Abstract
Estuaries are complex systems which are governed by hydrographical factors, such as the tidal action and the mixing of freshwater and seawater, which produce complicated structural patterns that undergo continuous change in space and time. Ecological research in estuaries has to take into account that these changes are typical for the system and that variation in rather than the mean of the recorded values has to be considered. Furthermore, not only a structural analysis but also a detailed knowledge of the many different biological processes, their interactions and their interdependence with abiotic processes are the basis for a better understanding of the estuarine environment as a whole. In order to illustrate the complexity of the estuarine environment and the great importance of biological processes for the functioning of this type of ecosystem, a number of examples will be given, mostly from the turbid Elbe Estuary. These will confirm the need for more interdisciplinary research in this field.
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© 1990 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Kausch, H. (1990). Biological Processes in the Estuarine Environment. In: Michaelis, W. (eds) Estuarine Water Quality Management. Coastal and Estuarine Studies, vol 36. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-75413-5_52
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-75413-5_52
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
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