutrient budgets demonstrated that riverine and wastewater inputs were greater than atmospheric deposition into Jiaozhou Bay, except that nitrate from wastewater inputs was less than atmospheric deposition. Concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus increased while silica decreased in the last four decades, similar to other eutrophicated estuaries. The resulting shift in nutrient composition in Jiaozhou Bay affects phytoplankton composition, trophic interactions, and sustainability of living resources.     

Three-Dimensional Tidal Model and Its Application to Numerical Simulation of Water Quality in Coastal Waters

- The turbulence mechanism plays an important part in the mixing process and momentum transfer of turbulence. A three-dimensional Prandtl mixing length tidal model has been developed to simulate tidal flows and water quality. The eddy viscosities and diffusivities are computed from the Prandtl mixing length model. In order to model the water quality of an estuary or coastal area many interdependent processes need to be simulated. These may be conveniently separated into three main groups: transport and mixing processes, biochemical interaction of water quality variables and the utilization and re-cycling of nutrients by living matter. The model simulates full oxygen and nutrient balance, primary productivity and the transport, reaction mechanism and fate of pollutants over tidal time-scales. The model is applied to numerical simulation of tidal flows and water quality in Dalian Bay. The model has been calibrated against a limited data set of historical water quality observations and in general demonstra     

Turnover time of waters in a deep basin in the Aegean Sea

The Western Gulf is a basin in the Saronikos Gulf. Below about 100 m the water is almost stagnant, essentially isothermal (around 14°C) and it has practically uniform salinity. The level and the mechanism of enrichment in nutrients is discussed. The age of the water estimated from nutrient budget calculations is between one and eight years. The replacement time of water is similar to that found in the Santa Barbara basin, but different from those of the Cariaco Trench and the Black Sea.     

海南岛洋浦港潮汐汊道口门的均衡过水面积

将汊道均衡与潮汐特征，纳潮量，淡水径流量及沉积物搬运格局相联系，确定了洋浦港的均衡条件，根据纳潮盆地的水面面积－水面高程曲线以及相关的特征潮位估算平均纳潮量，利用１９７７－１９７９年波浪观测资料和ＣＥＲＣ公式计算沿岸输沙率；此外，还用改进的Ｇａｄｄ公式确定口门涨、落潮流输沙率，计算中引入汊道口门流速频率分布函数的定义。由此而得洋浦港均衡过水面积为５８００ｍ＾２，与Ｏ＇Ｂｒｉｅｎ方法所得结果相比，本     

Quantifying cross-shelf and vertical nutrient flux in the Coastal Gulf of Alaska with a spatially nested,coupled biophysical model

The Coastal Gulf of Alaska (CGOA) is productive, with large populations of fish, seabirds, and marine mammals; yet it is subject to downwelling-favorable coastal winds. Downwelling regions in other parts of the world are typically much less productive than their upwelling counterparts. Alternate sources of nutrients to feed primary production in the topographically complex CGOA are poorly known and difficult to quantify. Here we diagnose the output from a spatially nested, coupled hydrodynamic and lower trophic level model of the CGOA, to quantify both horizontal and vertical nutrient fluxes into the euphotic zone. Our nested model includes both nitrogen and iron limitation of phytoplankton production, and is driven by a fine-scale atmospheric model that resolves the effects of local orography on the coastal winds. Results indicate significant “rivers” of cross-shelf nitrogen flux due to horizontal advection, as well as “fountains” of vertical transport over shallow banks due to tidal mixing. Using these results, we constructed a provisional budget of nutrient transport among subregions of the CGOA. Contrary to expectations, this budget reveals substantial upwelling of nutrients over major portions of the shelf, driven by local wind-stress curl. These effects are large enough to overwhelm the smaller downwelling flux at the coast throughout the growing season. Vertical mixing by winds and tides, and horizontal flux from the deep basin, are other substantial contributors to nutrients above the 15-m horizon. These findings help to explain the productivity of this coastal ecosystem.     

