Mitochondrial DNA control region diversity and population structure of Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) in the Yellow Sea and the Sea of Japan

To investigate the genetic variation and population structure of Pacific herring in the Yellow Sea and the genetic differentiation between the Yellow Sea and the Sea of Japan,fragments of 479-bp mitochondrial DNA control region were sequenced for 110 individuals collected from three different periods in the Yellow Sea and one locality in the Sea of Japan.High haplotype diversity and moderate nucleotide diversity were observed in Pacific herring.AMOVA and exact test of population differentiation showed no significant genetic differentiations among the three populations of the Yellow Sea and suggested the populations can be treated as a single panmictic stock in the Yellow Sea.However,a large and significant genetic differentiation(WST50.11;P50.00) was detected between the populations in the Yellow Sea and the Sea of Japan.The high sea water temperature in the Tsushima Strait was thought a barrier to block the gene exchange between populations of the two sea areas.The neutrality tests and mismatch distribution indicated recent population expansion in Pacific herring.     

Foraminiferal Changes and Response to the Channel Diversion and Discharge Fluctuation of the Yellow River in the North Yellow Sea During the Past Century

Diversion of the Yellow River is a unique geological event in offshore China, causing changes of the sedimentary environment in eastern China Seas. The last diversion took place in AD 1855, with the estuary diverted from the Yellow Sea into the Bohai Sea. The identification of the river diversion events in the shelf sediments would not only provide the definite ages for the sediments, but also give a clue for better understanding of the sedimentation in that area. In this study, 210 Pb, grain size, geochemical element, and foraminiferal data in core H205 from the north Yellow Sea were systematically investigated. A high-resolution sedimentary record was established, which was coupled with the Yellow River diversion and runoff changes. The results show that the foraminiferal composition and foraminiferal abundance of the sediments from the north Yellow Sea had good response to the Yellow River diversion in 1855. Before the change, shallow water assemblages dominated the foraminifera, and the abundance of each foraminiferal species was very low. After the diversion event, the abundance of most foraminifera increased sharply, with a maximum increase of 16 times, and the assemblage was still dominated by shallow water species. Furthermore, the changes in foraminiferal abundance in the core sediments corresponded well with the discharge fluctuation of the Yellow River since 1855. When the Yellow River began entering the Bohai Sea, the Yellow River water, which is rich in nutrients, along with the coastal currents affected the north Yellow Sea, increased the primary productivity in the north Yellow Sea, which is the main reason for the abrupt increase and fluctuation of foraminiferal abundance in this area. At the meantime, the East Asian winter monsoon could also promote the development of nearshore foraminiferal species by enhancing the coastal currents.     

Petroleum geological framework and hydrocarbon potential in the Yellow Sea

Sedimentary basins in the Yellow Sea can be grouped tectonically into the North Yellow Sea Basin (NYSB), the northern basin of the South Yellow Sea (SYSNB) and the southern basin of the South Yellow Sea (SYSSB). The NYSB is connected to Anju Basin to the east. The SYSSB extends to Subei Basin to the west. The acoustic basement of basins in the North Yellow Sea and South Yellow Sea is disparate, having different stratigraphic evolution and oil accumulation features, even though they have been under the same stress regime since the Late Triassic. The acoustic basement of the NYSB features China-Korea Platform crystalline rocks, whereas those in the SYSNB and SYSSB are of the Paleozoic Yangtze Platform sedimentary layers or metamorphic rocks. Since the Late Mesozoic terrestrial strata in the eastern of the NYSB (West Korea Bay Basin) were discovered having industrial hydrocarbon accumulation, the oil potential in the Mesozoic strata in the west depression of the basin could be promising, although the petroleum exploration in the South Yellow Sea has made no break-through yet. New deep reflection data and several drilling wells have indicated the source rock of the Mesozoic in the basins of South Yellow Sea, and the Paleozoic platform marine facies in the SYSSB and Central Rise could be the other hosts of oil or natural gas. The Mesozoic hydrocarbon could be found in the Mesozoic of the foredeep basin in the SYSNB that bears potential hydrocarbon in thick Cretaceous strata, and so does the SYSSB where the same petroleum system exists to that of oil-bearing Subei Basin.     

