Biogeochemical characteristics of nitrogen and phosphorus in Jiaozhou Bay sediments

Sediment samples were cored from 3 locations representing the inner bay, the outer bay and the bay mouth of Jiaozhou Bay in September 2003 to study the source and biogeochemical characteristics of nitrogen and phosphorus in the bay. The content and vertical distributions of total nitrogen （TN）, total phosphorus （TP）, organic nitrogen （ON）, organic phosphorus （OP）, inorganic nitrogen （IN）, inorganic phosphorus （IP）, the ratio of organic carbon and total nitrogen （OC/TN）, and the ratio of total nitrogen and total phosphorus （TN/TP） in the sediments were analyzed. The results show that both TN and TP in surface sediments decrease from the inner bay to the outer bay. In general, ON occupies 50%-70% of TN and IP accounts for more than 60% of TP. In ratio of OC：TN, the nitrogen accumulated in the sediments from the inner bay and the bay mouth came mainly from terrestrial sources, and the portion of autogenetic nitrogen was 28.9% and 13.1%, respectively. However, in the outer bay, nitrogen was mainly autogenetic, accounting for 62.1% of TN, whereas phosphorus was mainly land-derived. The sedimentation fluxes of nitrogen and phosphorus varied spatially. The overall diagenesis rate of nitrogen was higher than that of phosphorus. Specifically, the diagenesis rate of OP was higher than that of IP. However, the diagenesis rate of ON was not always higher than that of IN. In species, the diagenesis rate of IN is sometimes much higher than that of the OC. In various environments, the diagenesis rate is, to some degree, affected by OC, pH, Eh, and Es.     

Nitrogen and phosphorus intake by phytoplankton in the Xiamen Bay

This paper describes a time series experiment examining the nitrogen and phosphorus intake of natural phytoplankton communities by a microcosms approach.Seawater samples containing natural phytoplankton communities were collected from waters around Baozhu Islet in inner Xiamen Bay and around Qingyu Islet in the outer bay.The goal was to elucidate the relationship between phytoplankton population enhancement,the biological removal of nitrogen and phosphorus from the seawater,and the phytoplankton nitrogen an...     

A model study on dynamical processes of phytoplankton in Laizhou Bay

A three-dimensional ecosystem model, using a PIC (Particle-In-Cell) method, is developed to reproduce the annual cycle and seasonal variation of nutrients and phytoplankton biomass in Laizhou Bay. Eight state variables, i.e., DIN (dissolved inorganic nitrogen), phosphate, DON (dissolved organic nitrogen), DOP (dissolved organic phosphorus), COD (chemical oxygen demand), chlorophyll-a (Chl-a), detritus and the zooplankton biomass, are included in the model. The model successfully reproduces the observed temporal and spatial variations of nutrients and Chl-a biomass distributions in the bay. The nutrient concentrations are at high level in winter and at low level in summer. Double-peak structure of the phytoplankton (PPT) biomass exists in Laizhou Bay, corresponding to a spring and an autumn bloom respectively. Several numerical experiments are carried out to examine the nutrient limitation, and the importance of the discharges of the Yellow River and Xiaoqinghe River. Both DIN limitation and phosphate limitation exist in some areas of the bay, with the former being more significant than the latter. The Yellow River and Xiaoqinghe River are the main pollution sources of nutrients in Laizhou Bay. During the flood season, the algal growth is inhibited in the bay with the Yellow River discharges being excluded in the experiment, while in spring, the algal growth is enhanced with the Xiaoqinghe River excluded.     

