Benthic processes in the intertidal mudflats of the Fly River estuary, Papua New Guinea

Three types of mudbanks were studied: a physically dominated, high sedimentation regime (1 station), a biologically dominated, low-to-moderate sedimentation regime (1 station); and a 'transitional' regime (2 stations).Bacterial C production was estimated from rates of protein (3H-leucine incorporation) and DNA (3H-thymidine incorportion) synthesis.Levels of particulate organic C, total N, total P in the sediments and dissolved organic (DOCChlorophyll a and phaeopigments were estimated.Meiofauna (Nematoda, Harpacticoid Copepoda, Foraminifera, others); macroinfauna (Polychaeta, Crustacea, Oligochaeta, others); and macroparticulate plant detritus (> or = to 0.5mm) were measured. To assess the role of intertidal mudbanks in the storage, utilisation and export of nutirents from the Fly River delta to the adjacent Gulf of Papua. This research project was a component of a larger project to determine the influence of freshwater and detrital export from the Fly River system on adjacent pelagic and benthic systems in the Gulf of Papua.