Study on numerical simulation and dynamic mechanism of winter-time circulation in the eastern China seas

An MOM2 based 3-dimentional prognostic baroclinic Z-ordinate model was established to study the circulation in eastern China seas, considering the topography, inflow and outflow on the open boundary, wind stress, temperature and salinity exchange on the sea surface. The results were consistent with observation and showed that the Kuroshio intrudes in large scale into the East China Sea continental shelf East China, during which its water is exchanged ceaselessly with outer sea water along Ryukyu Island. The Tsushima Warm Current is derived from several sources, a branch of the Kuroshio, part of the Taiwan Warm Current, and Yellow Sea mixed water coming from the west of Cheju Island. The water from the west of Cheju Island contributes approximately 13% of the Isushima Warm Current total transport through the Korea Strait. The circulation in the Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea is basically cyclonic circulation, and is comprised of coastal currents and the Yellow Sea Warm Current. Besides simulation of the real circulation, numerical experiments were conducted to study the dynamic mechanism. The numerical experiments indicated that wind directly drives the East China Sea and Yellow Sea Coastal Currents, and strengthens the Korea Coastal Current and Yellow Sea Warm Current. In the no wind case, the kinetic energy of the coastal current area and main YSWC area is only 1% of that of the wind case.Numerical experiments also showed that the Tsushima Warm Current is of great importance to the formation of the Korea Coastal Current and Yellow Sea Warm Current.     

山东半岛海域成矿区带划分浅析

山东半岛海域成矿区带划分以往研究程度较低。该文利用海域重磁资料,在研究区梳理了渤海和黄海的重磁异常特征,渤海和北黄海呈负布格重力异常,南黄海北部与之相反;渤海为正磁异常,黄海与之相反。以重磁异常为基础,基于陆域构造单元划分,对海域构造单元划分至Ⅲ级10个构造单元,海域构造单元多为陆域向海域的延伸,仅渤中坳陷和北黄海盆地为独立的海域构造单元。参照陆域成矿区带划分,以构造单元边界为界线,海域成矿区带划分至Ⅳ级6个成矿区,各成矿区特征不同,坳陷构造单元内成矿区富集油气矿产,隆起构造单元内成矿区表现为埕宁隆起富集煤矿,胶北隆起富集金、菱镁矿、煤、灰岩矿,千里隆起富集岩金、蛇纹岩、石棉、花岗石矿。     

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…     

Seasonal evolution of circulation and thermal structure in the Yellow Sea

In this paper, the authors used the Princeton Ocean Model (POM) to simulate the seasonal evolutions of circulation and thermal structure in the Yellow Sea. The simulated circulation showed that the Yellow Sea Warm Current (YSWC) was a compensation current of monsoon-driven current, and that in winter, the YSWC became stronger with depth, and could flow across the Bohai Strait in the north. Sensitivity and controlling tests led to the following conclusions, In winter, the direction of the Yellow Sea Coastal Current in the surface layer was controlled partly by tide instead of wind, In summer, a cyclonic horizontal gyre existed in the middle and eastern parts of the Yellow Sea below 10 m. The downwelling in upper layer and upwelling in lower layer were somehow similar to Hu et al. (1991) conceptual model. The calculated thermal structure showed an obvious northward extending YSWC tongue in winter, its position and coverage of the Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass in summer.     

Community structure changes of macrobenthos in the South Yellow Sea

The ecological environment in the Yellow Sea has changed greatly from the 1950s to 1990s and this has had significant impact on marine organisms. In this study, data on soft-sediment macrobenthos occurring in depths from 25 m to 81 m in the South Yellow Sea were used to compare changes in community structure. The agglomerative classification (CLUSTER) and multidimensional scaling (MDS) methods were applied. Five communities were recognized by cluster analysis: 1. The Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass community dominated by cold water species, which changed slightly in species composition since the 1950s; 2. The mixed community with the coexistence of cold water species and warm water species, as had been reported previously; 3. The polychaete-dominated eurythermal community in which the composition changed considerably as some dominant species disappeared or decreased; 4. The Changjiang (Yangtze) River Estuarine community, with some typical estuarine species; 5. The community affected by the Yellow Sea Warm Current. The greatest change occurred in the coastal area, which indicated that the change may be caused by human activities. Macrobenthos in the central region remained almost unchanged, particularly the cold water species shielded by the Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass. The depth, temperature and median grain size of sediments were important factors affecting the distributions of macrobenthos in the South Yellow Sea.     