Macrobenthic community in the Xiaoqing River Estuary in Laizhou Bay, China

The macrobenthic community of the Xiaoqing River Estuary and the adjacent sea waters was investigated in May and November 2008, August 2009, and May and September 2010, respectively. A total of 95 species of macrobenthos were identified in the five cruises and most of them were polychaetes (46.39%), mollusks (28.86%) and crustaceans (20.62%). The Shannon-Wiener index of macrobenthos was lower than 2 in 67% sites. Along the stream channel, estuary and the coastal waters, the species of polychaetes reduced gradually, while the abundance increased at first and then decreased. The abundance was the biggest at regions with salinity of 5–20 in the estuary. The species and abundance of mollusks and crustaceans increased gradually. As for seasonal distribution, the species, abundance and biomass were higher in spring and lower in summer and autumn. Contemporaneously compared with Laizhou Bay and Yellow River Estuary, the species of macrobenthos appeared in the Xiaoqing River Estuary were much less, while the percentage of polychaetes was higher. Abundance and biomass were higher in Xiaoqing River estuary, then consequently followed by Laizhou Bay and Yellow River Estuary. The dominant species in Xiaoqing River Estuary was polychaete, and Layzhou Bay mollusk. The community structure characteristics of macrobenthos in the Xiaoqing River Estuary revealed a significant pollution status in this region.     

SEAWATER INTRUSION TYPES AND REGIONAL DIVISIONS IN THE SOUTHERN COAST OF LAIZHOU BAY

The southern coast of Laizhou Bay, Bohai Sea, is one of the areas in China most seriously impacted by seawater intrusion. Based on the sources of intruding waterbedies, seawater intrusion can be divided into two types: intrusion of saline water derived from modern seawater, and intrusion of subsurface brine and saline water derived from paleo-seawater in shallow Quaternary sediments. There are some distinct differences in their formation, mechanism and damage. The subsurface brine intrusion is a special type, which can cause very serious disaster. The coastal landform and the Quaternary hydrogeological environment are predominant factors in the classification of seawater intrusion types. Various coastal environments in different coastal sections result in three types of intrusion: seawater intrusion, saline groundwater intrusion, and mixed seawater and saline water intrusion, in the southern coast of Laizhou Bay, which can be divided into four areas: the sea-water intrusion area in the northern Laizhou City coast, the mixed seawater and saline groundwater intrusion area in the Baisha River-Jiaolai River mouth plain area, the mixed seawater and saline groundwater intrusion area in the Weihe River mouth plain area northern Changyi county coast, and the saline ground-water intrusion area in the northern Shouguang plains.     

Species- and tissue-specific mercury bioaccumulation in five fish species from Laizhou Bay in the Bohai Sea of China

Mercury (Hg) concentrations in the tissues (muscle, stomach, liver, gills, skin, and gonads) of five fish species (mullet Liza ha em atocheil us, flathead fish Platycephalus indicus, sea bass Lateolabrax japonic u s, mackerel Scomberomorus niphonius and silver pomfret Pampus argenteus) collected from Laizhou Bay in the Bohai Sea of China were investigated. The results indicate that Hg bioaccumulation in the five fish was tissue-specific, with the highest levels in the muscle and liver, followed by the stomach and gonads. The lowest levels were found in the gills and skin. Fish at higher trophic levels (flathead fish and sea bass) exhibited higher Hg concentrations than consumers at lower trophic levels. Mercury bioaccumulation tended to be positively correlated with fish length in mullet, silver pomfret, mackerel, and flathead fish, but was negatively correlated with fish length in sea bass. The Hg concentrations in the muscles of all fish species in Laizhou Bay were within the permissible limits of food safety set by national and international criteria. However, the suggesting maximum consumption of sea bass is 263 g per week for human health.     

Forms and Balance of Nitrogen and Phosphorus in Cage Culture Waters in Guangdong Province, China

In order to approach the characteristics of nitrogen and phosphorus pollution caused by cage culture and the balance of nitrogen and phosphorus during the process of cage culture, a monitoring was conducted in Daya Bay of Guangdong Province, China from April 2002 to Jane 2003. The results show that the concentrations of total nitrogen (TN) in the waters at the sites with five and ten years of cage culture history are 1.8 and 2.3 times of that at control site respectively. Ammonium (NH3-N) is the main form of nitrogen in spring while nitrate ( NO3 -) in winter. The concentrations of TN, total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) and dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) are highest in autumn. The concentration of phosphorus increases with the increasing of the culturing time, among which phosphate ( PO 34-) increases most obviously. The concentrations of total phosphorus (TP) and total dissolved phosphorus (TDP) are highest in autumn. The nitrogen and phosphorus are accumulated significantly in the sediment of cage culture area. The model of N balance in the cage culture area: bait (70.62%) fry (0.28%) input by tide (14.8%) release from sediment (14.3%) = harvest of adult fish (12.07%) deposition into sediment (28.75%) output by tide (56.18%) others (3.00%). The model of P balance: bait (83.11%) fry (0.17%) input by tide (12.23%) release from sediment (4.49%) = harvest of adult fish (8.43%) deposition into sediment (48.59%) output by tide (41.94%) others (1.04%). In one fish growth year, the contents of nitrogen and phosphorus in harvest of adult fish are only 17.0% and 10.1% of the contents of nitrogen and phosphorus in fish bait and fry, wherein 83% of nitrogen and more than 89% of phosphorus in fish bait became marine pollutants.     

