One foot in the grave: zooplankton drift into the Westerschelde estuary (The Netherlands)

The net growth rate of marine zooplankton entering the Westerschelde estuary was investigated using an advective-dispersive transport model that simulates zooplankton biomass behaving conservatively in the estuary. Total biomass of marine zooplankters in the Westerschelde was much lower than what would be expected based on transport alone, indicating negative growth rates in the estuary. Including a net consumption term in the transport model allowed the estimation of total net mortality. About 3% of all marine zooplankters that enter the Westerschelde with the flood currents are retained in t... Mehr ...