梅梁湾、大太湖夏季和冬季CDOM特征及可能来源分析

基于2004年夏季水华暴发期和冬季在梅梁湾及大太湖各2次采样,分析了夏季、冬季CDOM的特征及其可能的来源,发现夏季CDOM吸收系数、叶绿素a浓度均明显高于冬季,DOC浓度、CDOM吸收系数a(355)的变化范围分别为5.17～12.42 mg/L、2.57～6.77 m-1,最大值均出现在冬季(12月15日)的直湖港入湖口.CDOM吸收系数与DOC浓度、定标后的荧光值一般都存在显著正相关,但夏季由于受浮游植物降解的影响,与DOC浓度和荧光的相关性明显低于冬季.表征CDOM组成和来源的参数比吸收系数、M值、S值存在显著的季节差异,夏季吸收系数a*(355)值明显要大于冬季,而S值、M值则要小于冬季.夏季水华暴发时CDOM吸收系数与叶绿素a浓度空间分布较为一致,吸收系数与叶绿素a浓度存在正相关,浮游植物降解产物可能是水体中CDOM的重要来源;相反,冬季CDOM吸收系数呈现从梁溪河入湖口、湾内往湾口递减的趋势,其来源可能主要以陆源为主,受入湖河流的影响较大.     

Sedimentary Characteristics of Flood-Overlake in Large Depression Basin——Taking the 4th Member, Quantou Formation, Lower Cretaceous,in Southern Songliao Basin as an Example

本文建立了一种干旱背景下坳陷湖盆全新的沉积充填模式,即“洪水—河漫湖”沉积模式.在干旱背景下,物源区的河流主要表现为季节性的洪水,大多数河流都消失在荒漠中,河水主要以地表蒸发、植被生态消耗、地下渗流、河流终端湖以及河漫湖等形式排泄,坳陷湖盆内并未形成统—大面积的汇水中心和湖相沉积.这种背景条件下,湖盆的沉积充填特征明显不同于经典的坳陷湖盆和浅水湖盆沉积.下白垩统泉头组四段沉积时期,松辽盆地具有气候干旱、地势平坦、生物单调贫乏等特征,盆地南部存在5大沉积体系及7条主要的水系.除在盆地西部古龙凹陷地区河流汇水形成小范围浅水湖泊外,在盆地南部主要为“洪水—河漫湖”的河流相沉积.坳陷湖盆“洪水—河漫湖”沉积具有以下特点:①全盆地没有统一的汇水中心,因而缺乏大面积分布的湖相和三角洲沉积;②河流表现为季节性的洪水,部分河流由于地形变缓,并未进入汇水中心,而是消失在荒漠中,河流相为盆地沉积充填的主要类型;③湖盆具有多物源、多漫湖、满盆含砂的沉积特点;④河漫湖与河流在空间分布上存在3种关系,即河流终止于河漫湖、河流穿过河漫湖、河流绕过河漫湖等.坳陷湖盆“洪水—河漫湖”是—种中—新生代陆相坳陷湖盆沉积充填的新模式,具有重要的理论和实践意义.     

BP神经网络在贵州喀斯特山区径流预报中的应用

以贵州六冲河、倒天河流域为例建立喀斯特山区径流预报BP神经网络模型。六冲河流域以七星关站丰水期流量过程为输出数据,以丰水期降雨过程、出口断面前期流量过程、蒸发量作为输入数据,倒天河流域以徐家屯站丰水期流量过程为输出因子,丰水期降雨过程、前期流量过程作为输入因子。预报结果确定性系数DC值分别为0.538、0.420。结果表明将蒸发量作为输入数据、流域面积比较大模型预报精度较大。     