Estimation of extreme marine hydrodynamic variables in western Laizhou Bay

Laizhou Bay and its adjacent waters are of great importance to China's marine oil and gas development. It is therefore crucial to estimate return-period values of marine environmental variables in this region to ensure the safety and success of maritime engineering and maritime exploration. In this study, we used numerical simulations to estimate extreme wave height, sea current velocity and sea-level height in western Laizhou Bay. The results show that the sea-level rise starts at the mouth of the bay, increases toward west/southwest, and reaches its maximum in the deepest basin of the bay. The 100-year return-period values of sea level rise can reach 3.4–4.0 m in the western bay. The elevation of the western part of the Qingdong Oil Field would remain above the sea surface during extreme low sea level, while the rest of the oil field would be 1.6–2.4 m below the sea surface. The return-period value of wave height is strongly affected by water depth; in fact, its spatial distribution is similar to the isobath's. The 100-year return-period values of effective wave height can be 6 m or higher in the central bay and be more than 1 m in the shallow water near shore. The 100-year return-period values of current velocity is about 1.2–1.8 m s-1 in the Qingdong Oil Field. These results provide scientific basis for ensuring construction safety and reducing construction cost.     

Estimates of autumntime benthic secondary production in Laizhou Bay and adjacent Bohai Sea waters

The whole metazoan community inhabiting Laizhou Bay and adjacent Bohai Sea waters were sampled in late autumn,2006.Secondary production estimates for macrofauna and meiofauna were made separately.Total benthic secondary production was as high as 8.38 ± 4.08 g ash-free dry weight(AFDW) m-2 a-1,which represented the autumn production level.In general,macrofaunal secondary production in Laizhou Bay was much lower than that in adjacent Bohai Sea areas.In contrast,meiofaunal secondary production in Laizhou Bay was higher than that in adjacent Bohai Sea areas.Macrofauna contributed 61% to benthic secondary production(5.09 ± 3.26 g AFDW m-2 a-1),lower than the value in previous studies in Bohai Sea.Sediment granulometric characteristics and bottom-water salinity could explain the substantial variability in the macrofauna biomass and production.Meiofaunal production was an important component of benthic production and exceeded macrofauna production under exceptional conditions,e.g.in Laizhou Bay,where macrofauna was restricted.Chlorophyll pigments(Chl-a) concentrations in sediment explained the general meiofaunal biomass and production distribution here.     

A preliminary study on the distribution and genesis of underground brine in the littoral plain of Laizhou Bay in the Bohai Sea

Quaternary underground brine in the littoral plain region of the Bohai coast is new type littoral facies evaporation ore deposit in liquid state . This model of " littorally- forming brine " is based on study of the distribution, depositional environment, forming / storing process, and genesis of underground brine in the coast of Laizhou Bay . Essential conditions for genesis of brine are arid and semiarid climate , abundant sources of ancient seawater, and geological and geomorphological environment of wide tidal beach along a coast. The process of underground brine genesis may be : seawater/tidal beach-evaporation and concentration-seeping and accumulation- brine/tidal beach - burial (evolution of the sea- land )- underground brine .Underground brine is characterized by high content of chemical elements, shallow burial depth and easy exploitation . The process of extracting salt from underground brine present in the tidal flat is incomparably superior to that of producing salt from seawater, and has b     

Taxonomic distinctness of macrofauna as an ecological indicator in Laizhou Bay and adjacent waters

