Two new brown algae from the Xisha Islands,South China Sea

In our phycological trips to the Xisha Islands,Guangdong Province,South ChinaSea in 1976 and 1980,two interesting brown algae had attracted our special attention.Oneof them was a Hydroclathrus,evidently more delicate and slender than H.clathratus com-monly met with in the South China Sea region.The other was a Turbinaria,characterizedby especially small leaves.Comparative studies of the two algae with other known speciesof the two genera concerned showed sufficient differences to warrant their statuses as un-     

STUDIES ON THE GEPPELLA(CHLOROPHYTA) OF XISHA ISLANDS,SOUTH CHINA SEA

The genus Geppellais a small group of tropical and subtropical algae.It was establishedby Boergesen in 1940 on the basis of its uncalciferous frond and its characteristic of annularattachments of the filaments,with G.mortensenii Boergesen as the type of the genus.Sincethen four more species have been described,namely,G.decussata Dawson(1959),G.echino-caulos Cribb(1960),G.yaeyamense Tanaka(1963),and G.japonica Tanaka et Itono(1977).The species G.decussata was reported by Dawson from Isla San Francisco(Gulf of California)and the Marshall Islands,central Pacific,and later removed by Tanaka and Itono(1977)from the genus Geppella because of the absence of blade and of annular attachments of     

A STUDY ON THE FLORISTIC PLANT GEOGRAPHY OF XISHA ISLANDS, SOUTH CHINA

邢福武，李泽贤，叶华谷，陈炳辉，吴德邻ＡＳＴＵＤＹＯＮＴＨＥＦＬＯＲＩＳＴＩＣＰＬＡＮＴＧＥＯＧＲＡＰＨＹＯＦＸＩＳＨＡＩＳＬＡＮＤＳ，ＳＯＵＴＨＣＨＩＮＡ￥ＸｉｎｇＦｕｗｕ；ＬｉＺｅｘｉａｎ；ＹｅＨｕａｇｕ；ＣｈｅｎＢｉｎｇｈｕｉ；ＷｕＤｅｌｉｎ（...     

Biodiversity and distribution of benthic dinoflagellates in tropical Zhongsha Islands,South China Sea

Journal of Oceanology and Limnology - Benthic dinoflagellates have attracted increasing attention in recent years because of their toxicity and ability to form extensive harmful algal blooms....     

Performance of ecological restoration in an impaired coral reef in the Wuzhizhou Island,Sanya, China

Coral restoration is becoming popular to help restoring degraded coral reefs.However,few studies have tried to monitor the long-term recovery of coral reefs,which makes it difficult to assess the performance of the restoration.We monitored the growth of three transplanted Acropora corals and naturally-attached Pocillopora damicornis on artificial reefs(ARs) from October 2014 to September 2018 during which there were several attacks of typhoons.Results show that two staghorn Acropora species had the highest growth rate s(11.0-12.1 cm/a),followed by table coral A.divaricate(5.6 cm/a) and P.damicornis(4.8 cm/a).A linear growth pattern was found for the three Acropora species;the pattern gradually slowed in P.damicornis.There was a strong interspecific competition for space among the corals on ARs,and it led to the sharply declined occurrence of slow-growing P.darmicornis colonies in 2017.Coral recovery was successful at the Wuzhizhou Island and quickly increased AR complexity.However,the ARs made of metal frames fail to resist the direct attack from a catastrophic typhoon.Therefore,concrete and environmentalfriendly materials should be used in future restoration.This study is the first report on long-term monitoring and assessment of coral reef restoration in China.The results offer future guide of reef restoration for impaired coral reefs in regions easily affected by typhoons.     

ESR DATING OF CORAL REEFS IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA

ESR dating of aragonitic and calcitic corals , eolianite , calcrete , and corallineae from coral reefs in the South China Sea was applied to study of Quaternary reef geology . The ESR ages of calcitic corals correlated with the biostratigraphy , lithostratigraphy and geochemistry of Well Xi-Chen-1 and the oxygen-isotope stratigraphy of deep sea sediments, were reliable and up to 1.26 Ma. The selection of signals for dating and other related problems are discussed .     

THE NOMENCLATURE OF THE SOUTH CHINA SEA ISLANDS IN ANCIENT CHINA

ＴＨＥＮＯＭＥＮＣＬＡＴＵＲＥＯＦＴＨＥＳＯＵＴＨＣＨＩＮＡＳＥＡＩＳＬＡＮＤＳＩＮＡＮＣＩＥＮＴＣＨＩＮＡ￥ＬｉｕＮａｎｗｅｉ（刘南威）（ＤｅｐａｒｔｍｅｎｔｏｆＧｅｏｇｒａｐｈｙ，ＳｏｕｔｈＣｈｉｎａＮｏｒｍａｌＵｎｉｖｅｒｓｉｔｙ，Ｇｕａｎｇｚ...     

