4
W. Schramm and P.H. Nienhuis: Introduction
vegetation seem to occur mainly along northern European coasts (French
and British Atlantic, North Sea, Baltic Sea) must certainly be related to
higher industrialization and population density, but partly also just to the
fact that more investigations have been carried out in the northern
countries compared to the other European regions.
Up to now, no attempt has been made to approach the "marine
eutrophication-macrophyte problem" on a European scale, and the longterm chronic effects of coastal eutrophication and "nutrient pollution",
together with the ultimate offshore consequences have largely been
ignored. In a few cases, these problems have been recognized and
included in either regional, national or international projects or agreements (e.g. HELCOM, North Sea Convention); however, mostly on a
descriptive, monitoring level.
Owing to sucessful abatement of the pollution problem in some European countries, recent signals of de-eutrophication, decreasing levels of
inorganic nutrients in coastal waters, can be observed. The alarming
phenomenon is, however, that decreased loading has not yet led to decreased marcophyte blooms.
Studies into the mechanisms of the impact of eutrophication and
pollution on benthic macro-vegetation have recently been launched in
Europe, for example in the framework of a cooperative EC-ENVIRONMENT project EUMAC (Eutrophication and Macrophytes) of several European universities and research centres. EUMAC has been initiated mainly
because of the insight that effects of eutrophication on the coastal systems,
in particular on phytobenthic communities, are very complex and cannot
simply be explained as monofactorial effects. In other words, increased
nutrient levels in most cases do not lead as a matter-of-course to mass
development of algae or to the other observed changes in biological
communities. On the way from the introduction of additional nutrients into
a coastal system to the actual occurrence of typical eutrophication effects,
other (combined) physical, chemical and biological factors are effective.
More knowledge of the mechanisms of these interactions is a prerequisite
for successful abatement and control, in order to protect and, hopefully,
restore the coastal ecosystems.
W. Schramm and P.H. Nienhuis: Introduction
vegetation seem to occur mainly along northern European coasts (French
and British Atlantic, North Sea, Baltic Sea) must certainly be related to
higher industrialization and population density, but partly also just to the
fact that more investigations have been carried out in the northern
countries compared to the other European regions.
Up to now, no attempt has been made to approach the "marine
eutrophication-macrophyte problem" on a European scale, and the longterm chronic effects of coastal eutrophication and "nutrient pollution",
together with the ultimate offshore consequences have largely been
ignored. In a few cases, these problems have been recognized and
included in either regional, national or international projects or agreements (e.g. HELCOM, North Sea Convention); however, mostly on a
descriptive, monitoring level.
Owing to sucessful abatement of the pollution problem in some European countries, recent signals of de-eutrophication, decreasing levels of
inorganic nutrients in coastal waters, can be observed. The alarming
phenomenon is, however, that decreased loading has not yet led to decreased marcophyte blooms.
Studies into the mechanisms of the impact of eutrophication and
pollution on benthic macro-vegetation have recently been launched in
Europe, for example in the framework of a cooperative EC-ENVIRONMENT project EUMAC (Eutrophication and Macrophytes) of several European universities and research centres. EUMAC has been initiated mainly
because of the insight that effects of eutrophication on the coastal systems,
in particular on phytobenthic communities, are very complex and cannot
simply be explained as monofactorial effects. In other words, increased
nutrient levels in most cases do not lead as a matter-of-course to mass
development of algae or to the other observed changes in biological
communities. On the way from the introduction of additional nutrients into
a coastal system to the actual occurrence of typical eutrophication effects,
other (combined) physical, chemical and biological factors are effective.
More knowledge of the mechanisms of these interactions is a prerequisite
for successful abatement and control, in order to protect and, hopefully,
restore the coastal ecosystems.