Sand-mud erosion from a soil mechanical perspective

‘Wetlands’ in tidal lagoons and estuaries are among the most valuable ecosystems in the world. Managing these systems requires both a thorough knowledge and validated tools to predict their behavior and development. An important morpho-dynamic process herein is the erosion (‘pick-up’) of the bed, which are in inter-tidal areas often composed of...

Benthic community-mediated sediment dynamics

We assessed the influence of benthic communities on sediment properties in large defaunation experiments in replicated 16 m2 plots on a tidal flat in the Westerschelde estuary (SW Netherlands). We compared microphytobenthos and benthic macrofauna recovery and recolonisation between control and defaunated sediments during 8 mo following the...

Fish utilisation of managed realignments

One area of ecological benefit not yet fully evaluated in European waters is the utilisation of restored saltmarsh habitats by fish species. This study examines the utilisation of managed realignments and relic saltmarsh by fish species. Factors affecting habitat heterogeneity and fish populations are discussed, and recommendations are made with...