大型坳陷湖盆“洪水—河漫湖”沉积——以干旱背景下的松南泉四段为例

本文建立了一种干旱背景下坳陷湖盆全新的沉积充填模式,即"洪水—河漫湖"沉积模式。在干旱背景下,物源区的河流主要表现为季节性的洪水,大多数河流都消失在荒漠中,河水主要以地表蒸发、植被生态消耗、地下渗流、河流终端湖以及河漫湖等形式排泄,坳陷湖盆内并未形成统一大面积的汇水中心和湖相沉积。这种背景条件下,湖盆的沉积充填特征明显不同于经典的坳陷湖盆和浅水湖盆沉积。下白垩统泉头组四段沉积时期,松辽盆地具有气候干旱、地势平坦、生物单调贫乏等特征,盆地南部存在5大沉积体系及7条主要的水系。除在盆地西部古龙凹陷地区河流汇水形成小范围浅水湖泊外,在盆地南部主要为"洪水—河漫湖"的河流相沉积。坳陷湖盆"洪水—河漫湖"沉积具有以下特点:①全盆地没有统一的汇水中心,因而缺乏大面积分布的湖相和三角洲沉积;②河流表现为季节性的洪水,部分河流由于地形变缓,并未进入汇水中心,而是消失在荒漠中,河流相为盆地沉积充填的主要类型;③湖盆具有多物源、多漫湖、满盆含砂的沉积特点;④河漫湖与河流在空间分布上存在3种关系,即河流终止于河漫湖、河流穿过河漫湖、河流绕过河漫湖等。坳陷湖盆"洪水—河漫湖"是一种中—新生代陆相坳陷湖盆沉积充填的新模式,具有重要的理论和实践意义。     

太湖及其主要入湖河流沉积磷形态分布研究

选择了我国第三大浅水湖泊--太湖及其主要入湖河流进行沉积磷形态的连续提取研究.太湖湖区沉积磷中不稳态磷(LP)及铝结合态磷(Al-P)含量很低,其余形态磷为铁结合态磷(Fe-P)＜钙结合态磷(Ca-P)＜有机磷(Org-P).河流沉积物中有机磷的相对含量高于湖泊沉积物,绝对含量平均值约为湖泊沉积物的3.9倍,铁结合态磷的绝对含量约为湖泊沉积物的3/4,湖区沉积物Fe-P含量与水体中PO3-4-、Chla呈显著正相关关系,同时与间隙水的氧化性呈显著负相关关系.太湖各湖区沉积物的磷形态表现为空间差异较大,活性组分的差异性要大于活性较差的组分.总的来说北部湖区沉积物中Fe-P和Org-P含量高于其他湖区,这与太湖北部湖区水体高营养级和藻类爆发关系密切.湖区沉积磷的垂直分布规律较复杂,既有随深度增加的,也有随深度降低的,河流沉积物同样如此.这与太湖及河流生态条件、污染物排放以及沉积动力学条件不同有关.     

鄱阳湖水质时空变化及受水位影响的定量分析

基于2008~2012年水质水位数据,分析水位变化下的鄱阳湖水质时空变化特征,并定量研究水位变动对水质的影响。结果表明:(1)鄱阳湖水质自2007年起呈恶化趋势,主要在水位涨落下湿地植被生物净化作用强弱转换影响下,丰水期水质好于枯水期。但有时因降雨初期非点源污染加剧,水位上升而水质下降;(2)水质沿主航道水流方向从主湖体东南部到入江水道逐渐好转,主要受乐安河、信江等入湖河流携污影响,同时受到滨湖城镇排污、采砂加剧内源污染释放等的影响;(3)星子站水位每上升1m,鄱阳湖全湖Ⅰ~Ⅲ类水比例提高6.2%。     

近50年玛纳斯河径流时序变化特征

玛纳斯河径流是供给玛纳斯河流域绿洲的重要水资源。本文依据玛纳斯河上游肯斯瓦特水文站1959~2010年实测径流资料,采用趋势线、Morlet小波分析以及Mann-Kendall突变检验法分析了近50年玛纳斯河径流年内、年际多时间尺度下的变化特征及其未来的变化趋势。结果表明:(1)玛纳斯河径流年内分配极不均匀,主要集中在6~8月份,占多年平均径流量的70%左右,四季中夏季径流量最大,冬季径流最小;(2)径流年际变化大,具有明显的周期性与阶段性,经历了几个显著的丰枯时期,并存在32年、10年左右的主周期;(3)近50年玛纳斯河径流总体呈增加趋势,从1995年开始发生突变,在2000年达到显著水平,即玛纳斯河进入丰水期,径流的变化对流域洪水出现的频次有一定影响。     

