Using diamond-mined sediment discharges to test the paradigms of sandy-beach ecology

Using diamond-mined sediment discharges to test the paradigms of sandy-beach ecology

The prevailing view of sandy-shore ecosystems is that they are controlled largely by physical conditions, particularly particle size, slope and wave regime, but it is rarely possible to test this view by experimentally manipulating these attributes. We report a unique opportunity to accomplish this...

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Veröffentlicht in:Estuarine, coastal and shelf science coastal and shelf science, 2014-10, Vol.150, p.165-178
Hauptverfasser: Pulfrich, Andrea, Branch, George M.
Format: Artikel
Sprache:eng
Schlagworte:
Beaches
Biomass
Communities
diamond mining
Diamonds
grain size
macrofaunal communities
Marine
Particle size
Sand
sandy beach
sediment disposal
Sediments
shoreline accretion
Slopes
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Zusammenfassung:The prevailing view of sandy-shore ecosystems is that they are controlled largely by physical conditions, particularly particle size, slope and wave regime, but it is rarely possible to test this view by experimentally manipulating these attributes. We report a unique opportunity to accomplish this because large-scale alteration of these properties has taken place on the Namibian coast, associated with diamond mining. Elizabeth Bay diamond mine, near Lüderitz, started modern operations in 1991. Since then, 30.8 million tonnes of sediment with a particle size (
ISSN:0272-7714
1096-0015
DOI:10.1016/j.ecss.2013.08.002