Temporal stability of Symbiodinium phylotype in scleractinian coral Galaxea fascicularis from a tropical fringing reef in the South China Sea

Symbiodinium sp. occurs in a symbiotic association with various marine invertebrates, including the scleractinian corals. Understanding the flexibility and specificity in coral-algal symbiosis can have important implications for predicting the future of coral reefs in the era of global climate change. In the present study, we conducted Symbiodinium phylotype analysis, based on polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP), in the scleractinian coral, Galaxea fascicularis, from a tropical fringing reef in Hainan Island, over a 1-yr period. Our results showed that Galaxea fascicularis could associate with Symbiodinium clade C and D either individually or simultaneously. However, during the sampling period, the Symbiodinium phylotype did not change significantly in the scleractinian coral Galaxea fascicularis, although the seawater temperature decreased sharply in the winter season. This study further suggests that the shift in Symbiodinium communities in response to seasonally fluctuating environments might not be a universal feature of coral-algal associations.     

Application of hydroacoustics to investigate the distribution,diel movement,and abundance of fish on Zhubi Reef,Nansha Islands,South China Sea

A combination of traditional fish sampling methods(hand-line and gill net) and modern hydroacoustic techniques were used to study fish community structure,distribution,and diel movements of fish on Zhubi Reef to enhance understanding of the ecosystem.We collected 126 individuals from 29 species,20 genera,17 families,three orders,and two classes using traditional gear.Perciforms were the dominant group in terms of species richness and biomass.The acoustic data indicated that very small(target strength[TS],dB) -60 dB) and small(-60 dB≤TS-45 dB) fish contributed the most to abundance and species richness on the coral reef,and that the proportion of medium-sized(-45 dB≤TS-35 dB) and largesized(-35 dB≤TS) fish increased gradually as depth increased.The single-target detection method revealed two distinct size classes during the day in the 12-16 and 16-20-m layers.One group consisted of very smallsized fish(TS-60 dB) and the other consisted of medium and large-sized fish(TS-55 dB).The number of single-target detections was significantly higher during the night than during the day(P0.05).The singletarget TS frequency distribution during the day was significantly different than during the night at depths of4-8,8-12,12-16,and 16-20 m.Significant differences were observed among the 4-8,8-12,12-16,and16-20-m-depth layers during day and night.Diel vertical movement was evidenced as fish began to spread and move upward just before sunset and began to assemble and descend shortly(15 min) after sunrise.     

Geochemical Characteristics of the Trace and Rare Earth Elements in Reef Carbonates from the Xisha Islands(South China Sea): Implications for Sediment Provenance and Paleoenvironment

Based on the concentrations of the trace elements, rare earth elements(REE), and Sr isotopic compositions in reef carbonates from the well ‘Xike-1' reef core of the Xisha Islands, the constraints on sediment provenance and paleoenvironment were defined. Variations of the terrigenous input into the paleoseawater were traced in detail and the paleoenvironment and sediment provenance were further investigated. The results show that the HREE/LREE values in the reef carbonates are negatively associated with their Th and Al concentrations; however, their Al and Th concentrations show positive correlation. The lowest 87 Sr/86 Sr values in the reef carbonates generally coincide with the lowest values of Al, Th concentrations and the highest values of HREE/LREE. These data indicate that the HREE/LREE, Al concentrations, and Th concentrations of the reef carbonates are useful indexes for evaluating the influence of the terrigenous inputs on the seawater composition in the study area. From top to bottom, the changing process of the HREE/LREE values and Al, Th concentrations can be divided into 6 intervals; they are H1(0–89.30 m, about 0–0.11 Myr), L1(89.30–198.30 m, about 0.11–2.2 Myr), H2(198.30–374.95 m, about 2.2–5.3 Myr), D(374.95–758.40 m, about 5.3–13.6 Myr), L2(758.40–976.86 m, about 13.6–15.5 Myr), and H3(976.86–1200.00 m, about 15.5–21.5 Myr). Moreover, the changing trend of the HREE/LREE values coincides with that of the seawater δ~(13)C values recorded by benthonic foraminiferal skeletons from the drill core of ODP site 1148 in the South China Sea(SCS), but not with that of the seawater δ~(18)O values. The high uplifting rates of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau coincide with the high Th and Al concentrations and the low HREE/LREE values in the reef carbonates. These data indicate that the main factors controlling the changes of terrigenous flux in the SCS are the tectonic activities associated with Qinghai-Tibet Plateau uplifting and the variations of uplifting rates rather than paleoclimatic changes.     

