Understanding estuaries
In the face of global climate change and sea-level rise, coastal areas are at risk from the pressures placed upon them. At the same time, these areas provide a wide array of ecosystem services and are important areas for human habitation and industry. We study physical pressures and ecosystems world-wide, to understand the consequences and threats for estuarine coastal areas on a multitude of spatial and temporal scales.
Estuarine habitats show extraordinarily high biological diversity and activity, while at the same time they are at the forefront of facing the consequences of climate change. Important habitats are created by organisms themselves, such as oysters, corals and seagrasses, while man-made infrastructures, such as wind parks, also modify the habitat.Â
We examine the interaction of organisms with their environment, and how their presence affects other organisms and the functioning of the marine environment. We are also interested in the physical drivers of environmental changes and particularly how this affects estuarine and delta regions world-wide.Â