Observational evidence of the Yellow Sea warm current

The Yellow Sea Warm Current (YSWC) is one of the principal currents in the Yellow Sea in winter. Former examinations on current activity in the Yellow Sea have not observed a stable YSWC because of the positioning of current meters. To further understand the YSWC, a research cruise in the southern Yellow Sea was carried out in the winter of 2006/2007. Five moorings with bottom-mounted acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCP) were deployed on the western side of the central trough of the Yellow Sea. The existence and distributional features of the YSWC were studied by analyzing three ADCP moorings in the path of the YSWC in conjunction with conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD) data over the observed area in the southern Yellow Sea. The results show the following. (1) The upper layer of the YSWC is strongly influenced by winter cold surge; its direction and speed often vary along a south-north axis when strong cold surges arrive from the north. (2) The YSWC near the bottom layer is a stable northwest flowing current with a speed of 4 to 10 cm/s. By combining the analyses of the CTD data, we speculate that the core of the YSWC may lie near the bottom. (3) On a monthly average timescale, the YSWC is stably oriented with northward flow from the sea surface to the sea floor.     

Influence of the Physical Environment on the Migration and Distribution of Nibea albiflora in the Yellow Sea

This study investigates the migration and distribution of the warm-temperate fish Nibea albiflora. Their spawning migration and wintering migratory routes within in the Yellow Sea are described in detail. Considering the main physical features and environment of the Yellow Sea, it appears to be have one wintering ground and three migratory routes from the wintering ground to the spawning grounds. The fish begin to migrate from the wintering ground to the spawning grounds in the northwest region of the Yellow Sea in late March. The Yellow Sea has three spawning grounds. The first is located near the Yalu River on the Liaodong Peninsula and the second one is located in Rushan Bay of Shandong Peninsula. The third spawning ground is located in Haizhou Bay in the southern region of the Yellow Sea. This study found that the temperature of the Yellow Sea influences the migration of N. albiflora, and that the migratory routes coincide with the thermal fronts in the sea. Nutrients for juvenile fish are taken from the coastal upwelling area. Chlorophyll is a good environmental indicator of phytoplankton biomass and thereby provides the status of biological resources. Different types of sediment in near-shore zones are also of practical significance for the growth of fish. The study of the effects of marine environments on the migration of various fishes is not only significant to the fishing industry, but can also provide a scientific basis for the understanding of the ecological implications of the relevant physical processes.     

Population genetic structure of the mantis shrimp Oratosquilla oratoria(Crustacea: Squillidae) in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea

The mantis shrimp O ratosquilla oratoria is an ecologically and economically important species in the Western Pacific. In present study, the population genetic structure of O ratosquilla oratoria from the Yellow Sea and East China Sea was examined with mitochondrial DNA control region sequences. In total, 394 samples were collected from 18 locations and 102 haplotypes were obtained. For the Yellow Sea, the overall nucleotide diversity and haplotype diversity were 0.006 9 and 0.946 8, respectively; while across all the East China Sea locations, the overall nucleotide diversity and haplotype diversity were 0.027 94 and 0.979 0, respectively. The results of AMOVA and pairwise F_(ST)(0.145 2, P 0.001) revealed moderate differentiation between the Yellow Sea and East China Sea populations of O. oratoria. However, neither the neighbor-joining tree nor haplotype network showed clades with geographic pattern, which indicated considerable gene flow was existed between the Yellow Sea and East China Sea, and supporting the high larval dispersal ability in this species. Mismatch distribution analysis and neutrality tests suggested that O. oratoria has undergone population expansion event, and the Pleistocene glacial cycles might have an impact on the historical demography of O. oratoria. The genetic information obtained in this study can provide useful information for sustainable improvements for capture fisheries management strategies.     

MOLAR RATIOS OF C, N, P OF PARTICULATE MATTER AND THEIR VERTICAL FLUXES IN THE YELLOW SEA

The vertical fluxes and molar ratios of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus of suspended particulate matter in the Yellow Sea were studied based on the analysis of suspended particulate matter,sediments and sinking particles obtained by use of moored sediment traps. The POC ： PON ratios indicate that most of the particulate organic matter in the Yellow Sea water column comes from marine life rather than the continent. The vertical fluxes of SPM, POC, PON and POP in the Yellow Sea are much higher than those in other seas over the world, and present a typical pattern in shallow epicontinental seas. The estimated residence time of the bioactive elements showed that the speed of the biogeochemical process of materials in the Yellow Sea is much shorter than that in the open ocean as there was high primary productivity in this region.     

