Learning from the past: Diatoms as palaeoecological indicators of changes in marine environments
article
The North Sea is seriously threatened by a variety of pollution sources. Terrestrially derived effluents are causing extensive environmental damage and changes to ecosystems of both the offshore and coastal waters. Coastal and estuarine communities are being lost to reclamation projects, and there is the future threat of rising sea level associaed with global warming. The spatial and temporal extent of recent anthropogenic changes are largely unknown due to the paucity of background information. The possible role of palaeoecological methodology in providing 'reference levels' against which current status can be compared, and their importance for restoration and policy decisions, are presented. The usefulness of diatoms as environmental indicators is illustrated. The extent of natural and anthropogenic changes on coastal habitats are demonstrated by reference to the Holocene evolution of the coastline of The Netherlands. Possible profitable areas for further research are outlined, e.g. a diatom nutrient calibration data set for shallow marine embayments. © 1992 Netherlands Hydrobiological Society.
Topics
TNO Identifier
231957
ISSN
13808427
Source
Netherlands Journal of Aquatic Ecology, 26(1), pp. 19-30.
Pages
19-30
Files
To receive the publication files, please send an e-mail request to TNO Repository.