MAJOR BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES IN EUROPEAN TIDAL ESTUARIES - A SYNTHESIS OF THE JEEP-92 PROJECT

An overview is presented of the major results of the project JEEP-92 (Joint European Estuarine Project). A basic description was made of the ecological structure of the estuaries Elbe, Ems, Westerschelde, Somme, Gironde, Shannon and Tagus. The biological communities in these estuaries have been described and compared. Major macrobiological processes have been quantified: bacterial production, primpary production, zooplankton energy flow, meiofauna and macrofauna dynamics. Hydrodynamic and ecological models have been developed.