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The effects of environmental changes on European salt marshes : structure functioning and exchange potentialities with marine coastal water

Ziel

To determine the ecological importance of salt marshes for coastal and estuarine ecosystems in view of the biogeochemical cycling of organic and inorganic matter, to assess their response to regional and global anthropogenic interferences, and to establish appropriate management methods and criteria.


This project will conduct comparative investigations on sediment, nutrients and particulate organic matter exchanges between salt marshes and estuarine or coastal marine waters on different types of representative European salt marshes, considering both the structure and functioning of the component ecosystems. The diversity of studied salt marshes will consider latitude, type of setting and geological evolution of the marsh, e.g. geologically young extending, old stable, and eroding salt marshes, respectively.

The following tasks will be addressed:

- to determine the inter-annual variations of community dynamics and organic matter, silt and nutrient exchanges in salt marshes in France (Mont St. Michel Bay), UK (Old Hall, Tollesbury, Essex), Netherlands (Texel) and in Portugal (Mira estuary);
- to determine the role of vegetation composition and structure in the processes of accretion and erosion and their consecutive effects;
- to determine the direction and magnitude of existing dynamic processes within the salt marsh and to investigate how they will be affected by changes in environmental pressures;
- to determine the influence of mowing or grazing on the vegetation composition and structure and their effects on accretion or erosion;
- to simulate and predict (by ecological modelling) the effects of geomorphological and hydrological changes in estuarine and/or coastal ecosystems, e.g. regarding impacts of sea level rise, fluctuating high-tide levels and sediment transport on exchange processes, vegetation dynamics, and accretion or erosion of the different salt marsh types; particular emphasis will be placed on the evaluation of possible sea level rise impacts on the salt marsh's function as source or sink of sediments and pollutants;
- to localize by specific markers (stable isotopes, molecular markers) sources and sinks of organic matter produced in salt marshes;
- to determine the role of the soil compartment in terms of storage for organic matter and nutrients and as source of nutrients during specific events (high tides, heavy rain).
- to develop a classification of major European salt marshes on the basis of their function in the coastal ecosystem, and to formulate management proposals for the maintenance or increase of salt marsh functions.

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Université de Rennes I
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27 rue du Thabor
35014 Rennes
Frankreich

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