Skip to main content
Publications | Persons | Institutes | Projects
[ report an error in this record ]basket (0): add | show Print this page

Salt marshes in the silica budget of the North Sea
Moosdorf, N; Weiss, A; Muller, F; Lauerwald, R.; Hartmann, J; Worrall, F (2014). Salt marshes in the silica budget of the North Sea. Cont. Shelf Res. 82: 31-36. dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.csr.2014.04.009
In: Continental Shelf Research. Pergamon Press: Oxford; New York. ISSN 0278-4343; e-ISSN 1873-6955, more
Peer reviewed article  

Available in  Authors 

Keywords
    Marine/Coastal; Brackish water
Author keywords
    Silica; Salt marsh; Estuary; Coastal sea; North Sea

Authors  Top 
  • Moosdorf, N
  • Weiss, A
  • Muller, F
  • Lauerwald, R., more
  • Hartmann, J
  • Worrall, F

Abstract
    Local scale studies reported the silica recycling of salt marshes to substantially attenuate the dissolved silica (DSi) limitation in coastal waters during summer. To assess the importance of salt marshes in the silica budget of the North Sea, we extrapolate reported DSi exports by local scale studies to salt marsh areas adjacent to the North Sea. The resulting annual average contribution of salt marshes to the DSi budget of the North Sea is estimated to 0.8% of the annual river DSi export. During summer, this contribution may reach 2.4%. Thus, salt marshes likely impact the annual dissolved silica budget of the North Sea only weakly. However, for regions with favorable geographic conditions of low river DSi exports and large marsh areas, salt marsh DSi exports may substantially contribute to coastal DSi budgets. In the English Channel, salt marsh DSi exports are estimated to 16% of river DSi export in summer. However, the low data density calls for additional field research to improve extrapolations and the evaluation of the contribution of salt marsh DSi export to the coastal DSi budgets.

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