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Long-term changes in intertidal flat macrozoobenthos as an indicator of stress by organic pollution

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Abstract

Organic waste-water from beetsugar factories is being discharged by pipeline into the eastern part of the Dutch Wadden Sea since 1969 mainly in September–December. The organic waste load was high in the first four years and diminished considerably from 1974 onwards.

From 1968 macrobenthos has been monitored at five permanent stations. Two of these stations were situated relatively close to the outfall of the pipe-line.

Data on numerical density of seven macrobenthic species were analysed for synchrony of yearly fluctuations in order to discriminate between pollution-induced changes in population densities and changes due to variation of natural environmental factors.

A great deal of concordance in density fluctuations was found between the five stations. Comparison with data from the western part of the Dutch Wadden Sea (150 km apart) revealed a relative good concordance of the density fluctuations in eastern (only 3 stations) and western Wadden Sea. The two stations close to the outfall showed an aberrant pattern of density variations due to the waste discharge.

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References

  • Beukema, J. J., 1982. Annual variation in reproduction success and biomass of the major macrozoobenthic species living in a tidal flat area of the Wadden Sea. Neth. J. Sea Res. 16: 37–45.

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Essink, K., Beukema, J.J. Long-term changes in intertidal flat macrozoobenthos as an indicator of stress by organic pollution. Hydrobiologia 142, 209–215 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00026760

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