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Wadden Sea Quality Status Report

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  • Introduction
  • Geomorphology and climate
  • Habitats and communities
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  2. Habitats and communities

Photo: N. Hecker. Shell beach.

Habitats and communities

The Wadden Sea is continuously being shaped by wind, sand and tides. These natural processes, running uninterruptedly across the Wadden Sea, create islands, sandbanks, channels, mud flats, gullies, salt marshes and dunes.

This section gives in-depth analyses of the current states of the Wadden Sea's different habitats.

Pacific oyster and blue mussel attached to each other on exposed mudflat.

Beds of blue mussels and Pacific oysters

1. Introduction | 2. Status and Trends | 3. Assessment | 4. Recommendations | 5. Summary
Sanddune with patches of vegetation.

Beaches and dunes

1. Introduction | 2. Status and trends | 3. Assessment | 4. Recommendations | 5. Summary
Common cockle (Cerastoderma edule) inhalant and exhalent siphons in sand grains.

Macrozoobenthos

1. Introduction | 2. Status and trends | 3. Assessment | 4. Recommendations | 5. Summary
Blue Weser river with vessel and TV tower, harbour and high buildings on horizon,

Estuaries

1. Introduction | 2. Status and trends | 3. Assessment | 4. Recommendations | 5. Summary
Aerial image of green salt marsh bordering exposed mudflat.

Salt marshes

1. Introduction | 2. Status and trends | 3. Assessment | 4. Recommendations | 5. Summary
Macroalgae on top of seagrass.

Seagrass

1. Introduction | 2. Status and trends | 3. Assessment | 4. Recommendations | 5. Summary
Aerial image of vessel on intertidal river with branches trough sandflats.

Subtidal habitats

1. Introduction | 2. Status and Trends | 3. Assessment | 4. Recommendations | 5. Summary
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