In this paper, we assessed the ecological and biodiversity status in the Bohai Sea through a quantitative survey on mac-rofaunal community at 25 stations in Laizhou Bay and adjacent waters in the autumn of 2006.We tested the robustness and effectiveness of taxonomic distinctness as an ecological indictor by analyzing its correlation with species richness and natural environmental variables and by analyzing other ecological indicators (Shannon-Wiener H' and W statistics from Abundance Biomass Comparison curve).Results so obtained indicated that the benthic environment of the study waters in general is not under major impact of anthropogenic disturbance, but some stations in Laizhou Bay and along the coast of the Shandong Peninsula and even in the central Bohai Sea might be moderately disturbed and showed signs of ecological degradation.The taxonomic distinctness measures △+ and Λ+ were independent of sampling effort and natural environment factors and were compliant to other ecological indicators.Further application of the taxonomic distinctness indicator to assess marine biodiversity and ecosystem health on a larger regional scale with historical data seems promising.     

Zinc and copper bioaccumulation in fish from Laizhou Bay,the Bohai Sea

Abstract Zinc （Zn） and copper （Cu） concentrations were determined in the tissues （muscle, stomach, liver, gills, skin, and gonads） of five commercial fish species （mullet Liza haematocheilus, flathead Platycephalus indicus, mackerel Scomberomorus niphonius, silver pomfret Pampus argenteus, and sea bass Lateolabrax japonicus） from Laizhou Bay in the Bohai Sea. Metal bioaccumulation was highest in the metabolically active tissues of the gonads and liver. Bioconcentration factors for Zn were higher in all tissues （gonads 44.35, stomach 7.73, gills 7.72, liver 5.61, skin 4.88, and muscle 1.63） than the corresponding values for Cu （gonads 3.50, stomach 3.00, gills 1.60, liver 5.43, skin 1.50, and muscle 0.93）. Mackerel tissues accumulated metal to higher concentrations than did other fish species, but bioaccumulation levels were not significantly correlated with the trophic levels of the fish. Zn and Cu concentrations in the tissues were generally negatively correlated with fish length, except for a few tissues of sea bass. Risk assessment based on national and international permissible limits and provisional tolerances for weekly intake of Zn and Cu revealed that the concentrations of these two metals in muscle were relatively low and would not pose hazards to human health.     

The land-sourced pollution in the Jiaozhou Bay

In recent years, natural environment of the Jiaozhou Bay has been changed largely by fast developing industry and agriculture of the cities around, from which wastewaters were generated. The size of the bay has been continuously shrunk with reduced river flows, resulting in serious contamination to the marine lives in the bay. After analyzing the basic historical data, the authors put forward a suggestion of how to protect the bay ecology for sustaining the resources in the Jiaozhou Bay.     

莱州湾南岸地下卤水水位动态变化与开采量关系研究

由于多年来大量开采地下卤水,莱州湾南岸已经形成多个地下卤水降落漏斗.该文根据区内盐场水位长期观测资料,较系统地分析了地下卤水水位动态变化规律,查明了卤水水位与开采量的关系,建立了区内卤水水位与开采量相关关系方程.通过分析说明开采对水位的影响,为改善区内地质环境,合理利用卤水资源提供了科学依据.     

莱州湾南岸XZK2钻孔晚更新世以来的沉积环境探讨

通过钻孔岩性特征、沉积构造及沉积物粒度、磁化率与测井曲线对莱州湾南岸XZK2钻孔上部晚更新世以来的松散沉积物进行了沉积相划分,结合14C同位素年龄测定,划分了深海氧同位素阶段,表明该地区沉积物磁化率与砂含量曲线具有明显的正相关关系,结合已有研究,证明该地区晚更新世以来古环境经历了三次冷暖交替,而莱州湾西南海岸所发现的相当于沧州海侵、献县海侵和黄骅海侵的三次海侵事件,钻孔上仅见全新世黄骅海侵,沧州海侵、献县海侵相应层位为滨海沉积。     

A statistical dynamics model of the marine ecosystem and its application in Jiaozhou Bay