中国东部主要入海河流河口区地球化学特征：理化指标与水溶态元素浓度

河水理化性质和元素组成特征直接影响到水体利用功能,入海河流元素输送量对近岸海洋生态环境具有重要影响。在中国东部33条入海河流下游河段或河口区布设了水地球化学调查点,分别在2007年夏季(丰水期)、2007年底—2008年初(枯水期)采样并测定了河水酸碱度、电导率值以及溶解态常量和微量元素浓度。研究表明,多数北方河流水体酸碱度、电导率值以及常量元素浓度高于南方河流,与中国土壤及其常量元素组成的南北分带相吻合,反映了我国南北气候分带对河水地球化学特征的控制作用,推断少数河流酸碱度、电导率和常量元素浓度的异常分布与海水混合作用、人为污染等作用有关;部分河流水体中微量元素浓度背离于区域正常浓度,其原因一是与区域地球化学背景有关,二是与城市污染影响有关,通过对比部分城市上、下游水体元素浓度证实城市污染的影响;研究认为丰水期易溶元素Na、Ca、K、Zn、Se浓度较低反映了大量降水的稀释效应,而丰水期河水Al、REE、Fe、Pb、Tl等元素浓度明显高于枯水期,主要与丰水期暴雨形成的地面径流携带大量胶体颗粒进入地表水有关。     

基于DEM的莱州湾南岸典型水系河间地提取及区域地貌演化研究

以SRTM3-DEM为数据源,在ArcGIS支持下,采用水文分析以及DEM分析数据与地质图、卫星图像和地形图区域数据综合对比分析,结合实地调查及前人研究成果,对莱州湾南岸的弥河、白浪河、潍河3条典型河流河网河间地的提取进行了研究,并对不同流域河间地比率的空间关系、流域地貌侵蚀对比与区域变化、全新世河型及河型转换以及区域地貌发展阶段进行了研究.通过DEM的水文分析、河网提取、河间地制图,得到了每条河流、每种累积流量取值下河网中的河间地,从而提出了快速提取河间地的一种新方法.区域空间上,河间地比率自西向东存在弱的增大变化.流域侵蚀综合分析表明:3条河流曾明显下切,即西部的弥河以单河道截切式下切;中部的白浪河以拓展式下切;东部的潍河呈嵌入式下切.表明西部侵蚀下切幅度大于东部(西部河流侵蚀速度快于东部),从而印证了河间地比率西小、东大的空间变化.对古河型(/河网)分析表明,全新世以来有网状河、扇状分汉河、汇聚型河、顺直河和曲流河5种河型.河型转换受控于气候变化、基准面下降和不均衡的构造抬升.将研究区全新世的河流地貌演化分为全新世早阶段、全新世中期早阶段、全新世中期晚阶段、全新世晚期早阶段和全新世晚期晚阶段5个阶段.     

莺歌海盆地东侧物源年龄标志的建立:来自琼西6条主要河流碎屑锆石LA-ICP-MS U-Pb年龄的研究

利用阴极发光和LA-ICP-MS微区定年分析方法,对海南岛西部6条主要河流入海口现代沉积物700粒碎屑锆石进行了U-Pb年龄分析,获得644个有效数据。研究表明:(1)6条河流具有两组明显不同频谱特征,北部4条河流(珠碧江、昌化江、北黎河和感恩河)主要显示海西—印支期年龄峰(236~257Ma),而南部两条河流(望楼河和宁远河)主要显示燕山晚期年龄峰(约99Ma),这些年龄频谱的特征差异与各河流所流经区域出露的岩浆岩一致,反映了源区对河流碎屑沉积的控制和影响。(2)6条河流年龄变化范围为86~1 600 Ma,主要集中在80~300 Ma,并具有254、238和99 Ma 3个主要年龄峰以及159、1 400~1 600 Ma两个次要峰。254 Ma是源区海南岛不同于华南内陆的一次重要的二叠纪岩浆事件,与古特提斯洋的闭合、俯冲以及碰撞有关;238 Ma也是海南岛一次重要的岩浆事件。海南岛自245 Ma左右进入造山后的伸展环境,从南到北形成一系列三叠纪Ⅰ型和A型花岗岩,三叠纪和二叠纪花岗岩可能是一个事件的连续演化过程。99 Ma碎屑锆石与海南岛同安岭—牛腊岭玄武质安山岩流纹岩、屯昌埃达克岩以及昌江石碌花岗闪长斑岩年龄相匹配,反映了海南岛在燕山期可能受到古太平洋板块西向俯冲的影响。(3)琼西主要河流年龄特征与越南红河存在很大区别,琼西具有燕山晚期(约99 Ma)碎屑锆石年龄,并缺失与红河剪切带构造岩浆变质事件相匹配的喜山期年龄值(22~55 Ma)以及古老锆石年龄。     

Temporal and Spatial Distribution Characteristics of Colored Dissolved Organic Matter in Coastal Waters of Jiangsu Province