Pollution studies on Tolo Harbour,Hong Kong

Eight stations were chosen for this 14 month survey of Tolo Harbour in Hong Kong, four of them in the harbour proper and four in the estuaries of the major streams entering the harbour. Various chemical and physical factors were measured twice each month. Water samples were collected for nutrient, phytoplankton, chlorophyll and bacteriological analysis.The annual discharge of nutrients from the four streams into Tolo Harbour has been estimated, based on the nutrient analyses and computation of annual discharge (QA) values for these streams. The seasonal and spatial variations in nutrient content are discussed in relation to the increasing organic pollution of Tolo Harbour. Calculations of various ratios between SiO₃, PO₄, NO₃ and total inorganic N reveal that excessive amounts of phosphate are entering the harbour and subsequently accumulating in the bottom waters and sediments, leading to changes in the trophic condition of this water body and the development of anoxic conditions in the bottom layer.Significant correlation has been demonstrated between standing crop and various environmental parameters in both estuarine and marine waters and similarly between chlorophyll a concentration and various environmental parameters. However, no significant correlation values were obtained between either standing crop or chlorophyll a concentrations, SiO₃Si (the latter presumably due to the predominance of diatoms in the phytoplankton). Neither standing crop nor chlorophyll determinations reveal any evidence of alternating periods of high productivity and decomposition which could explain the deteriorating bottom water conditions. This again is taken as evidence that the high organic inputs are responsible for such deterioration.Increasing TC, FC and FS densities have been noted in Tolo Harbour as a direct result of the increasing organic pollution and ratios between FC and FS densities indicate that in 55% of the samples pollution was derived from human sewage. The bacterial levels well exceeded various international standards for bathing waters and shellfish collection for at least a part of the survey period and at a number of stations for the entire survey period. Pathogenic organisms were also present. This underlines the potential health risks in these waters.Finally, the future prospects for this harbour are discussed in relation to activities such as reclamation and the development of new towns and their impact on water quality.     

A temperate,tidal lake‐wetland complex 2. Water quality and implications for zooplankton community structure

Lakes Waihola and Waipori are shallow, coastal, tidal lakes that experience wind‐induced sediment resuspension, saline intrusions, and high inputs of nutrients. To determine the influence of externally‐driven, physical factors on spatial and temporal patterns of water quality in the two lakes, meteorological, hydrological, and water quality data were collected over 1 year. Multivariate analyses indicated that wind energy was driving the main water quality gradient in the lakes, which was primarily related to wind‐induced resuspension of lake sediments. The major, seasonally regulated, non‐tidal freshwater inflow was important in determining nutrient and salinity gradients in the lakes. The main nutrient inputs to the system were identified as the regulated, non‐tidal inflow (the upper Waipori River) and the tidal inflow (lower Waipori River). The impact of water quality gradients on zooplankton community structure in the lakes was assessed by canonical multivariate methods. Salinity gradients, caused by seasonal saltwater intrusions, were strongly related to zooplankton community structure in the lakes. Nutrient gradients (indicative of trophic state) were also related to zooplankton community structure. Although wind‐induced sediment resuspension had the largest impact on water quality in the lakes, it had little impact on the zooplankton community structure in either lake. The relationships between water quality and zooplankton community structure were confounded in Lake Waipori because of its very short hydraulic residence time (annual mean =1.9 days). Zooplankton community structure was resilient to short‐term changes in suspended particulate matter concentrations but not to seasonal changes in salinity. The results of this study support others which have shown impacts of even relatively small variations in salinity on the structure of zooplankton communities. This highlights the vulnerability of zooplankton communities in coastal lakes and wetlands to increasing salinity resulting from sea level rise and global climate change.     

