METHOD FOR IN SITU DETERMINATION OF Pco2 IN SEA-AIR EQUILIBRIUM SYSTEM

The method for determining Pco2 in the atmosphere and water by using gas chroma-tography was studied. For determination of Pco2 in the atmosphere, a sampling method was developed in which the chromatograph was connected to a 6-port valve with a sampling pipe opening to the atmosphere, so gas pressure in the sampling pipe was identical to that of the atmoesphere. A semi-automatic seawater-atmosphere equilibrium system was designed to determine the Pco2 in seawater. The equilibrium chamber contained in situ seawater and the well-equilibrated gas was pushed into the sampling pipe by sample wa-ter, so pressure and temperature calibration could be avoided. This method has high accuracy for the de-termination of Pco2 in the air and seawater, and was used for in situ determination of Pco2 in the atmo-sphere and of the seawater sample in the JGOFS cruise in the East China Sea.     

Current status of small yellow croaker resources in the southern Yellow Sea and the East China Sea

We used data from bottom trawl surveys to study the factors influencing the abundance of small yellow croaker, Larimichthys polyactis, in the southern Yellow Sea (SYS) and the East China Sea (ECS). The resource density index (RDI) was generally higher in summer and autumn than in spring and winter. RDIs were also significantly greater in the SYS than in the ECS in summer and autumn. The bottom water salinity and depth of spatial distribution of small yellow croaker was similar between the two areas in summer, but different in other seasons. Regression analysis suggested that environmental factors such as bottom water temperature, salinity, and depth influenced the RDIs in summer in these areas. Growth condition factor (GCF) in the two areas varied monthly and the croaker in the SYS grew more slowly than those in the ECS. This was likely due to the low bottom temperature of the Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass in summer and autumn or to higher human fishing pressure in the ECS. To ensure sustainable utilization of the croaker stocks in these regions, we recommend reducing the fishing intensity, increasing the cod-end mesh size, and improving the protection of juveniles.     

STUDY ON THE ANALYSIS AND DISTRIBUTION OF DIMETHYL SULFIDE IN THE EAST CHINA SEA

A method is described for determining dimethylI sulfide (DMS) in seawater. DMS was first extractedfrom the seawater using organic reagent, then reverse-extracted by 5% HgCl2. In the laboratory DMS wasreleased by concentrated HCI and finally measured by GC-FPD. The limit of detection me O.05 ng ofS. Measurements of DMS along surface transects and on wtital profibe across the EaSt China Sca (Ers)continental sheif showed tha itS conodIations of S in the surface seawater ranged from 64-180 ng/L andthat itS vertical djstribuion was divided into 3 trpes. Model talculations of a stagnant film show a DMSflux of 10.6 umol/m_2d the air-sea inteIha.     

A spectral mixture model analysis of the Kuroshio variability and the water exchange between the Kuroshio and the East China Sea

For understanding more about the water exchange between the Kuroshio and the East China Sea,We studied the variability of the Kuroshio in the East China Sea(ECS) in the period of 1991 to 2008 using a three-dimensional circulation model,and calculated Kuroshio onshore volume transport in the ECS at the minimum of 0.48 Sv(1 Sv ;106 m3/s) in summer and the maximum of 1.69 Sv in winter.Based on the data of WOA05 and NCEP,The modeled result indicates that the Kuroshio transport east of Taiwan Island decreased since 2000.Lateral movements tended to be stronger at two ends of the Kuroshio in the ECS than that of the middle segment.In addition,we applied a spectral mixture model(SMM) to determine the exchange zone between the Kuroshio and the shelf water of the ECS.The result reveals a significantly negative correlation(coefficient of-0.78) between the area of exchange zone and the Kuroshio onshore transport at 200 m isobath in the ECS.This conclusion brings a new view for the water exchange between the Kuroshio and the East China Sea.Additional to annual and semi-annual signals,intra-seasonal signal of probably the Pacific origin may trigger the events of Kuroshio intrusion and exchange in the ECS.     