Features of ocean surface winds observed by the QuikSCAT satellite before tropical cyclogenesis over the South China Sea

Ocean surface winds observed by the Quick Scatterometer (QuikSCAT) satellite prior to the geneses of 36 tropical cy- clones (TCs) in the South China Sea (SCS) are investigated in this paper. The results show that there are areas with negative mean horizontal divergence around the TC genesis locations three days prior to TC formation. The divergence term [-(f ζ)( u/ x v/ y)] in the vorticity equation is calculated based upon the QuikSCAT ocean surface wind data. The calculated mean divergence term is about 10.3 times the mean relative vorticity increase rate around the TC genesis position one day prior to TC genesis, which shows the important contributions of the divergence term to the vorticity increase prior to TC formation. It is suggested that criteria related with the divergence and divergence term be applied in early detections of tropical cyclogenesis using the QuikSCAT satellite data.     

南海周边国家的海洋划界立法与实践

介绍了南海周边国家根据1982年《联合国海洋法公约》精神颁布的海洋法律,并叙述了这些国家的管辖区域主张以及与海洋划界有关的领海基线和基点等方面的问题。指出:南海周边国家之间若要划出专属经济区和大陆架边界线,包括我国在内的所有周边国家政府都应当修正不适宜的划界主张,并在划界原则、理论和方法上趋向一致,为早日划好边界,促进南海地区的经济发展和和平稳定而努力。     

Zooplankton in the Huangyan Atoll,South China Sea: A comparison of community structure between the lagoon and seaward reef slope

Journal of Oceanology and Limnology - Relatively few studies have investigated the community structure of zooplankton in the atolls of the central South China Sea. Zooplankton were sampled at nine...     

Estimation of potential distribution of gas hydrate in the northern South China Sea

Gas hydrate research has significant importance for securing world energy resources, and has the potential to produce considerable economic benefits. Previous studies have shown that the South China Sea is an area that harbors gas hydrates. However, there is a lack of systematic investigations and understanding on the distribution of gas hydrate throughout the region. In this paper, we applied mineral resource quantitative assessment techniques to forecast and estimate the potential distribution of gas hydrate resources in the northern South China Sea. However, current hydrate samples from the South China Sea are too few to produce models of occurrences. Thus, according to similarity and contrast principles of mineral outputs, we can use a similar hydrate-mining environment with sufficient gas hydrate data as a testing ground for modeling northern South China Sea gas hydrate conditions. We selected the Gulf of Mexico, which has extensively studied gas hydrates, to develop predictive models of gas hydrate distributions, and to test errors in the model. Then, we compared the existing northern South China Sea hydrate-mining data with the Gulf of Mexico characteristics, and collated the relevant data into the model. Subsequently, we applied the model to the northern South China Sea to obtain the potential gas hydrate distribution of the area, and to identify significant exploration targets. Finally, we evaluated the reliability of the predicted results. The south seabed area of Taiwan Bank is recommended as a priority exploration target. The Zhujiang Mouth, Southeast Hainan, and Southwest Taiwan Basins, including the South Bijia Basin, also are recommended as exploration target areas. In addition, the method in this paper can provide a useful predictive approach for gas hydrate resource assessment, which gives a scientific basis for construction and implementation of long-term planning for gas hydrate exploration and general exploitation of the seabed of China.     

Estimation of potential distribution of gas hydrate in the northern South China Sea

Gas hydrate research has significant importance for securing world energy resources, and has the potential to produce considerable economic benefits. Previous studies have shown that the South China Sea is an area that harbors gas hydrates. However, there is a lack of systematic investigations and understanding on the distribution of gas hydrate throughout the region. In this paper, we applied mineral resource quantitative assessment techniques to forecast and estimate the potential distribution of gas hydrate resources in the northern South China Sea. However, current hydrate samples from the South China Sea are too few to produce models of occurrences. Thus, according to similarity and contrast principles of mineral outputs, we can use a similar hydrate-mining environment with sufficient gas hydrate data as a testing ground for modeling northern South China Sea gas hydrate conditions. We selected the Gulf of Mexico, which has extensively studied gas hydrates, to develop predictive models of gas hydrate distributions, and to test errors in the model. Then, we compared the existing northern South China Sea hydrate-mining data with the Gulf of Mexico characteristics, and collated the relevant data into the model. Subsequently, we applied the model to the northern South China Sea to obtain the potential gas hydrate distribution of the area, and to identify significant exploration targets. Finally, we evaluated the reliability of the predicted results. The south seabed area of Taiwan Bank is recommended as a priority exploration target. The Zhujiang Mouth, Southeast Hainan, and Southwest Taiwan Basins, including the South Bijia Basin, also are recommended as exploration target areas. In addition, the method in this paper can provide a useful predictive approach for gas hydrate resource assessment, which gives a scientific basis for construction and implementation of long-term planning for gas hydrate exploration and general exploitation of the seabed of China.     

