Mireille Consalvey PhD Thesis - University of St Andrews

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2. Materials and methods
2.1. Study sites
2.1.1. The Eden Estuary
The Eden Estuary, Scotland (U. K. ) (56'22'N, 02'5 I'W; Figure 2.1) has a
total area 10.41 kM2 and an intertidal mudflat area of 9.37 kM2 (Davidson and
Buck 1997) which experiences on average a 3.7 m tidal range. The Estuary has a
low turbidity (Perkins 1960) and the sediment surface is often visible under
several in of water (pers. obs). It is a local and national nature reserve and a Site
of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), attracting thousands of wading birds as well
as ducks and geese as a winter feeding ground. The sampling work was carried
out on the North Shore, located beside the Guardbndge Paper Mill. The algal
community of the Eden Estuary is dominated by diatoms and the macro-alga
Enteromorpha but patches of cyanobactena are also visible.
2.1.2. The Tay Estuary
The Tay Estuary, Scotland (U. K. ) (56'27'N 03'04'W; Figure 2.1) is a
large Estuary (122 kM2) which experiences a mean tidal range of 4.3m. Large
areas of mudflat and sand bank are exposed at low tide. The sampling work was
carried out at Kingoodie on the North Shore, a site that was diatom dominated.
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