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One of the ways for increasing the understanding of relationships between the physical and natural environment is the application of an integrated approach based on the so-called effect chain. The effect chain approach enables us to quantify the impact of, for example, large-scale infrastructural constructions on the most relevant ecological groups and processes within the marine environment. An example of an effect arising from such a construction is the variation of suspended particulate matter (SPM) concentrations and its subsequent effect on primary production and other ecological groups within a marine ecosystem. The effect chain approach has been successfully applied within the Flyland project.
In 1999, the Government of the Netherlands decided to study the feasibility and impact of a new airport on an artificial island in the Dutch coastal zone. To this end, the Flyland program was developed to study the feasibility and impact of a new artificial island in the Dutch coastal zone. In this extensive national research program, a large number of aspects related to the effects of the construction and presence of the island on the Dutch coastal zone were investigated. Deltares (WL) participated in the research theme Marine Ecology and Morphology, which focused on the transport and fate of dissolved and SPM, the sea bed composition, nutrient transport, underwater light climate, primary production and species composition in the Southern North Sea.
The most important links between the various ecological groups, as well as possible relationships with user functions such as fisheries and recreation, are shown in the Effect Chain. The construction and presence of an island affects the hydrodynamic regime and distribution and concentration of SPM directly. The figure illustrates that the aspects hydrodynamics and SPM are the most fundamental part of the effect chain (hydrodynamics - SPM - light - algal biomass & species - zooplankton) as they form the basis of all the subsequent links in the chain. The grey lines and boxes form the core of the effect chain. The blue lines and boxes illustrate the most important relations between the ecosystem and those aspects which are assumed to be important user functions, which stakeholders will use to judge the effects of the island in the future.
The modelling framework used in the project for the ecosystem modelling is shown in green. The green diamonds illustrate the modules used for estimating the effects on e.g. the light field, the seabed, phytoplankton biomass (in terms of chlorophyll concentration) and benthos using the Delft3D-ECO model. The links between the various ecosystem aspects and the models are shown in orange.
More detailed information, such as results of the Flyland project, can be found by clicking on the Ecosystem or User Functions boxes, or the model names.
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