Kuroshio intrusion drives the Trichodesmium assemblage and shapes the phytoplankton community during spring in the East China Sea

To understand the influence of Kuroshio intrusion on the phytoplankton community,a field investigation was conducted in spring 2017 in the East China Sea(ECS),and 130 seawater samples were collected and analyzed.Trichodesmium comprised the highest cell abundance contributing about 66%of the total phytoplankton followed by diatoms(17%) and dinoflagellates(16%).The dominance of the Kuroshio Waters(KW) and the Taiwan Warm Currents(TWC) were higher than the Coastal Waters(CW).The vertical distribution of physicochemical parameters depicted the intrusion of KW at the bottom layer,but it failed to reach the surface as strong upwelling was not initiated.Therefore,the dissolved inorganic phosphate(DIP) concentrations and P/N ratios were the lowest in the CW and the upper water layers,which limited the diatom growth in this area.Besides,the dinoflagellates cell abundance was also lower except in the surface and CW,though they comprised the maximum richness of species among the phytoplankton community.However,the unique characteristics such as diazotrophy and gas vacuoles of Trichodesmium made the situation advantageous,and they comprised the maximum cell abundance in this area especially in KW and the TWC.Temperature,DIP and P/N ratios appeared to be the major environmental drivers for Trichodesmium proliferation in the ECS during the study period.     

pCO2 distribution and CO2 flux on the inner continental shelf of the East China Sea during summer 2011

Measurements of pH,total alkalinity(TA),partial pressure of CO2(pCO2) and air-sea CO2 flux(FCO2) were conducted for the inner continental shelf of the East China Sea(ECS) during August 2011.Variations in pCO2 distribution and FCO2 magnitude during the construction of the Three Gorges Dam(TGD)(2003-2009),and the potential effects of the TGD on the air-sea CO2 exchange were examined.Results showed that the ECS acts as an overall CO2 sink during summer,with pCO2 ranging from 107 to 585 μatm and an average FCO2 of-6.39 mmol/(m2·d).Low pCO2(<350 μatm) levels were observed at the central shelf(28°-32°N,123°-125.5°E) where most CO2-absorption occurred.High pCO2(>420 μatm) levels were found in the Changjiang estuary and Hangzhou Bay which acted as the main CO2 source.A negative relationship between pCO2 and salinity(R2=0.722 0) in the estuary zone indicated the predominant effect of the Changjiang Diluted Water(CDW) on the seawater CO2 system,whereas a positive relationship(R2=0.744 8) in the offshore zone revealed the influence of the Taiwan Current Warm Water(TCWW).Together with the historical data,our results indicated that the CO2 sink has shown a shift southwest while FCO2 exhibited dramatic fluctuation during the construction of the TGD,which is located in the middle reaches of the Changjiang.These variations probably reflect fluctuation in the Changjiang runoff,nutrient import,phytoplankton productivity,and sediment input,which are likely to have been caused by the operations of the TGD.Nevertheless,the potential influence of the TGD on the CO2 flux in the ECS is worthy of further study.     

The Distribution of Dissolved Aluminum in the Yellow and East China Seas

Water samples containing dissolved aluminum were collected from the Yellow and East China Seas in October-November 2000. The average concentrations of dissolved AI in the Yellow Sea （YS） and East China Sea （ECS） were 0.042 and 0.056 μ molL^-1, respectively. The concentration of dissolved aluminum decreased gradually across the continental shelf. The lower concentrations appeared in the YS cold water center and in the bottom layer at the shelf edge of the ECS, where they were 0.016 and 0.011 μmolL^-1, respectively. The distribution of dissolved Al was controlled by physical mixing processes rather than biological uptake processes. The impact of different water masses along the PN transect was calculated based on the mass balance model. The results show that the impact of the Changjiang River was mainly concentrated on the coastal area and the top thermocline water on the ECS shelf, where the impact percentage decreased from 12.6% to 1.1% in the surface water, while the contribution of the Kuroshio water was dominant on the ECS shelf in this survey, increasing from 77.6% to 97,8% along the PN transect from the Changjiang River Estuary to the Ryukyu Islands. It is concluded that aluminum can serve as a proper tracer for studying the impact of Changjiang terrestrial matter on the ECS shelf water.     

