Document of bibliographic reference 104959

BibliographicReference record

Type

Bibliographic resource

Type of document

Journal article

BibLvlCode

AS

Title

Dissolved organic carbon in the freshwater tidal reaches of the Schelde estuary

Abstract

To unravel the factors that regulate DOC dynamics in the freshwater tidal reaches of the Schelde estuary, DOC concentration and biodegradability were monitored in the upper Schelde estuary and its major tributaries. Although the Schelde estuary possesses a densely populated and industrialized catchment, our data suggest that the bulk of DOC in the freshwater tidal reaches is not derived from waste water. This was concluded from the low biodegradability of DOC (on average 9%), DOC concentrations that are close to the mean for European rivers (4.61 mg l^-1) and the absence of an inverse relationship between DOC and discharge. Most DOC originating from waste water being discharged in tributaries of the estuary appears to be remineralised before these tributaries reach the main estuary. Although dense phytoplankton blooms were observed in the upper estuary during summer (up to 700 µg chl a l^-1), these blooms did not appear to produce large quantities of DOC in the freshwater tidal reaches as DOC concentrations were low when phytoplankton biomass was high. The fact that DOC concentrations were high in winter and decreased in summer suggests a predominantly terrestrial source of DOC in the freshwater tidal reaches of the Schelde estuary.

WebOfScience code

https://www.webofscience.com/wos/woscc/full-record/WOS:000231656200003

Bibliographic citation

Muylaert, K.; Dasseville, R.; De Brabandere, L.; Dehairs, F.A.; Vyverman, W. (2005). Dissolved organic carbon in the freshwater tidal reaches of the Schelde estuary. Est., Coast. and Shelf Sci. 64(4): 591-600. dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2005.04.010

Topic

Marine

Fresh water

Brakish water

Is peer reviewed

true