The objectives of the scientific community on ecological characterization of European estuaries lie in a consolidation of the coordination of the multidisciplinary research approach. The complexity of estuarine systems, in particular the Scheldt estuary, demands such a multidisciplinary research approach. Hydraulics, morphology, sedimentology, carbon cycling, biogeochemistry of nutrients and pollutants, food web structure and biodiversity of estuarine communities are the key factors in the functioning of the Scheldt estuary and these are the research domains that will be investigated. For each of these research domains specific objectives are set out. Like the domains themselves, the objectives for the research on the various domains strongly interact.  Read more