Numerical Study of Water and Suspended Matter Exchange Between the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea

INTRODUCTIONTheYellowSeaandtheEastChinaSea (ECS)aremarginalseasofthenorthwestPacificandhaveexpansivecontinentalshelves .TheuniqueandstrikingfeaturesoftheYellowSeaandtheECSarethattheyhavestrongtidalcurrent;aresubjecttostrongmonsooninfluence ;andreceiveinflowfromthebiggestriverinChina ,theChangjiangRiver ;andthatthefamouswesternboundarycurrent,theKuroshio ,passesthroughtheECS ,withitsbranchesintrudingupwardintothecontinentalshelfareas.Generallyspeaking ,thewaterexchangecapacityofthe…     

Simulated circulations off the Changjiang （Yangtze） River mouthin spring and autumn

The circulations off the Changjiang mouth in May and November were simulatedby a three dimension numerical model with monthly averaged parameters of dynamic factors in this paper. The area covers the East China Sea (ECS), Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea. Simulated results show that the circulation off the Changjiang mouth in spring and autumn is mainly the Changjiang runoff and Taiwan Warm Current (TWC). The Changjlang discharge is much larger in May than in November, and the wind is westward in May, and southward in November offthe Changjiang mouth. The runoff in May branches in three parts, one eastward flows, the other two flow northward and southward along the Subei and Zhejiang coast respectively. The Changjiang diluted water expands eastward off the mouth, and forms a strong salinity front near the mouth. Surface circulation in autumn is similar to that in winter, the runoff southward flows along the coast, and the northward flowing TWC becomes weaker compared to that in spring and summer. The bottom circulations in May and November are mainly the runoff near the mouth and the TWC off the mouth, and the runoff and TWC are greater in May than in November.     

Methane in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea: dynamics,distribution, and production

Journal of Oceanology and Limnology - The Yellow Sea (YS) and East China Sea (ECS) are important marginal seas of the western Pacific. Understanding the dynamics of methane (CH4) in the YS and ECS...     

Characteristics of Vertical Distributions of Fatty Acids in Surface Sediments of the Yellow Sea and East China Sea

Fatty acids(FAs) in sediment collected from three different stations in the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea were analyzed for their distributions and to determine evidence of harmful algal blooms in the sediment core.Less diverse FAs were found in the Yellow Sea(YS) station,whereas in the two stations of the East China Sea(ECS) the FAs were more diverse.Concentrations of some FA species in the two ECS stations displayed an occasional surge in their vertical profile.The highest concentration of FAs was found in the surface layer of station QT3(43.28 μg g~(-1)).Monounsaturated FAs were more susceptible to degradation compared to their saturated counterparts,and changes of 16:0,18:2 and 20:5 accounted for the most variability in total concentrations of FAs as those species made up most of the quantified FAs.The origins of the major fraction of FAs were attributed to autotrophic sources,and bacterial FAs accounted for only a small fraction of the total FAs in the region.Nutrient availability was a possible regulating factor controlling bacteria abundances in marine sediments in the ECS and the YS.A principal component analysis(PCA) was applied to analyze the FA dataset and to reveal the principal environmental factors that control the composition of FAs in the sediments.PC2,which explains 15% of the variance,was estimated to reflect the diagenetic effects on the FA compositional changes in sediments influenced by bacterial degradation.     

Chemical hydrography of coastal upwelling in the East China Sea

Based on the field data obtained during cruises on the shelf of the East China Sea from 1997 to 1999, seasonal variations of coastal upwelling on the inner shelf are discussed by using cross-shelf transect profiles and horizontal distributions of chemical and hydrographic variables. Results show that the coastal upwelling was year-round, but the areas and intensities of the upwelling were quite different in season. The coastal upwelling occurred in all of the coastal areas of the region in spring and summer, but in autumn only in the area off Zhejiang Province, and in winter in the area off Fujian Prov- ince. It was the strongest in summer and the weakest in winter. Geographically, it was the strongest in the area off Zhejiang Province and the weakest in the southmost or northmost parts of the East China Sea. The estimated nutrient fluxes upward into euphotic zone through coastal upwelling were quite large, es- pecially for phosphate, which contributed significantly to primary production and improved the nutrient structure of the coastal ecosystem in the East China Sea.     

