Ecosystem Analysis - Mud flats

Mud flats

Mud flats develop in sheltered places of the intertidal area. They are important as sedimentation areas and provide a rich source of organic material for the endo- and epibenthic community. Because of this high availability of organic substances, oxygen content in the pore water is rather low and may limit chemical and biological degradation processes. This limits the development and the productivity of the benthic community. In the Sylt-Rømø Bay the area of mud flats is decreasing compared to the 20 and 30 of the last century. Some of this area reduction was probably triggered by the seagrass wasting desease and today we only observe 3 % of the intertidal area covered by mudflats. A possible increase in hydrodynamic activity may further reduce the area of mud flats in the future.