Models of marine ecosystem dynamics play an important role in revealing the evolution mechanisms of marine ecosystems and in forecasting their future changes. Most traditional ecological dynamics models are established based on basic physical and biological laws, and have obvious dynamic characteristics and ecological significance. However, they are not flexible enough for the variability of environment conditions and ecological processes found in offshore marine areas, where it is often difficult to obtain parameters for the model, and the precision of the model is often low. In this paper, a new modeling method is introduced, which aims to establish an evolution model of marine ecosystems by coupling statistics with differential dynamics. Firstly, we outline the basic concept and method of inverse modeling of marine ecosystems. Then we set up a statistical dynamics model of marine ecosystems evolution according to annual ecological observation data from Jiaozhou Bay. This was done under the forcing conditions of sea surface temperature and surface irradiance and considering the state variables of phytoplankton, zooplankton and nutrients. This model is dynamic, makes the best of field observation data, and the average predicted precision can reach 90% or higher. A simpler model can be easily obtained through eliminating the terms with smaller contributions according to the weight coefficients of model differential items. The method proposed in this paper avoids the difficulties of obtaining and optimizing parameters, which exist in traditional research, and it provides a new path for research of marine ecological dynamics.     

莱州湾滨海地区饱和液化砂土特征及液化评价

通过对区内257个钻孔(工程地质孔及第四纪地质孔)资料分析,划分了莱州湾滨海地区地貌单元,阐述了全新世砂体特征;利用三角洲平原区砂性土层非饱和砂土和饱和砂土静探数据和标贯数据的对比分析,采用数理统计方法,建立了非饱和砂土对饱和砂土的静探锥尖阻力与锥尖阻力、标贯击数与标贯击数的相关关系式,研究了地下水对静探锥尖阻力和标贯击数的影响;依据《建筑抗震设计规范》(GB50011-2010),采用标准贯入和静力触探综合判别法,对全新世砂体进行现状条件下和未来地下水限采条件下砂土液化判别;并针对液化区不同液化条件提出相应砂土液化防御措施。     

Pelagic Nitrogen Cycling in Jiaozhou Bay, a Model Study I： the Conceptual Model

A zero-dimensional box model (PNCMjzb) with six state variables (ammonium, nitrate, dissolved organic nitrogen, phytoplankton, zooplankton and detritus) was developed to study nitrogen cycling in the Jiaozhou Bay pelagic ecosystem. The dominant processes within these compartments are considered with nitrogen as flow currency. Phytoplankton and zooplankton are treated as separate state variables, assuming that the species composition was dominated by two or three species the dynamic constants of which are similar and that they represent the entire plankton community. The microbial loop has not been integrated explicitly in the model. The turnover of bacteria is included implicitly in processes such as detritus decomposition, DON remineralization, pelagic nitrification and denitrification. The model is driven by two forcing variables, viz. water temperature and light intensity. Historical data from the1980s and 1990s were compiled and used for model calibration. In this paper (part Ⅰ), the consideration of every main compartment in the model is interpreted in detail. And the applied equations and parameters are presented. The main results from the simulations together with discussion about phytoplankton dynamics and primary production in Jiaozhou Bay are presented in the next paper (part Ⅱ).     

Effect of Nitrogen and Phosphorus on Tissue Nutrition and Biomass of Freshwater Wetland Plant in Sanjiang Plain, Northeast China

1 Introduction It has been reported that habitat nutrient availability frequently limited plant growth and determined species dominance and abundance in natural communities (Miao et al., 2000). Nutrient availability is also a main regulator of aquatic primary production. Human-induced nutrient enrichment results in die-back of native vegetation and alteration of species dominance in various aquatic eco- systems (Miao et al., 2000; Green and Galatowitsch, 2002). Particularly, nutrient enrichm…     

Effect of nitrogen to phosphorus ratios on cell proliferation in marine micro algae

The ratio of nitrogen/phosphorus (N/P) is known to affect cell proliferation of some marine micro algae. We evaluated the effect of N/P ratios on the proliferation and succession of phytoplankton using five marine micro algae species. We used two sources of nitrogen, NH4Cl (N1) and urea (N2), and a single source of phosphorous, NaH2PO4(P). The optimal N/P ratio that differed among the five species was affected by the source of nitrogen, being as follows (N1/P, N2/P in order): Thalassiosira sp. (30/1, 20/1),...