Bacterial diversity and community structure in the East China Sea by 454 sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene

The 454 sequencing method was used to detect bacterial diversity and community structure in the East China Sea. Overall, 149 067 optimized reads with an average length of 454 nucleotides were obtained from 17 seawater samples and five sediment samples sourced in May 2011. A total of 22 phyla, 34 classes, 74 orders, 146 families, and 333 genera were identified in this study. Some of them were detected for the first time from the East China Sea. The estimated richness and diversity indices were both higher in the sediment samples compared with in the seawater samples. All the samples were divided by their diversity indices into four regions. Similarity analysis showed that the seawater samples could be classified into six groups. The groups differed from each other and had unique community structure characteristics. It was found that different water masses in the sampling areas may have had some influence on the bacterial community structure. A canonical correspondence analysis revealed that seawater samples in different areas and at different depths were affected by different environmental parameters. This study will lay the foundation for future research on microbiology in the East China Sea.     

Analysis of Cu,Co, V and Zn in coastal waters of the East China Sea by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS)

In this study, a simple method for the simultaneous determination of trace metals(Cu, V, Co, Zn) in coastal seawater using the Mg(OH)2 coprecipitation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry(ICP-MS) was developed. This multi-element method enables the simultaneous extraction of four metals, particularly Co and V. The recoveries of Cu, Co, V and Zn after Mg(OH)2 coprecipitation were 73%, 96%, 94% and 92%, which means that our procedure was well-suited to the determination of these four trace metals. The detection limits were 3.81, 0.18, 6.09 and 1.91 nmol L-1, respectively. Then, applying this method to the simultaneous determination of these four metals in coastal water samples from the East China Sea revealed that the concentrations of Cu, Zn, Co and V were higher in bottom waters compared to water at other depths, and higher concentrations were generally observed at the Yangtze River estuary. Additionally, example vertical profiles of dissolved trace metal concentrations for the East China Sea in spring and autumn are compared. These findings indicate that Zn had the greatest seasonal variation followed by Cu, V and Co. For Zn and Co, the concentrations were higher during spring than during autumn. For Cu and V, the seasonal variation in the concentrations was opposite.     

Dissolved oxygen distribution and O2 fluxes across the sea-air interface in East China Sea waters

This study on the sectional and vertical distribution of dissolved oxygen (DO) and the O₂ fluxes across the sea-air interface in East China Sea (ESC) waters shows that the waters were in steady state and that the difference of DO was great in upper and bottom waters in Apr. 1994; but that seawater mixing was strong and the difference of DO was small in upper and bottom waters in Oct. 1994. The above conclusions were specially obvious in continental shelf waters under 100 m. The DO maximum in subsurface layer waters appeared only at several stations and in general the DO in the waters decreased with depth. The horizontal distributions of O₂ fluxes across the sea-air interface appeared in stripes in Leg 9404 when most regions covered were supersaturated with O₂ seawater to air flux was large, and that on section No. 1 was 1.594 L/m²·d. The horizontal distribution of O₂ fluxes across the sea-air interface appeared lumpy in Leg 9410, when most regions covered were unsaturated with O₂·O₂ was dissolved from air to seawater, and the fluxes were 0.819 L/m²·d on section No. 1 in Leg 9310, 0.219 L/m²·d in Leg 9410. The main reasons for DO change in surface layer seawater were the mixture of upper and bottom layer water, and the exchange of O₂ across the sea-air interface. The variation of DO by biological activity was only 20% of total change of DO. Contribution No. 2716 from Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.     

Seasonal variations of several main water masses in the southern Yellow Sea and East China Sea in 2011

