Master Thesis : The subtidal Dutch Wadden Sea
Illustrations I made for my Master thesis for the research project 'The wadden mosaic'
Possible future image of the subtidal Dutch Wadden Sea, with an ecosystem rich in biodiversity and different habitat types incorporated as it historically was integrated into the landscape. With good protective measures this part of the sea can be restored again. This illustrations was made using mixed media, with the background being made in watercolor, the animals drawn in pencils and digitally colored in Adobe Photoshop. All elements were joined together into one final image using Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.
The subtidal Wadden Sea can be organized in six different types of habitats. In this illustration I give an overview of the six habitats that exist (even if not currently, like the Eelgrass habitat). Each habitat shows which specific species are attracted to that particular environment and show that with a combination of all six habitat types, an increase in biodiversity will be stimulated. This illustration is made in a similar fashion to the 'rich Wadden Sea' illustration, where different elements were created using mixed media and joined together using Photoshop.
I also explored different styles in which to convey scientific information. Since the research project for which these illustrations were designed was called 'the Wadden mosaic', I wanted to incorporate a mosaic of sorts into one of the illustrations. In this piece, the difference and impact of having a low variety in habitats in the Wadden Sea vs a high variety in habitats is clearly shown. With all six habitats incorporated, the picture becomes more colorful and the biodiversity increases.
With effective protection of the Dutch Wadden Sea, more than one thing happens: besides an increase in biodiversity, a more complex and efficient food web starts to develop. This can be seen by the increase in different species, the more effectively protected this area is, and the decrease in water turbidity, with more sun-rays reaching the Eelgrass.
One of the projects in 'the Wadden mosaic' was the research of adding man-made reefs to the sea. Old discarded pear trees were transformed into constructions that give a hard substrate to shellfish, sea lettuce and other sessile species. This is another way to increase biodiversity.
Poster of some typical species that appear in the subtidal Dutch Wadden Sea and are mentioned in the thesis. This was also used as the cover for the thesis.