Suspended Particulate Matter in Lakes, Rivers, and Marine Systems

The aim of this book is to give a state-of-the-art presentation of suspended particulate matter (SPM) in lakes, rivers and marine areas, with a focus on the roles that SPM plays in aquatic ecosystems and on modelling. To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first book of its kind, and this is remarkable because SPM is very important in aquatic sciences. It regulates the transport of all types of water pollutants in dissolved and particulate phases. It regulates water clarity and the depth of the photic zone, and, hence, also primary and secondary production. SPM regulates bacterioplankton production and biomass, and, thus, also mineralization, oxygen consumption and oxygen concentrations. SPM regulates sedimentation and the use of sediments as an historical archive, e.g. of water pollutants. These matters are discussed in this book, which also presents empirical and dynamical models for SPM based on the ecosystem perspective. The aim of these models is to structure existing knowledge on the factors regulating variations among and within aquatic systems of SPM in a rational and quantitative manner. This knowledge is fundamental for an understanding of the function and structure of aquatic systems. This book is intended as a textbook (mainly for Master’s and Ph.D. students) in aquatic sciences, but it should also attract a considerable interest from researchers in limnology, marine ecology and environmental sciences, as well as from consultants and administrators interested in management and studies of aquatic systems.