Colored Dissolved Organic Matter (CDOM) is one of important ocean color factors. In the background of “Jiangsu Coastal Development”, it is important to monitor the water quality and pollution status of coastal waters by analyzing its spatial and temporal distribution characteristics with remote sensing data. This paper was based on the high temporal resolution of Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI) image downloaded from Korea Ocean Satellite Center. The temporal-spatial distribution of CDOM in Jiangsu coastal waters was analyzed on daily, weekly and monthly time scales from April, 2011 to May, 2016. CDOM in Jiangsu coastal waters are mainly terrigenous, and higher inshore than that of offshore. The monthly average concentration of CDOM in the western coast of the South Yellow Sea was 0.167~0.201 m^-1, and those of central and southern regions were 0.086~0.187m^-1. The maximum values were outside the maximum turbidity zone of the Yangtze River Estuary, which was 0.180~0.206 m^-1 (absorption coefficient at 440 nm). The diurnal variation of CDOM in near shore waters was found to coincide with the change of tide, which decreased at first and then increased in the sea area. By fitting the monthly mean using cosine function, significantly cyclical variation of mean CDOM was found in the South Yellow Sea. The central region of the South Yellow Sea waters fitting coefficient was 0.823. Affected by the Yellow Sea cold water mass, the sub-regions of the South Yellow Sea changed seasonally, whose CDOM concentration in winter and spring was higher than that in summer and autumn. Because of Changjiang Diluted Water and other water masses, seasonal variation of the Yangtze River Estuary was contrary to that of the South Yellow Sea. On monthly scale, CDOM concentration was positively correlated with total suspended matter, with correlation coefficient r being 0.72. The trend of the central and southern region was more significant.     

基于反射光谱的珠江口咸潮遥感方法

为监测珠江口河网区水体的盐度变化,基于同步测量的水体黄色物质、盐度和水体表面光谱数据,利用MATLAB分析了水体光谱反射率和黄色物质浓度之间的关系。结果表明:在磨刀门水道,反射率与黄色物质在400nm处的吸收系数g₄₀₀有较好关系,在R₇₀₄/R₅₁₃处,R²=0.70;在虎门水道,g₄₀₀与反射率比值R₇₀₃/R₄₈₈之间也有较强的负相关,R²=0.58。同样,又分析了磨刀门和虎门水道黄色物质吸收系数与表面盐度的关系,都发现了较好的相关性,R²>0.67。根据以上分析,得到了一种珠江口河网区水体表面盐度监测的新方法,并采用中等分辨率成像光谱仪(MERIS)的模拟数据来进行模型验证,结果表明利用MERIS数据对珠江口河网区咸潮进行监测是可行的(均方根误差小于0.308%)。     

Interannual Variation in Photosynthetically Significant Optical Properties and Water Quality in a Coastal Blackwater River Plume

Surface water optical characteristics, nutrients, and planktonic chlorophyll a concentrations were analyzed in the Cape Fear River (CFR) plume over a 2-year period. CFR discharge during the dry year (109 ± 105 m³s⁻¹) was only 25% of the wet year discharge (429 ± 337 m³s⁻¹). Partitioning the contributions of phytoplankton pigments, non-pigmented particles, and colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) to the absorption of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) indicated that CDOM was the dominant contributor to PAR absorption. Particulate absorption was relatively greater during the dry year. Pigment absorption was minor and varied little among stations or between years. Chlorophyll a concentrations were reduced at the most plume-influenced stations during the wet year, despite lower turbidity and higher nitrate concentrations. Ammonium and orthophosphate concentrations were not different between years. CDOM absorption [a _CDOM (412)] ranged from 0.05 to 8.25 m⁻¹ with highest values occurring near the CFR mouth. Our results suggest that for coastal ecosystems with significant blackwater river inputs, CDOM may exert a major limiting influence over near-shore primary production.     

Compositional differences of chromophoric dissolved organic matter derived from phytoplankton and macrophytes

Chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) is an important component in the aquatic environment and plays a key role in light attenuation and in carbon biogeochemical cycles. We examined CDOM production in each of two laboratory experiments in which phytoplankton and macrophyte degradation were monitored using absorption and excitation–emission matrix fluorescence spectroscopy (EEMs). During the incubation period, CDOM was produced from phytoplankton and macrophytes, and partly decomposed by microorganisms. The absorption spectra of the phytoplankton derived and the macrophyte derived CDOM were distinct and characterized by peaks and shoulders in the UV bands. Production of CDOM absorption at 350 nm, a(350), was 0.0125 m²/g per unit of chlorophyll a from phytoplankton CDOM from 0–3 d. Meanwhile a(350) production was 2.708 × 10⁻⁴ m²/g per unit of wet biomass from macrophytes CDOM from 1–7 d. Despite the high production of CDOM by phytoplankton and macrophytes, extrapolation of these values to the field indicated that about 15% of total CDOM was produced from phytoplankton during algal blooms in Meiliang Bay in summer and about 8% of total CDOM was produced from macrophytes in the macrophyte dominated littorals. The mean value of the spectral slope (S) describing the exponential decrease of the absorption spectrum, which was strongly correlated to an optical index of molecular size, for the phytoplankton derived CDOM was 10.26 ± 2.05 μm⁻¹, which was significantly lower than the mean S of 14.47 ± 2.88 μm⁻¹ for the macrophyte derived CDOM (t-test, p < 0.001). The mean value of the spectral slope ratio (S_R) for the phytoplankton derived CDOM was 1.79 ± 0.52, which was significantly higher than that of 0.35 ± 0.58 for the macrophyte derived CDOM (t-test, p < 0.001). Three fluorescent components were validated in parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) models calculated separately for phytoplankton derived and macrophyte derived CDOM, each CDOM source resulting in distinct excitation and emission maxima for each component. The significant differences in CDOM absorption spectra, S, S_R and PARAFAC fluorescence component characteristics, all showed that phytoplankton derived CDOM was compositionally distinct from macrophyte derived CDOM. Overall both sources were important to the CDOM pool in the shallow temperate lake.     

Spatial-seasonal dynamics of chromophoric dissolved organic matter in Lake Taihu, a large eutrophic, shallow lake in China

From 2005 to 2009, the spatial distribution and the seasonal dynamics of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) were explored in Lake Taihu in eastern China. The spatial-seasonal dynamics of CDOM absorption and three CDOM composition variables, including spectral slope (S), spectral slope ratio (S_R) and the M value, defined as the ratio of absorption at 250 nm/365 nm, were analyzed and discussed. Furthermore, river input processes and degradation of phytoplankton were studied to assess their impact on CDOM composition and the factors involved in the spatial-seasonal variability of CDOM. The CDOM absorption coefficient at a wavelength of 350 nm, a(350), ranged from 1.37-9.55 m⁻¹ with a mean of 3.33 ± 1.32 m⁻¹. Spatially, higher a(350) values, but lower spectral slope, spectral slope ratio and M values, were recorded in the northern algae dominated bays while lower values were recorded in southeastern macrophyte dominated bays. The a(350) was significantly higher in inshore waters than in offshore waters. Values of S, S_R and M decreased during the flood and algal bloom season in spring and summer whereas a(350) increased. In the three river profiles, the gradual decrease of a(350) along the trajectory from the river mouth into the lake during the flood season showed the contribution of allochthonous CDOM. A laboratory phytoplankton degradation experiment was conducted to determine the contribution of CDOM production from phytoplankton. The significant increase of a(350) with time in the CDOM production experiment underlines the importance of autochthonous CDOM production during the algal bloom season. In summary, the significant increase of a(350) in spring and summer (algal bloom season) may be due to both the allochthonous CDOM input from the surrounding rivers and the autochthonous production of CDOM from degrading phytoplankton.     

Optical characterization of CDOM in a marsh-influenced environment in the Changjiang (Yangtze River) Estuary

To elucidate the influence of tidal marshes on the amount and chemical structure of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) in adjacent coastal waters, surface water samples were collected along three cross-marsh transects in tidal marshes within the Changjiang Estuary. In addition, three sediment cores were collected from the marshes and incubated for 10 h in the laboratory after adding overlying tidal waters. Nutrients, DOC, absorption, fluorescence excitation–emission matrix (EEM) spectroscopy, and other parameters were measured in these samples, which clearly illustrated releases by the tidal marshes of DOC, and CDOM absorbent and fluorescent molecules. To characterize the chemical nature of the marsh-derived CDOM, variations in a suite of optical indices (including molar absorptivity, absorption spectral slope, fluorescence quantum yield, and fluorescence ratios between certain excitation/emission locations) in these samples were plotted against the offshore distance of the stations as well as the incubation time. From the literature, it has been suggested that these variations are closely associated with molecular weight, aromaticity, and humic/fulvic or allochthonous/autochthonous ratios in the CDOM mixtures. This study showed that the CDOM fluorophores changed to more humic-like and were less protein-like from sea to land across the marsh gradients. Furthermore, subtractions between EEM spectra before and after laboratory incubations were applied to illustrate in greater detail the properties of the pure fluorescent compounds exchanged at the sediment–overlying water interface.     