Identification of three common Loliginidae squid species in the South China Sea by analyzing hard tissues with geometric outline method

The hard tissues of squid can provide important information for species identification. In this study, we used statolith and beak to identify three squid species including Uroteuthis duvaucelii, Loliolus beka, and U. edulis in the South China Sea. Because of the highly overlapping habitat and similar body morphology of the three squid species, we explored four different ways to identify them, by using statolith, upper beak, lower beak and a combination of statolith and beak. An outline geometric morphometric method and stepwise discriminant analysis were used to evaluate the most suitable method for the identification. We found that the combination of statolith and beak had the highest cross validation rate that was 75.0%, 87.5% and 88.7% for U. duvaucelii, L. beka and U. edulis, respectively. Using two beaks had similar results and the lowest cross validation rate was 60.0%, 50.0%, and 73.7% for the upper beak, 46.9%, 58.5% and 75.3% for the lower beak of U. duvaucelii, L. beka and U. edulis, respectively. Analyzing with the statolith had moderate cross validation which was 72.2%, 80.0%, and 87.7% for U. duvaucelii, L. beka and U. edulis, respectively. From the results it is suggested when the entire body of a squid is available, a combination of statolith and beak should be used for the identification. When only one hard tissue is available, species identification can be subjected to large errors.     

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...     

The suspended sediment concentration distribution in the Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea and East China Sea

The distribution of the suspended sediment concentration (SSC) in the Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea and East China Sea (BYECS) is studied based on the observed turbidity data and model simulation results. The observed turbidity results show that (i) the highest SSC is found in the coastal areas while in the outer shelf sea areas turbid water is much more difficult to observe, (ii) the surface layer SSC is much lower than the bottom layer SSC and (iii) the winter SSC is higher than the summer SSC. The Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) is used to simulate the SSC distribution in the BYECS. A comparison between the modeled SSC and the observed SSC in the BYECS shows that the modeled SSC can reproduce the principal features of the SSC distribution in the BYECS. The dynamic mechanisms of the sediment erosion and transport processes are studied based on the modeled results. The horizontal distribution of the SSC in the BYECS is mainly determined by the current-wave induced bottom stress and the fine-grain sediment distribution. The current-induced bottom stress is much higher than the wave-induced bottom stress, which means the tidal currents play a more significant role in the sediment resuspension than the wind waves. The vertical mixing strength is studied based on the mixed layer depth and the turbulent kinetic energy distribution in the BYECS. The strong winter time vertical mixing, which is mainly caused by the strong wind stress and surface cooling, leads to high surface layer SSC in winter. High surface layer SSC in summer is restricted in the coastal areas.     

Environmental influence on transparent exopolymer particles and the associated carbon distribution across northern South China Sea

Microgels are plankton-derived transparent exopolymer particles(TEP) and have a significant impact on global marine carbon cycle.We investigated the influence of biogeochemical variables on the pattern of TEP abundance and its associated carbon(TEP_C) distribution through a vertical transect of the northern South China Sea(nSCS) during summer,2014.The average TEP concentration was58.32±30.56 μg Xeq./L.Vertically,it was higher in the subsurface water column and lower at 200-m water depths.As chlorophyll a(chl a),TEP,and TEP_C were highly concentrated at the bottom of the study transect,mainly on the continental shelf bottom and slope regions.Among biotic factors,cyanobacteria,especially Trichodesmium thiebautii showed significant positive correspondences with TEP through studied water columns in nSCS.In addition,TEP showed a positive correlation with chl-a distribution and clustered closely with diatom as well.It indicates a combined contribution of them on TEP sourcing accordingly.Nutrient concentrations were also high due to estuarine diluted water from Zhujiang(Pearl) River in the season that may intrigue those scenarios.Significant positive correlation(P0.05) among biotic and abiotic parameters also supported the statement.Furthermore,mentionable contribution of TEP-derived TEP_C was found after comparing the particulate organic carbon data,which may signify the importance of TEP in local carbon cycle in the nSCS.