Study on the effects of water quality and tide on the flooding areas of the Flemish part of the Scheldt estuary: two mesocosmos experiments
Dutch title: Studie naar de effecten van waterkwaliteit en getij op overstromingsgebieden in het Vlaams gedeelte van het Schelde-estuarium via het gebruik van twee mesocosmos-opstellingen Parent project: Effects of dredgings and harbour expansion on the environment, more Funder identifier: ua_3885 (Other contract id) Acronym: OMES 3 Period: 2002 till 2006 Status: Completed
Vlaamse overheid; Beleidsdomein Mobiliteit en Openbare Werken; Waterwegen en zeekanaal NV; Afdeling Zeeschelde, more, sponsor
Abstract
This study is the eighth component of the ‘Research on the environmental effects of the SIGMA plan: Effects of dredgings and harbour expansion on the environment’
This study evaluates the developments in two mesocosm experiments: at Kruibeke, and on UIA-campus at Wilrijk. The mesocosm experiments at Kruibeke was created to estimate the impact of pollution on flooding areas. The structure at Wilrijk studies the influence of the tide on the increase of sheer. The flow of contaminants is monitored. The impact of pollution caused by the most important contaminants on key species (such as Oligochaeta and sheer) is quantified. The lethal responses are also quantified using biomarkers. A recent developed technique which shows shifts that are caused by pollution in microbial communities, is applied. Those microbial communities are responsible for important ecosystem functions such as the carbon and nutrient cycle.
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