Spatial variation of nutrients and primary productivity in the Rufiji Delta mangroves,Tanzania

Determinations of spatial and temporal variations in organic matter and nutrient dynamics in water and sediments are crucial for understanding changes in aquatic bodies. In this study, we (i) determine the spatial dynamics of dissolved inorganic nutrients, during the transition from the dry to the rainy season, and (ii) provide future productivity predictions for the Rufiji Delta mangroves, Tanzania, based on the input of various nutrients. Water samples were collected from six locations, three times per year between April 2012 and January 2014, and analysed for dissolved nutrients, total organic and inorganic carbon, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and total carotenoids. The prediction of future net primary productivity in the Rufiji mangroves was undertaken using the software STELLA. The mean nutrient concentrations were of the order: nitrate > phosphate > ammonium > silica > dissolved organic carbon. The study revealed that high nutrient concentrations occurred in the northern part of the Rufiji Delta as a result of anthropogenic influence in the watershed. Modelling of nutrient inputs into the delta indicated enhanced primary productivity, which is expected to increase the vulnerability of water quality in the near future due to eutrophication.     

A tidal creek water budget: Estimation of groundwater discharge and overland flow using hydrologic modeling in the Southern Everglades

Taylor Slough is one of the natural freshwater contributors to Florida Bay through a network of microtidal creeks crossing the Everglades Mangrove Ecotone Region (EMER). The EMER ecological function is critical since it mediates freshwater and nutrient inputs and controls the water quality in Eastern Florida Bay. Furthermore, this region is vulnerable to changing hydrodynamics and nutrient loadings as a result of upstream freshwater management practices proposed by the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Program (CERP), currently the largest wetland restoration project in the USA. Despite the hydrological importance of Taylor Slough in the water budget of Florida Bay, there are no fine scale (∼1 km²) hydrodynamic models of this system that can be utilized as a tool to evaluate potential changes in water flow, salinity, and water quality. Taylor River is one of the major creeks draining Taylor Slough freshwater into Florida Bay. We performed a water budget analysis for the Taylor River area, based on long-term hydrologic data (1999–2007) and supplemented by hydrodynamic modeling using a MIKE FLOOD (DHI, http://dhigroup.com/) model to evaluate groundwater and overland water discharges. The seasonal hydrologic characteristics are very distinctive (average Taylor River wet vs. dry season outflow was 6 to 1 during 1999–2006) with a pronounced interannual variability of flow. The water budget shows a net dominance of through flow in the tidal mixing zone, while local precipitation and evapotranspiration play only a secondary role, at least in the wet season. During the dry season, the tidal flood reaches the upstream boundary of the study area during approximately 80 days per year on average. The groundwater field measurements indicate a mostly upwards-oriented leakage, which possibly equals the evapotranspiration term. The model results suggest a high importance of groundwater contribution to the water salinity in the EMER. The model performance is satisfactory during the dry season where surface flow in the area is confined to the Taylor River channel. The model also provided guidance on the importance of capturing the overland flow component, which enters the area as sheet flow during the rainy season. Overall, the modeling approach is suitable to reach better understanding of the water budget in the mangrove region. However, more detailed field data is needed to ascertain model predictions by further calibrating overland flow parameters.     

A spatially resolved model of seasonal variations in phytoplankton and clam (Tapes philippinarum) biomass in Barbamarco Lagoon,Italy

Barbamarco Lagoon (area = 7 km²) is in the Po River Delta, adjoining the Northern Adriatic Sea, and supports a commercially valuable clam (Tapes philippinarum) fishery. This study investigated interactions of the lagoon with adjacent coastal waters and inland riverine inputs by modelling both the lagoon and the Northern Adriatic Sea, using a coupled three-dimensional (3D) hydrodynamic-ecological model (ELCOM-CAEDYM) adapted to include the clam population. The clam model accounted for carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) biomass in the benthos through parameterisations for filtration, excretion, egestion, respiration, mortality, and harvesting. Multiple clam size classes were included in a new population dynamics sub-model. Output from the coupled model was validated against hydrodynamic and water quality data from intensive field sampling and routine monitoring. Time scales of tidal flushing, primary production and clam grazing were investigated with the model to demonstrate that food supply to clam populations is dominated by phytoplankton inputs from the Northern Adriatic Sea. Effects of clam cultivation on nutrient concentrations and phytoplankton biomass in Barbamarco Lagoon were primarily localised, with strong tidal flushing minimising impacts of clam filtration on lagoon-wide nutrient concentrations at current clam stocking levels. Clam populations were found to alter the cycling of nutrients in the system, causing the lagoon to become a net sink for particulate organic matter and to export dissolved organic matter to the adjacent sea via tidal flushing. Ecosystem health and sensitivity of nutrient cycles to clam cultivation are important considerations for the long term sustainable management and potential expansion of the fishery.     

