Coastal lagoon ecosystems are transitional waters, that provide important ecological features and deliver valuable services to mankind. However, due to their geographical positioning at the coast line and physical restrictions, coastal lagoon ecosystems are highly vulnerable towards environmental and …

Cyanobacterial blooms can be toxic to humans swimming in affected waters. According to the European Bathing Water Directive bathing waters should be closed during cyanobacterial blooms. In the Netherlands, cyanobacteria monitoring in all official bathing water locations is usually performed every two …

Introduction In the harbor of Zierikzee there is a strong tidal influence. The difference between the water levels during high and low tide lies around the three meters. The harbors De Oude Haven and ‘T Sas fall dry during an extremely low tide. When these harbors fall dry, foundations will come in …

In the Province of Zeeland, ragworms (Alitta virens) are farmed on large scale in open rectangular (flow through systems) ponds. In April these ponds are stocked with ragworm larvae from a hatchery. The juveniles bury themselves in the sediment layer in the pond and are fed with feed pellets. Dependent …

Coastal tourism and recreation are one of the most rapidly growing fields worldwide and people spend more time outdoors. Skin protection is, in this respect, important to prevent severe skin damage and skin aging. The past decades the awareness and the importance of skin protection against long time …

Alzheimer’s disease is the leading cause of dementia affecting over 46 million worldwide, yet contemporary medication is unable to prevent or slow its neurodegeneration. Recently, fucosterol and saringosterol, two phytosterols from brown macroalgae, have emerged as possible mediators of the disease. …

Ecosystem engineering research has recently demonstrated the fundamental importance of non-trophic interactions for food-web structure. Particularly, by creating benign conditions in stressful environments, ecosystem engineers create hot beds of elevated levels of recruitment, growth, and survival of …

The actual non-sustainable way of living has to be changed fundamentally. Despite all efforts to create a better environment, to improve building designs and to ameliorate existing buildings, often contradictory factors are faced which make it difficult to decide what the best solutions are. The discussion …

The aquaculture sector is expanding worldwide, which gives this sector an important economic potential. A problem for the on land aquaculture sector is that there is insufficient quality feed for cultivating fish larvae and shellfish. Based on this problem the RAAQUA project was launched (Robust Algae …

The disruption of nutrient cycles caused by human activities such as agriculture and burning fossil fuels is impacting ecosystem services on global and local scales. The increasing concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere contributes to rising global temperatures and ocean acidification, whereas …