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 estu aries have been described and compared. Major macrobiological processe s have been quantified: bacterial production, primpary production, zoo plankton energy flow, meiofauna and macrofauna dynamics. Hydrodynamic and ecological models have been developed.