Tidal freshwater wetlands, the fresh dimension of the estuary

A. Barendregt

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Upstream in the estuary, where the river ends, the tidal energy is still present but
the constant input from the river creates permanent fresh water conditions. The
physical, chemical and biological conditions differ from the brackish part of the
tidal area, but by processes from the tidal wave also from the river ecosystem. Just
like in the brackish estuary, the variation runs from tidal flats till higher elevated
forests. Chemical processes and accretion are prominent, creating wetlands with
high turnover. Fertility of the soil and presence of many cities resulted that many
tidal freshwater wetlands have been reclaimed. Many characteristic flora and
fauna species are represented; biomass is mostly very high. Because this system is at the interface of salt – fresh conditions, it can be disturbed soon by sea level
rise or global warming.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationThe Wetland Book
EditorsC.Max Finlayson
PublisherSpringer
Pages1-14
Number of pages14
ISBN (Electronic)978-94-007-6173-5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Oct 2016

Keywords

  • Salinity
  • Hydrology
  • River
  • Vegetation
  • Zonation
  • Marsh
  • Fauna
  • Fish
  • Insect
  • Bird
  • Mammal
  • Accretion
  • Nitrification
  • Methanogenesis
  • sea level rise
  • Restoration

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Tidal freshwater wetlands, the fresh dimension of the estuary'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this