Journal article
Mussel production as a nutrient mitigation tool for improving marine water quality
Longline mussel farming has been proposed as a tool to remove nutrients and counteract the negative effects of eutrophication in coastal waters. In this study, we use coupled 3D hydrodynamic and ecological modelling in combination with measurements from a full-scale mitigation farm to assess the environmental effects of mitigation cultures in Skive Fjord, Denmark, a shallow eutrophic estuary.
The results show that mitigation cultures decrease chl a concentration and increase Secchi depth especially in the surroundings of the farms but also on a basin scale. Fecal production by the mussels increases sedimentation below the farms but reduces ambient sedimentation, resulting in a net decrease in sedimentation of organic material on a basin scale.
Comparisons with nutrient load reduction scenarios indicate that nutrient removal by mitigation cultures have a higher short-term impact on water quality parameters (chl a, Secchi depth and sedimentation) than nutrient removal using land-based measures.
Language: | English |
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Publisher: | Inter-Research |
Year: | 2019 |
Pages: | 191-204 |
ISSN: | 18697534 and 1869215x |
Types: | Journal article |
DOI: | 10.3354/aei00306 |
ORCIDs: | Nielsen, Pernille , Petersen, JK , 0000-0001-5989-4692 and 0000-0001-8594-2993 |