The seasonal variations of several main water masses in the southern Yellow Sea (SYS) and East China Sea (ECS) in 2011 were analyzed using the in-situ data collected on four cruises. There was something special in the observations for the Yellow Sea Warm Current (YSWC), the Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass (YSCWM) and the Changjiang Diluted Water (CDW) during that year. The YSWC was confirmed to be a seasonal current and its source was closely associated with the Kuroshio onshore intrusion and the northerly wind. It was also found that the YSCWM in the summer of 2011 occupied a more extensive area in comparison with the climatologically-mean case due to the abnormally powerful wind prevailing in the winter of 2010 and decaying gradually thereafter. Resulting from the reduced Changjiang River discharge, the CDW spreading toward the Cheju Island in the summer of 2011 was weaker than the long-term mean and was confined to flow southward in the other seasons. The other water masses seemed normal without noticeable anomalies in 2011. The Yellow Sea Coastal Current (YSCC) water, driven by the northerly wind, flowed southeastward as a whole except for its northeastward surface layer in summer. The Taiwan Warm Current (TWC) was the strongest in summer and the weakest in winter in its northward movement. The Kuroshio water with an enhanced onshore intrusion in autumn was stable in hydrographic features apart from the seasonal variation of its surface layer.     

DISSOLVED ORGANIC CARBON IN THE EAST CHINA SEA IN AUTUMN

ImODUcrIONThepoolofdissolvedorganicrnatter,eva1uatalasdissolvedorganiccarbonpoC),hasbostudndforrnanyycars(Med,l964,SkopintSevCtal.,l966).Continentalmar-ginshavedrihypotheSedtobeasirnPortanttothemarinecarbonbiogeochdricalCy-desasthedeepsea(Walsh,l99l),butinmostdiscussions,onlyexportofparticulateorganieswasconsidetal.HighconcentIationofDOCincoastalwatershasaspedlroleinexportingcarbonfromcontinentalmarginstotheopenocean.UndelstandingtheroleoftheoceanmarginsintheglobalcarbonCycAsdependsla…     

Phytoplankton diversity in the East China Sea and Yellow Sea measured by PCR-DGGE and its relationships with environmental factors

Relationships between phytoplankton community composition and environmental variables in the East China Sea (ECS) and Yellow Sea (YS) were investigated using geochemical and molecular microbiology methods. The diversity of phytoplankton was characterized using cultivation-independent PCR-based denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). Groups resulting from unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic averages clustering of the DGGE profiles showed good consistency with the eco-environmental characteristics of the sea area they belonged to. Additionally, the clustering results based on DGGE fingerprinting and those based on morphological compositions were practically identical. The relationship of phytoplankton diversity to environmental factors was statistically analyzed. Temperature, dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), and silicate-Si were found significantly related to the phytoplankton community composition. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) was performed to reveal the relationship between community composition and these three environmental factors. Generally, values of the ECS are clearly separated from those of the YS in the CCA biplot, due to mainly the effect of temperature and DIN.     

A review of comminution age method and its potential application in the East China Sea to constrain the time scale of sediment source-to-sink process

The East China Sea(ECS) is a river-dominated epicontinental sea, linking the Asian continent to the northwestern Pacific via the large rivers originating from Tibetan Plateau. The relevant huge influx of riverine detritus has developed unique sedimentary systems in the ECS during the Quaternary, offering ideal terrestrial archives for reconstructing Quaternary paleoenvironmental changes and studying land-sea interactions. Overall, two characteristic river systems dominate the sedimentary systems and sediment source to sink transport patterns in the ECS, represented by the Changjiang(Yangtze River) and Huanghe(Yellow River) for the large river system and Taiwan rivers for the small river system. Given this, the sediments derived from both river systems bear distinct features in terms of parent rock lithology, provenance weathering and sediment transport. Previous studies mostly focus on either the ‘source' discrimination or the ‘sink' records of the sedimentary system in the ECS, while the source to sink process linking the land and sea, in particular its time scale, has been poorly understood. Here we introduce a newly-developed dating technique, the ‘comminution age' method, which offers a quantitative constraint on the time scale of sediment transfer from its ultimate source to the final depositional sink. This novel method is of great significance for improving our understanding on the earth surface processes including tectonic-climate driven weathering, and sediment recycling in relation to landscape evolution and marine environmental changes. The application of comminution age method in the ECS will provide important constraints on sediment source-to-sink process and more evidences for the construction of late Quaternary paleoenvironmental changes under these unique sedimentary systems.     

Statistical analysis of intensity variations in tropical cyclones in the East China Sea passing over the Kuroshio

Journal of Oceanology and Limnology - Intensity variations of the SE-NW-oriented tropical cyclones (TC) in the East China Sea (ECS) passing over the Kuroshio are studied using multi-year...