Articles | Volume 31, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/npg-31-151-2024
Special issue:
https://doi.org/10.5194/npg-31-151-2024
Research article
 | 
13 Mar 2024
Research article |  | 13 Mar 2024

Phytoplankton retention mechanisms in estuaries: a case study of the Elbe estuary

Laurin Steidle and Ross Vennell

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This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Geoscientific Model Development (GMD).
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Cited articles

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Carlson, D. J., Townsend, D. W., Hilyard, A. L., and Eaton, J. F.: Effect of an intertidal mudflat on plankton of the overlying water column, Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci., 41, 1523–1528, https://doi.org/10.1139/f84-188, 1984. a
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Phytoplankton are key in estuaries, as they form the ecosystem's base. Despite being washed out by river flow and facing a large range of different salinities, they persist. Our Lagrangian simulation of the Elbe estuary shows that buoyancy helps them to be retained. Riverbanks and tidal flats offer refuges from strong currents. Our findings emphasize the need for careful ecosystem management in estuaries.
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