A review of data on production and import of organic carbon in the western Wadden Sea

Abstract

Annual phytoplankton primary production in the tidal channels of the western Wadden Sea cannot be estimated more precisely than 150±50 g C.m−2a−1, due to large spatial and short-term temporal variations. This implies that year-to-year variations and eventually long-term trends have to be very pronounced to be measurable even with a weekly sampling program.