Influence of the physical environment on the migration and distribution of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Nibea albiflora</Emphasis> in the Yellow Sea

This study investigates the migration and distribution of the warm-temperate fish Nibea albiflora. Their spawning migration and wintering migratory routes within in the Yellow Sea are described in detail. Considering the main physical features and environment of the Yellow Sea, it appears to be have one wintering ground and three migratory routes from the wintering ground to the spawning grounds. The fish begin to migrate from the wintering ground to the spawning grounds in the northwest region of the Yellow Sea in late March. The Yellow Sea has three spawning grounds. The first is located near the Yalu River on the Liaodong Peninsula and the second one is located in Rushan Bay of Shandong Peninsula. The third spawning ground is located in Haizhou Bay in the southern region of the Yellow Sea. This study found that the temperature of the Yellow Sea influences the migration of N. albiflora, and that the migratory routes coincide with the thermal fronts in the sea. Nutrients for juvenile fish are taken from the coastal upwelling area. Chlorophyll is a good environmental indicator of phytoplankton biomass and thereby provides the status of biological resources. Different types of sediment in near-shore zones are also of practical significance for the growth of fish. The study of the effects of marine environments on the migration of various fishes is not only significant to the fishing industry, but can also provide a scientific basis for the understanding of the ecological implications of the relevant physical processes.     

Variations in the lower level of the PBL associated with the Yellow Sea fog-new observations by L-band radar

The Chinese east coastal areas and marginal seas are foggy regions.The development of effective forecasting methodsrests upon a comprehensive knowledge of the fog phenomena.This study provides new observations associated with the sea fogsover the northwestern Yellow Sea by means of L-band radar soundings with a high vertical resolution of 30 m.The monthly tem-perature lapse rate,the Richardson Numbers,and the humidity show obvious seasonal variations in the lower level of the planetaryboundary layer (PBL) that are related to the onset,peak and end of the Yellow Sea fog season.The typical pattern of stratification forthe sea fog season in the northwestern Yellow Sea is that a stable layer of about 400 m thick caps a 150 m conditionally unstable layer.Besides,the differences between fogs and stratus clouds in terms of humidity,turbulence and temperature are analyzed,which is ofsignificance for sea fog forecast and detection by satellites.The thickness of the sea fogs varies in different stages of the fog season,and is associated with the temperature inversion.The numerical simulation proves that the seasonal variations obtained by the radarwell represent the situations over the Yellow Sea.     

Onshore warm tongue and offshore cold tongue in the western Yellow Sea in winter: the evidence

A winter onshore warm tongue extending from the Yellow Sea Warm Current to the southern Jiangsu coast, and an of fshore cold tongue extending from the southern Jiangsu coast to the southwest of Jeju Island(South Korea), are newly identified based on the sea-surface temperature from satellite remote sensing, and further confirmed by the distribution of suspended sediments. In addition, there are two obvious thermal fronts associated with the onshore warm tongue and off shore cold tongue. The narrow gap between the two thermal fronts is supposed to be the pathway for the off shore transport of cold coastal water and suspended sediments. The concurrence of onshore warm and of fshore cold tongues suggests the concurrence of onshore and off shore currents in the western Yellow Sea in winter, which seems to be inconsistent with the previously accepted view that, in winter, the Yellow Sea Coastal Current flows from the Old Huanghe Delta to the southwest of Jeju Island. This distinctive phenomenon helps establish an updated view of the circulation in the western Yellow Sea in winter.     

ANALYSIS OF THE STRATIFICATION FEATURES OF THE YELLOW SEA AND THE LOCATION OF ITS GENERAL SHELF FRONT IN THE WARM HALF-YEAR

A stratification parameter ,defined as theamount of mechanical energy required to bring about vertical mixing, has been calculated for theYellow Sea using available data over the past ten years.T he monthly distributions of Log are obtained to explain the features of the Yellow Sea stratification.Fronts of the shallow shelf sea are often inseparably related with its stratifications. The front of the Yellow Sea in the warm half-year is generated in May and disappears in November. The shelf front moves shoreward and becomes strong in the heating season, but becomes weak in the cooling season upon return.     

