Effects of tidal currents on chlorophyll a content of sandy sediments in the southern North Sea

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Abstract
High growth rates among benthic species [invertebrates] living on sandy bottoms in turbulent areas of the southern North Sea suggest that transient of deposition of suspended organic matter during period of slack current might provide a food source for these animals. Over a 24 h period, changes in chlorophyll levels in the water, on the sediment surface, and in 3 sediment layers were measured. The results not only confirmed the hypothesis, but also revealed that with each tidal cycle, high levels of chlorophyll were alternately being buried in the sediment (to a depth of 5 cm) and then resuspended. Laboratory experiments suggest that the mechanism by which this occurs is related to the formation of sand ripples on the sediment surface. Various implications of these findings are discussed.

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