AnnouncingEstuaries and Coasts, Journal of the Estuarine Research Federation

This is the first issue ofEstuaries and Coasts (ISSN 1559-2723), which continues the Estuarine Research Federation's publication inEstuaries (1978–2005) (ISSN 0160-8347) of scientific reports, reviews, comments, and notes on estuarine and coastal scientific research from around the world. Numbering of volumes ofEstuaries and Coasts continues uninterrupted fromEstuaries since the expanded title was not intended to mark a change in the scope of the journal. It is our hope that the journal will continue to become more international in its coverage, and to include more coastal science than is sometimes associated with the single word nameEstuaries. In addition to the change of the journal's name there is also a new cover design that will change with each issue and highlight an estuary or coast associated with one or more articles in the issue. Another change to the journal is a new column entitled Perspectives in Estuarine and Coastal Science, which is intended to stimulate discussion about emerging topics in estuarine and coastal science. The H. T. Odum Synthesis Essay, initiated in 2005, will be continued on an annual basis.     

Salinity Variability and Water Exchange in Interconnected Estuaries

A high-resolution coastal ocean model is used to investigate salinity variability and water exchange in a complex coastal system off the southern U.S. characterized by three adjacent sounds that are interconnected by a network of channels, creeks, and intertidal areas. Model results are generally highly correlated with observations from the Georgia Coastal Ecosystem Long Term Ecological Research (GCE-LTER) program, revealing a high degree of salinity variability at the Altamaha River and Doboy Sound, decreasing sharply toward Sapelo Sound. A Lagrangian particle tracking method is used to investigate local residence time and connectivity in the system. Local residence time is highly variable, increasing with distance from the Altamaha River and decreasing with river flow, revealing that discharge plays a dominant role on transport processes and estuary-shelf exchange. The Altamaha River and Doboy Sound are connected to each other in all seasons, with exchange occurring both via coastal and estuarine pathways. While particles released at the Altamaha and Doboy rarely reach Sapelo Sound, particles released at Sapelo Sound and the creeks surrounding its main channel can reach the entire estuarine system.     

Coasts: the high-risk areas of the world

No other region is more threatened by natural perils than coasts. Fierce winds, storm surges, large waves and tsunamis expend their destructive energy when they reach the coastline. Constituting, in many cases, the boundary between continental plates, coasts experience earthquakes and volcanic eruptions more frequently. The changing climate poses the threat of sea level rise. Most global trade crosses the oceans; ports are the entry and exit points of a nation’s trade. As a consequence, coasts attract people, businesses and industries. Some coastal regions rank among the top places in the world in terms of population and value accumulation. Enormous catastrophe loss potentials have been created and are increasing. Risk is the result of a natural hazard, the values at risk and their vulnerability. Living with and reducing the risk requires awareness at all levels of society and partnership between the public authorities, the people and enterprises concerned, and the financial sector. Great natural events are not avoidable, great disasters are. Catastrophes are not only products of chance but also the outcome of the interaction between political, financial, social, technical and natural circumstances. Effective safeguards are both achievable and indispensable, but they will never provide complete protection. In order to manage the risks faced by a society, we have to be aware of that.     

鉴江河口底泥盐度释放规律研究

底泥盐度释放是河口水资源利用的主要限制因子。本文以鉴江为例,基于野外实测与室内实验,系统分析了鉴江河口底泥盐度及水体氯离子的分布特征;通过振荡、换水及静态等实验。定量研究了河口底泥盐度释放规律。结果表明：（1）潮泛河口底泥盐度主要受上溯潮水的影响。有较为明显的梯度性;（2）底泥盐度释放量在初期较大,随着换水周期的累加,则逐步降低;在同一换水周期。底泥盐度释放强度与其本底盐度浓度成正指数关系;（3）静态释放时间越长,上覆水盐度越大。静置30d。三组样品上覆水的浓度分别达2626mg·L-1、932mg·L-1、533mg·L-1。远远超过用水水质的要求。     

