The use of Eco-Exergy in Oceanology: Application to Posidonia oceanica meadows | Utilisation de l'Eco-exergie en Océanologie: Application aux herbiers à Posidonia oceanica
2011
Pete, Dorothée | Velimirov, Branko | Gobert, Sylvie | Laboratoire d'Océanologie, ULiège
English. In classic thermodynamics, exergy is defined as the useful work a system can perform when brought into equilibrium with its environment. It represents a measure of the distance from thermodynamic equilibrium. From that definition, some researchers (S.E. Jørgensen) have decided to apply this theory to ecosystems and called this expression of exergy “Eco-exergy”. According to this theory, a developing ecosytem trends to go far from its thermodynamic equilibrium and its exergy content trends to increase. Thus, the Laboratory of Oceanology of the University of Liege has decided to apply this quite new theory to Posidonia oceanica meadows, an endemic ecosystem of the Mediterranean coastal zone. This ecosystem is known as a good environmental quality indicator. So it was choosen to test the relevance of eco-exergy index as a quality indicator in the Mediterranean Sea. As this ecosystem is complex, this study focuses on the sedimentary compartment and the microbenthic loop (organic matter, bacteria, microphytobenthos and meiofauna). Some estimations of this eco-exergy index in the sedimentary compartment of a P. oceanica meadow are presented here. According to them, it seems that the eco-exergy index is not sensitive enough to catch effects of perturbations in this ecosystem.
Show more [+] Less [-]Utilisation de l'exergie pour mesurer et détecter les effets des perturbations affectant les herbiers à Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile: caractérisation au sein du compartiment sédimentaire.
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