The ecology of the estuaries of Rhine, Meuse and Scheldt in the Netherlands

Three rivers, the Rhine, the Meuse and the Scheldt enter the North Sea close to each other in the Netherlands, where they form the so-called delta region. This area has been under constant human influence since the Middle Ages, but especially after a catastrophic flood in 1953, when very important coastal engineering projects changed the estuarine character of the area drastically. Freshwater, brackish water and marine lakes were formed and in one of the sea arms, the Eastern Scheldt, a storm surge barrier was constructed. Only the Western Scheldt remained a true estuary. The consecutive chang... Mehr ...