大亚湾营养物质变异特征

利用大亚湾现场调查和室内模拟数据,以及大亚湾生态网络17～18年8个航次的现场调查资料,采用营养状态质量指数(NQI)的方法评价大亚湾海域富营养化水平,结果表明,大亚湾海域除部分养殖海区为中营养状态外,大部分为贫营养状态;溶解态的无机磷和硅在过去10a多有较大幅度的下降,而溶解态的无机氮、溶解氧和叶绿素a则上升;浮游植物生长由过去认为由氮控制转变为现在由磷控制.分析了养殖海区底层海水、上覆水、沉积物间隙水中营养盐的含量及其化学形态.估算了沉积物-海水界面营养盐扩散通量,NH₄+,NO₂-,NO₃-,HPO₄2-,H₄SiO₄平均通量分别为302.0,-0.06,-1.82,2.53,47.6μmol/(m2·d).室内模拟了天然海水体系表层沉积物营养盐的吸附-解吸及其磷酸盐在沉积物上的吸附等温线.论述了大亚湾海域营养盐与赤潮的关系.     

Lake Tutira: The use of phosphorus loadings in a management study

Abstract

Decisions on lake management will often have to be made when data are scarce. However, a nutrient budget based on limited data of varying reliability and on information from the literature may help considerably.

Lake Tutira's recreational uses are threatened by eutrophication. Artificial destratification is being used temporarily to protect the trout fishery. The annual phosphorus input to the lake was estimated from nutrient loading graphs, from scanty stream input data, and from land‐use information to be about 3100 kg (1.8 g·m^?2·y^?1).

The 5–10 times reduction in phosphorus loading apparently required to achieve mesotrophic to oligotrophic conditions establishes the need for major changes in the catchment. The phosphorus budget helped in assessing the relative importances of the input streams and evaluating stream diversion proposals. It suggested that phosphorus inputs came mostly from animal excreta, soil erosion, and fertiliser, and it provided support for farm management proposals. When the results of stream diversion and altered land management are known the phosphorus budget may help in deciding the optimum land area needed to be converted from pasture into forest.     

Long-term simulation of the eutrophication of the North Sea: temporal development of nutrients, chlorophyll and primary production in comparison to observations

The ecosystem model ERSEM II has been used to hindcast the development of the ecosystem of the North Sea during the years 1955 to 1993. The simulation was driven by the box-aggregated output from a general circulation model of the North Sea of corresponding duration; radiation, river inputs, atmospheric input and boundary conditions at the borders to the Atlantic Ocean and to the Baltic Sea were applied as realistically as possible. The general features of the eutrophication process are reproduced in the hindcast: the coastal areas show strong changes in nutrient concentrations in the hindcast as well as in the observations. Eutrophication not only shows up in the nutrient concentrations, but also in primary production. The simulated spatial distributions of phosphate, nitrate and primary production compare well with the observed ones. In addition, the hindcast simulates considerable trend-like changes of the nutrients in the southern part of the North Sea, where the nutrients are transported from the continental coastal strip to the southern central North Sea. The line from the river Humber to southern Norway separates the region of noticeable anthropogenic influence of riverine and atmospheric input from the northern area, which is mainly influenced by the Atlantic nutrient inflow. The observed annual cycles in the central and northern North Sea are quite well reproduced by the hindcast. The comparison of the hindcast with the long-term observations at two sites in the continental coastal zone of the North Sea shows that the long-term behaviour of phosphate, nitrate and silicate is simulated well. Primary production is increased in summers during the main period of eutrophication, 1975 to 1989, in the hindcast and in the observations. The flagellates at Helgoland, however, experience much more pronounced annual cycles with much less interannual variability in the hindcast than in the observations.     