Estimation of colored dissolved organic matter and salinity fields in case 2 waters using SeaWiFS: Examples from Florida Bay and Florida Shelf

Estimates of water quality variables such as chlorophylla concentration (Chl), colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM), or salinity from satellite sensors are of great interest to resource managers monitoring coastal regions such as the Florida Bay and the Florida Shelf. However, accurate estimates of these variables using standard ocean color algorithms have been difficult due to the complex nature of the light field in these environments. In this study, we process SeaWiFS satellite data using two recently developed algorithms; one for atmospheric correction and the other a semianalytic bio-optical algorithm and compare the results with standard SeaWiFS algorithms. Overall, the two algorithms produced more realistic estimates of Chl and CDOM distributions in Florida Shelf and Bay waters. Estimates of surface salinity were obtained from the CDOM absorption field assuming a conservative mixing behavior of these waters. A comparison of SeaWiFS-derived Chl and CDOM absorption with field measurements in the Florida Bay indicated that although well correlated, CDOM was underestimated, while Chl was overestimated. Bottom reflectance appeared to affect these estimates at the shallow central Bay stations during the winter. These results demonstrate the need for new bio-optical algorithms or tuning of the parameters used in the bio-optical algorithm for local conditions encountered in the Bay.     

秋季黄河pCO2控制因素及水-气界面通量

根据2006年11月1~10日,秋季黄河平水期二氧化碳分压(pCO₂)的现场实测数据及相关同步观测资料,对黄河表层水pCO₂的分布及其影响因素进行了研究。结果表明:水体pCO₂在80~166Pa,平均值110Pa,在世界主要河流中属中等偏下水平;空间分布存在较大的不均匀性,中游高于上游和下游。浮游植物的光合作用对pCO₂有一定的影响但强度较弱,即使在叶绿素最高值3.58μg/L的包头站pCO₂仍达到91Pa。黄河水体有机物含量较低且继承了陆源有机物难降解的特性,干流和库区EpCO₂/AOU的比值为0.14和0.20,远低于生物好氧呼吸作用控制水体pCO₂的理论下限0.62,因此,生物好氧呼吸作用对水体pCO₂的贡献不大。悬浮物(TSS)含量为3.77~1308mg/L,溶解无机碳(DIC)含量为3.03~4.14mmol/L,普遍高于世界其它河流且最大值均出现在潼关站;同时水体pCO₂与TSS、PIC、DIC含量具有极好的正相关性。因此黄河流域强烈的机械侵蚀和化学风化作用形成的碳酸盐体系是控制水体pCO₂的主要因素。利用Wanninkhof提出的淡水水-气交换系数的通量模式估算,黄河水域水-气界面CO₂交换速率约为0.229μmol/m2·s,秋季可向大气释放CO₂14.5亿moL,相当于8250km2草原或是112km2森林一年的固碳量。黄河CO₂释放通量与渥太华河相近,但要远小于亚马逊河。     

Calibration of a Bio-optical Model in the North River, North Carolina (Albemarle–Pamlico Sound): A Tool to Evaluate Water Quality Impacts on Seagrasses

Seagrasses are typically light limited in many turbid estuarine systems. Light attenuation is due to water and three optically active constituents (OACs): nonalgal particulates, phytoplankton, and colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM). Using radiative transfer modeling, the inherent optical properties (IOPs) of these three OACs were linked to the light attenuation coefficient, K _PAR, which was measured in North River, North Carolina, by profiles of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR). Seagrasses in the southern portion of Albemarle-Pamlico Estuarine System (APES), the second largest estuary in the USA, were found to be light limited at depths ranging from 0.87 to 2 m. This corresponds to a range of K _PAR from 0.54 to 2.76 m^?1 measured during a 24-month monitoring program. Turbidity ranged from 2.20 to 35.55 NTU, chlorophyll a from 1.56 to 15.35 mg m^?3, and CDOM absorption at 440 nm from 0.319 to 3.554 m^?1. The IOP and water quality data were used to calibrate an existing bio-optical model, which predicted a maximum depth for seagrasses of 1.7 m using annual mean water quality values and a minimum light requirement of 22% surface PAR. The utility of this modeling approach for the management of seagrasses in the APES lies in the identification of which water quality component is most important in driving light attenuation and limiting seagrass depth distribution. The calibrated bio-optical model now enables researchers and managers alike to set water quality targets to achieve desired water column light requirement goals that can be used to set criteria for seagrass habitat protection in North Carolina.