BR/NP Wattenmeere
National park in the world largest connected sand and mud flats.
The Watt
is an ecosystem which forms part of the North Sea, a strip of shallow coastal water around 10 km wide which stretches 450 km from Esbjerg in Denmark along the southern shores of the sea to Den Helder in the Netherlands. Its total surface area is about 8,000 km2, and 60% of this falls within German territory.
The Wattenmeer - sand and mud flats along the North Sea coast - is one of the most productive natural environments in the world, unique in its expanse and teeming with life.
Along with the higher slopes of the Alps, this is the last natural landscape of major size in Central Europe.
The Wattenmeer incorporates a great variety of habitats, including channels of constant water, salty foreshore grasslands and a diversity of islands.
Many species of bird nest and raise their young or else rest here during migration. It is the nursery
of North Sea fish and provides a home for seals.
But this important habitat is seriously in jeopardy due to increasing pollution of the North Sea and the disruption caused by mass tourism.
In June 2009 the Wadden Sea was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. The sampling area is situated in that area.
Search data
Sub-areas
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Northernmost of the three sub-areas in the BR/NP Wattenmeere
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Bay with an open mudflat area.
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Bay mudflat area and estuary of the river Weser.
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The sampling areas have been selected to represent adequately the major types of ecosystems in Germany and taking into account the varying intensities of anthropogenic impact and land use.
Specimen
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Common brown alga of the coastal areas of the North and Baltic Sea
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One of the most important edible mussel species common in the North and Baltic Sea
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As the only viviparous fish in German nearshore waters, it is a bioindicator in nearshore coastal marine ecosystems.
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Inshore, the herring gull mainly feeds from the sea: upon fish, mussels, and crabs.
Analytes
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Eighty percent of all elements on earth are metals
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Only eighteen elements in the periodic table
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Organic substances with at least one metall atom
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Group of organic compounds with at least one covalently bonded chlorine atom
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Toxic and persistent organochloropesticide
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Several isomeric compounds among the group of chlorinated hydrocarbons
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Group of organic compounds with at least three condensed six-membered rings
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Organic compounds which are fully (per-) or partially (poly-) fluorinated
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Class of synthetic fragrances
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Class of non-ionic surfactants and their degradation products
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Atoms of one element with different weights
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Flame retardants reduce the flammability of objects
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Cyclic methylsiloxanes with persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic properties in the environment
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Additional information for the interpretation of contamination data
Sampling period
1985 - 2023