Report: Green sand: Horizontal distribution — Norderney, Lower Saxony Wadden Sea (2003)»
Description
“A novel phenomenon in the Wadden Sea in Lower Saxony is the occurrence of so-called “green sands”, which were first observed by the Coast Research Centre in 1999 as part of surveillance flights. These are clearly green-colored cotton and beach sediments. The green coloration is caused by the flagellate Euglena viridis var. maritima, which colonises the sand gap system to millions and migrates to the sediment surface in low water.
The main objective of this work was to assess the importance of this flagellate for the Wadden Sea. To this end, basic knowledge of the horizontal distribution and ecology of the “green sands” in the Wadden Sea in Lower Saxony should be developed. For this purpose, data from the flight monitoring of the years 2000 to 2003 were analysed and the seasonal stock development of the year 2003 was traced exemplarily on the island of Norderney. On the other hand, sediment samples were taken along transects at low water and analysed for various parameters such as euglene abundance, sediment properties, nutrient distribution and benthic accompanying flora and fauna. Laboratory tests should additionally provide information on the tolerance of the Euglenen to different living conditions with regard to the parameters salinity, pH milieu and temperature. [...]»
In summer 1999 “green sands” were found during observation flights on the intertidal flats of the East Frisian Wadden Sea. The green color of the sediment was caused by millions of unicellular algae on the surface of the sediment during daytime low tide. This microalgae appeared to be Euglena Viridis Var. maritima. The present study was designed to achieve basic knowledge of the horizontal distribution and the ecology of “green sands”.
Therefore data from the observation flights of the years 2000-2003 were analysed. The seasonal development of “green sands” in the year 2003 was exemplary documented for the beaches of the Wadden Sea Island Norderney. Supplementary sediment samples were collected on the interdidal flats during low tide. These samples were analysed with regard to density of Euglena sp., grain size composition, nutrients and microbenthic species composition. Laboratory experiments should investigate the influence of salinity, pH and temperature on the condition of Euglena sp.. [...]»
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Tags
- grüner-sand-euglena-viridis-var.-maritima-ökophysiologie-flagellata-euglenophyceae
- norderney