Estuaries of the past and present: A biofacies perspective

Estuaries are complex sedimentary and ecological systems, where controlling factors are variable largely depending on wave vs. tidal dominance and fluvial processes. Paleoenvironmental reconstruction of their ancient counterparts in the form of coastal valley deposits in the subsurface or outcrop requires a multidisciplinary approach. Microfossils can play an integral part in identifying estuarine subenvironments. Foraminifera can be abundant in modern estuaries and resemble characteristics of brackish ichnofaunal communities in featuring low species diversity, but high abundances of opportunistic species, different feeding strategies and common infaunal species. Whereas sediment distribution is highly controlled by energy regimes, foraminifera seem to respond to salinities and tidal exposure. Whereas individual taxa can widely range bathymetrically, the combination of certain taxa becomes diagnostic for estuarine environments. Fossil marginal marine assemblages are dominated by agglutinated species due to taphonomic loss of the calcareous component that is often dominant in modern estuaries. When comparisons between fossil and modern assemblages are undertaken it is advisable to compare with Recent subsurface or remnant assemblages for a more accurate basis of paleoenvironmental interpretation. More integrated research with detailed taphonomic observations is needed on ancient coastal valley deposits to find the paleoecological requirements of extinct taxa and their link to sedimentary facies and ichnofacies.     

Variability in Concentrations and Fluxes of Methane in the Indian Estuaries

In order to examine the fluxes of methane (CH₄) from the Indian estuaries, measurements were carried out by collecting samples from 26 estuaries along the Indian coast during high discharge (wet) and low water discharge (dry) periods. The CH₄ concentrations in the estuaries located along the west coast of India were significantly higher (113?±?40 nM) compared to the east coast of India (27?±?6 nM) during wet and dry periods (88?±?15 and 63?±?12 nM, respectively). Supersaturation of CH₄ was observed in the Indian estuaries during both periods ((0.18 to 22.3?×?10³ %). The concentrations of CH₄ showed inverse relation with salinity indicating that freshwater is a significant source. Spatial variations in CH₄ saturation were associated with the organic matter load suggesting that its decomposition may be another source in the Indian estuaries. Fluxes of CH₄ ranged from 0.01 to 298 μmol m^?2 day^?1 (mean 13.4?±?5 μmol m^?2 day^?1) which is ~30 times lower compared to European estuaries (414 μmol m^?2 day^?1). The annual emission from Indian estuaries, including Pulicat and Adyar, amounted to 0.39?×?10¹⁰ g CH₄?year^?1 with the surface area of 0.027?×?10⁶ km² which is significantly lower than that in European estuaries (2.7?±?6.8?×?10¹⁰ g CH₄?year^?1 with the surface area of 0.03?×?10⁶ km²). This study suggests that Indian estuaries are a weak source for atmospheric CH₄ than European estuaries and such low fluxes were attributed to low residence time of water and low decomposition of organic matter within the estuary. The CH₄ fluxes from the Indian estuaries are higher than those from Indian mangroves (0.01?×?10¹⁰ g CH₄?year^?1) but lower than those from Indian inland waters (210?×?10¹⁰ g CH₄?year^?1).     

Estimation of Tsunami Risk for the Coasts of Peru and Northern Chile

Data for tsunamigenic earthquakes and observed tsunami run-up are used to estimate tsunami-risk for the coasts of Peru and northern Chile for zones bounded by 5–35° S latitude. Tsunamigenic earthquake estimates yield magnitudes of 8.52, 8.64, and 8.73 for recurrence periods of 50, 100, and 200 years, respectively. Based on three different empirical relations between earthquake magnitudes and tsunamis, we estimate expected tsunami wave heights for various return periods. The average heights were 11.2 m (50 years), 13.7 m (100 years), and 15.9 m (200 years), while the maximum height values (obtained by Iidas method) were: 13.9, 17.3, and 20.4 m, respectively. Both the averaged and maximum seismological estimates of tsunami wave heights for this region are significantly smaller than the actually observed tsunami run-up of 24–28 m, for the major events of 1586, 1724, 1746, 1835, and 1877. Based directly on tsunami run-up data, we estimate tsunami wave heights of 13 m for a 50-year return period and 25 m for a 100-year return period. According to the seismic gap theory, we can expect that the next strong earthquake and tsunami will occur between 19 and 28° S in the vicinity of northern Chile.     

