Environmental overview of Eckernforde Bay, northern Germany

This environmental overview of Eckenforde Bay (northern Germany) summarizes the results of previous studies relevant to the Office of Naval Research's Coastal Benthic Boundary Layer (CBBL) Baltic field exercise conducted during 1993-1994. Significant environmental characteristics include the following: (1) surface sediment distribution is related to water depth, dictated primarily by hydrodynamic reworking of older glacial deposits: (2) the origin and characteristics of small-scale sedimentary structures depend on storm-generated waves and currents; (3) the proximity of the sea surface and sediment -water interface results in a pelagic-benthic coupling that drives biogeochemical processes and produces organic-rich, acoustically turbid sediments and (4) the bay floor is complicated topographically by pockmarks and manmade sedimentary structures.