A three-dimensional water quality model and its application to Jiaozhou Bay, China

A three-dimensional coupled physical and water quality model was developed and applied to the Jiaozhou Bay to study water quality involving nutrients, biochemical oxygen demand, dissolved oxygen, and phytoplankton that are closely related to eutrophication process. The physical model is a modified ECOM-si version with inclusion of flooding/draining processes over the intertidal zone. The water quality model is based on WASP5 which quantifies processes governing internal nutrients cycling, dissolved oxygen balance and phytoplankton growth. The model was used to simulate the spatial distribution and the temporal variation of water quality in the Jiaozhou Bay for the period of May 2005 to May 2006. In addition, the effect of reduction of riverine nutrients load was simulated and evaluated. The simulated results show that under the influence of nutrients discharged from river, the concentrations of nutrients and phytoplankton were higher in the northwest and northeast of the bay, and decreased from the inner bay to the outer. Affected by strong tidal mixing, the concentrations of all state variables were vertically homogeneous except in the deeper regions where a small gradient was found. Obvious seasonal variation of phytoplankton biomass was found, which exhibited two peaks in March and July, respectively. The variation of riverine waste loads had remarkable impact on nutrients concentration in coastal areas, but slightly altered the distribution in the center of the bay.     

Modelling and mass balance assessments of nutrient retention in a seasonally-flowing estuary (Swan River Estuary,Western Australia)

An integrated mass balance and modelling approach for analysis of estuarine nutrient fluxes is demonstrated in the Swan River Estuary, a microtidal system with strong hydrological dependence on seasonal river inflows. Mass balance components included estimation of gauged and ungauged inputs to the estuary and losses to the ocean (outflow and tidal exchange). Modelling components included estimation of atmospheric (N fixation, denitrification) and sediment–water column nutrient exchanges. Gross and net denitrification derived using two independent methods were significantly correlated (r² = 0.49, p < 0.01) with net rates averaging 40% of gross. Annual nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) loads from major tributaries were linearly correlated with annual freshwater discharge and were 3-fold higher in wet years than in dry years. Urban drains and groundwater contributed, on average, 26% of N inputs and 19% of P inputs, with higher relative contributions in years of low river discharge. Overall, ungauged inputs accounted for almost 35% of total nitrogen loads. For N, elevated loading in wet years was accompanied by large increases in outflow (7x) and tidal flushing (2x) losses and resulted in overall lower retention efficiency (31%) relative to dry years (70%). For P, tidal flushing losses were similar in wet and dry years, while outflow losses (4-fold higher) were comparable in magnitude to increases in loading. As a result, P retention within the estuary was not substantially affected by inter-annual variation in water and P loading (ca. 50% in all years). Sediment nutrient stores increased in most years (remineralisation efficiency ca. 50%), but sediment nutrient releases were significant and in some circumstances were a net source of nutrients to the water column.     

Tidal exchange between a freshwater tidal marsh and an impacted estuary: the Scheldt estuary, Belgium

Tidal marsh exchange studies are relatively simple tools to investigate the interaction between tidal marshes and estuaries. They have mostly been confined to only a few elements and to saltwater or brackish systems. This study presents mass-balance results of an integrated one year campaign in a freshwater tidal marsh along the Scheldt estuary (Belgium), covering oxygen, nutrients (N, P and Si), carbon, chlorophyll, suspended matter, chloride and sulfate. The role of seepage from the marsh was also investigated. A ranking between the parameters revealed that oxygenation was the strongest effect of the marsh on the estuarine water. Particulate parameters showed overall import. Export of dissolved silica (DSi) was more important than exchange of any other nutrient form. Export of DSi and import of total dissolved nitrogen (DIN) nevertheless contributed about equally to the increase of the Si:N ratio in the seepage water. The marsh had a counteracting effect on the long term trend of nutrient ratios in the estuary.