Research Advance in Air-Water CO2 Exchange of Estuaries

Estuary holds a key position in linking the four geo-spheres, i.e., atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere. Figuring out the transfer mechanisms of estuarine carbon, especially the exchange ofCO₂ at the air water interface is conducive to understanding the carbon pattern in coastal oceans. To date, many fruitful studies have been conducted on the control mechanism towards the partial pressure of CO₂ (pCO₂) in different estuarine areas around the world. By a thorough research on the latest studies of estuarineCO₂ exchange with the atmosphere, it is concluded as follows: ①A common pattern is found on the spatial distribution of pCO₂in different estuarine areas. However, the concrete seasonal change of pCO₂ shows great differences, and the corresponding control factors also vary considerably. ②Estuaries are believed to be large sources ofCO₂ to the atmosphere. It is estimated that the global estuarineCO₂ degassing fluxes, although the global surface area of estuariesis small, are up to 0.25×10¹⁵~0.50×10¹⁵g C/a; and about 1/3 of riverine carbon is released into the atmosphere during the estuarine transit. ③Degradation of organic matter, lateral transfer of marsh derivedCO₂ , mineral deposits in water and turbulence in the liquid phase are the main factors that are responsible for the emission of estuarineCO₂ . At present, this estimate of estuarineCO₂ exchange with the atmosphere is based on limited spatial data, therefore problems such as the limitation in the depth and scope of studies still exist. There are also varieties of uncertainties in the estimation of gas transfer velocity and the whole areas of global estuaries, all of them make it difficult to reach an accurate evaluation ofCO₂ fluxes at the air water interface. It is difficult to predict the future trend of theCO₂ exchange at the air-water interface due to the complexities of the driving forces and feedback mechanisms in estuarine carbon cycle and the intense anthropogenic disturbance. Investigating the mechanism of pCO₂ in estuarine areas, improving the accuracy of evaluation ofCO₂ fluxes and comparing studies of different estuaries would be new scopes in the future researches on the exchange ofCO₂ at the air-water interface in estuaries.     

Similarities Between Granites on the East and West Coasts of the Pacific Ocean

The traditional idea proposes that granites on the east and west coasts of the Pacific Ocean are different. According to field investigations of the geology of the western United States coupled with the authors' long-term studies on granites in South China, granites both in eastern China and in the western United States are similar.     

Estuaries of the northeastern United States: Habitat and land use signatures

Geographic signatures are physical, chemical, biotic, and human-induced characteristics or processes that help define similar or unique features of estuaries along latitudinal or geographic gradients. Geomorphologically, estuaries of the northeastern U.S., from the Hudson River estuary and northward along the Gulf of Maine shoreline, are highly diverse because of a complex bedrock geology and glacial history. Back-barrier estuaries and lagoons occur within the northeast region, but the domiant type is the drowned-river valley, often with rocky shores. Tidal range and mean depth of northeast estuaries are generally greater when compared to estuaries of the more southern U.S. Atlantic coast and Gulf of Mexico. Because of small estuarine drainage basins, low riverine flows, a bedrock substrate, and dense forest cover, sediment loads in northeast estuaries are generally quite low and water clarity is high. Tidal marshes, seagrass meadows, intertidal mudflats, and rocky shores represent major habitat types that fringe northeast estuaries, supporting commercially-important fauna, forage nekton and benthos, and coastal bird communities, while also serving as links between deeper estuarine waters and habitats through detritus-based pathways. Regarding land use and water quality trends, portions of the northeast have a history of over a century of intense urbanization as reflected in increased total nitrogen and total phosphorus loadings to estuaries, with wastewater treatment facilities and atmospheric deposition being major sources. Agricultural inputs are relatively minor throughout the northeast, with relative importance increasing for coastal plain estuaries. Identifying geographic signatures provides an objective means for comparing the structure, function, and processes of estuaries along latitudinal gradients.     