Age,growth,and mortality rate of the yellow goosefish Lophius litulon(Jordan,1902) in the Yellow Sea

With the decline in the most fisheries resources in the Yellow Sea,the yellow goosefish Lophius litulon has increased in commercial and ecological importance in recent years.We studied the length distribution,length-weight relationship,age composition,growth pattern,mortality,and exploitation rates of the yellow goosefish in the Yellow Sea.Total length(TL) of females and males ranged from 173 to582 mm and 178 to 500 mm,respectively.The length-weight relationships were also estimated for females and males.Age classes from 2 to 4 years predominated in the samples.The von Bertalanffy growth function(VB GF),estimated based on non-linear least-squares methodology,showed significant differences between sexes.Females attained a greater estimated asymptotic total length(765 mm TL) compared to males(579 mm TL).The VBGF did not differ significantly between stocks of the northern Yellow Sea and the southern Yellow Sea.Estimated natural instantaneous mortality rate(M) ranged from 0.25/a to 0.33/abased on four age-and length-based methods.Total instantaneous mortality rate(Z) of total samples calculated by the age-based catch curve method was 0.591/a and the average fishing mortality(F) was 0.30/a.Estimated exploitation rate(E) was approximately 0.5,indicating that the population of L.litulon in the Yellow Sea may be sustainable.These results provide a reference for the present status of L.litulon and information for the management.     

Stock discrimination of spottedtail goby (Synechogobius ommaturus) in the Yellow Sea by analysis of otolith shape

Otolith shape is species specific and is an ideal marker of fish population affiliation. In this study, otolith shape of spottedtail goby Synechogobius ommaturus is used to identify stocks in different spawning locations in the Yellow Sea. The main objectives of this study are to explore the potential existence of local stocks of spottedtail goby in the Yellow Sea by analysis of otolith shape, and to investigate ambient impacts on otolith shape. Spottedtail goby was sampled in five locations in the Yellow Sea in 2007 and 2008. Otoliths are described using variables correlated to size (otolith area, perimeter, length, width, and weight) and shape (rectangularity, circularity, and 20 Fourier harmonics). Only standardized otolith variables are used so that the effect of otolith size on the shape variables could be eliminated. There is no significant difference among variables of sex, year, and side (left and right). However, the otolith shapes of the spring stocks and the autumn stocks differ significantly. Otolith shape differences are greater among locations than between years. Correct classification rate of spottedtail goby with the otolith shape at different sampling locations range from 29.7%–77.4%.     

Biomarker evidence for paleoenvironmental changes in the southern Yellow Sea over the last 8200 years

Previous studies have indicated that the Yellow Sea underwent significant environmental changes during the Holocene, but many questions remain concerning the timing of the establishment of the modern circulation system, which would have major implications for the Yellow Sea ecosystem and carbon cycle. In this study, marine and terrestrial biomarkers were analyzed in Core YE-2 from a muddy area in the southern Yellow Sea to reconstruct Holocene environmental and phytoplankton community change. The content of three individual marine phytoplankton biomarkers (alkenones, brassicasterol and dinosterol) all display a similar trend, and their total contents during the early Holocene (362 ng/g) were lower than those during the mid-late Holocene (991 ng/g). On the other hand, the contents of terrestrial biomarkers (C27+C29+C31n-alkanes) during the early Holocene (1 661 ng/g) were about three times higher than those during the mid-late Holocene (499 ng/g). Our biomarker results suggest that the modern circulation system of the Yellow Sea was established by 5-6 ka, and resulted in higher marine productivity and lower terrestrial organic matter inputs. Biomarker ratios were used to estimate shifts in phytoplankton community structure in response to mid-Holocene (5-6 ka) environmental changes in the Yellow Sea, revealing a transition from a dinoflagellate-diatom dominant community structure during the early Holocene to a coccolithophore-dominant community structure during the mid-late Holocene.     

Grain-Size Distribution of Surface Sediments in the Bohai Sea and the Northern Yellow Sea: Sediment Supply and Hydrodynamics

The grain-size distribution of surface sediments in the Bohai Sea (BS) and the northern Yellow Sea (NYS), and its relationship with sediment supply and hyd