Allochthonous organic matter as carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus source on a sandbank island (Kachelotplate, Lower Saxonian Wadden Sea, Germany)

Beached organic debris was surveyed from May to November 2007 in monthly intervals on the Kachelotplate, a sandbank island west of Juist, Southern North Sea. Among the material recorded were peat, macroalgal wrack, and cadavers of birds and seals. In addition diatom foam as well as seal and bird faeces contribute to the organic matter import to the emerging island. Most of the beached material remains on the island for a short time only but finely ground peat originating from subaqueous shallow water erosion may be distributed widely by aeolian transport and become incorporated into surface sediments.