摘要
本文描述了从3000年前的全新世到如今的英国亨伯河口湾的地貌状况。在这一时期,潮间带90%以上的面积和河口湾90%以上的沉积储存能力囚开垦而消失了。在许多其它已经都市化的河口湾地带也有类似情形。由于潮间带的消失,如今河口湾中沉淀的养分收支量都表现为很少的养分储存能力。我们对全新世亨伯河口湾的营养物质建立了推测性质的收支计算,提出那时的河口湾能够有效地储集大量的氮和磷。本文还提出了一种收支算法,说明亨伯河口湾的营养物质以现代的营养成分负荷而在开发之前的地理环境之下是如何循环的。结果显示在这种状况下,从亨伯河口湾流向北海的养分流是明显减弱的。我们根据可预测的海平面上升程度而对河口湾进行重新调整的各种方案,对研究结果进行了讨论。
The geomorphology of the present day and Holocene (3000 years ago) Humber estuary, United Kingdom, are described. More than 90% of the intertidal area and sediment accumulation capacity of the estuary has been lost to reclamation over this period. A similar situation prevails in many other urbanized estuaries. Nutrient budgets for the modern estuary are presented demonstrating little trapping of nutrients, due to the loss of intertidal areas. A speculative budget for the Humber during the Holocene is constructed, which suggests that the estuary was then an efficient sink for nitrogen and phosphorus. A budget is presented describing how nutrient cycling might operate in the Humber with contemporary nutrient loadings, but with the pre-reclamation geography. This suggests that in this form the estuary would significantly attenuate nutrient fluxes to the North Sea. The results are discussed in terms of options for managed realignment of estuaries in response to predicted sea-level rise.
Ambio, Vol. 29, No. 3, pp. 130-135, 2000
