Recent iron-rich sediments in the Skjernå river system and in Ringkøbing fjord (Iron pollution of the river Skjernå and Ringkøbing fjord, Western Jutland)

Preliminary results of an investigation of the iron pollution of the Skjernå river system and Ringkøbing fjord are presented . The pollution is caused by human activity (mining of brown coal, drainage of meadows, straightening of rivers). The results indicate a deterioration of life conditions for the makrobenthos in Ringkøbing fjord caused by the supply of iron. At present no quantitative statement concerning the relative importance of human intervention on the iron supply to the fjord can be given.