Recruitment Ecology of Burrowing Shrimps in US Pacific Coast Estuaries

Recruitment is a strong determinant of year class strength and adult population density especially for sessile benthic invertebrates where post-settlement mortality and competition are low or relatively stable over time. A series of surveys were undertaken to characterize recruitment and post-settlement processes for two species of burrowing shrimps, Neotrypaea californiensis and Upogebia pugettensis in order to determine how they influenced broader adult populations in US west coast estuaries. On average, U. pugettensis decapodids settled earlier (April–July), recruited almost exclusively to areas with conspecific adults, and grew more rapidly during their first summer than N. californiensis. Neotrypaea californiensis decapodids settled and recruited over a longer period (June–November) and were distributed across the tidal flat. While initially more abundant in areas with conspecific adults, they also either survived better or redistributed as small juvenile shrimp to areas where adults were absent. Linear relationships were found between abundance of newly recruited (0+ age class) shrimp and that of older 1+ shrimp a year later. Positive slopes were close to one for N. californiensis but less than one for U. pugettensis, suggesting lower survival. Annual recruitment varied dramatically but was more consistent for both species in Yaquina Bay. Patterns in strong recruitment years amongst estuaries, particularly for U. pugettensis, suggest the presence of multi-estuary metapopulations linked via larval dispersal. These results have important implications for shrimp population management including control for shellfish aquaculture, but also conservation of estuarine habitats due to the strong influence of these ecosystem engineers on the benthic community.     

Tectonic Subsidence of California Estuaries Increases Forecasts of Relative Sea-Level Rise

Even along the generally uplifting coast of the Pacific US, local geologic structures can cause subsidence. In this study, we quantify Holocene-averaged subsidence rates in four estuaries (Carpinteria Slough, Goleta Slough, Campus Lagoon, and Morro Bay) along the southern and central California coast by comparing radiocarbon-dated estuarine material to a regional sea-level curve. Holocene-averaged rates of vertical motion range from subsidence of 1.4?±?2.4, 1.2±0.4, and 0.4?±?0.3 mm/year in Morro Bay, Carpinteria Slough, and Goleta Slough, respectively, to possible uplift in Campus Lagoon (?0.1?±?0.9 mm/year). The calculated rates of subsidence are of the same magnitude as rates of relative sea-level rise experienced over the late Holocene and effectively double the ongoing rates of relative sea-level rise experienced over the last five decades on other parts of the coast. The difference in rates of vertical motion among these four estuaries is attributed to their geological settings. Estuaries developed in subsiding geological structures such as synclines and fault-bounded basins are subsiding at much higher rates than those developed within flooded river valleys incised into marine terraces. Restoration projects accounting for future sea-level rise must consider the geologic setting of the estuaries and, if applicable, include subsidence in future sea-level rise scenarios, even along the tectonically uplifting US Pacific Coast.     

Contrasting Carbon Dioxide Inputs and Exchange in Three Adjacent New England Estuaries

Four surveys of the adjacent Cocheco, Bellamy, and Oyster estuaries reveal spatial heterogeneity with respect both to river-born carbon dioxide (CO₂) fluxes and CO₂ exchange with the atmosphere (−17 to 51 mmol m⁻² day⁻¹), a finding partially explained by CO₂ inputs from contributing watersheds. Nonuniform nutrient and organic carbon loading from upstream rivers and within the estuaries is considered as a mechanism resulting in the variability between estuaries. Conditions during the surveys included spring river runoff and phytoplankton blooms, drought with baseline river flow, and a historic flood which led to a large CO₂ release to the atmosphere. This study highlights the variability of CO₂ transport and release found between proximate estuaries over a wide range of flow conditions.     

河口港湾沉积物中的(137)Cs剖面及其沉积学意义

本文通过对采自海南岛洋浦港?福建厦门外港?浙江象山港三个河口港湾的六个沉积柱样的137Cs分析,分别用137Cs剖面的最大峰值层及137Cs剖面的起始值层位估算了该六个站位的现代沉积速率,结果表明:在河口港湾沉积环境条件下,用137Cs剖面来估算沉积物的平均沉积速率是可行的,由137Cs最大值法,这六个站位的平均沉积速率分别为1.14cm/a?1.56cm/a?0.82cm/a?0.75cm/a?1.26cm/a?1.66cm/a,由137Cs最大值法得出的平均沉积速率其精确度与可信度要好于137Cs起始值得出的平均沉积速率?与210Pb法所得的结果符合的很好?137Cs起始值层位与预期值偏离的大小可以为我们提供有关该站位沉积环境?扰动作用强弱的信息?在应用137Cs剖面估算沉积速率时,还要注意沉积结构变化的影响?