Assessing benthic ecological status in coastal area near Changjiang River estuary using AMBI and M-AMBI

The Changjiang （Yangtze） River estuary has been subject to a variety of anthropogenic pressures in recent decades. To assess the ecological health of the coastal benthic ecosystem adjacent to the estuary, three surveys were conducted in 2005, 2009, and 2010. The AZTI＇s Marine Biotic Index （AMBI） and multivariate-AMBI （M-AMBI） were used to analyse the benthic ecological status of this coast. The AMBI indicate that the ecological status of the coast adjacent to the Changjiang River estuary was only slightly degraded in all 3 years. In contrast, the M-AMBI indicated that the ecological status was seriously degraded, a result that is most likely due to pollution and eutrophication induced by human activities. The assessment of the coast＇s ecological status by the AMBI was not in agreement with that of the M-AMBI at some stations because of lower biodiversity values at those sites. The analysis of the two indices integrated with abiotic parameters showed that the M-AMBI could be used as a suitable bio-indicator index to assess the benthic ecological status of the coast adjacent to the Changjiang River estuary. The reference conditions proposed for the coast of the Changjiang River estuary should be further evaluated in future studies. Designation of local species could also provide an important reference for Chinese waters. To improve the reliability of AMBI and M-AMBI, further research into the ecology of local species is required to understand their arrangement in ecological groups.     

Comparison on soil carbon stocks between urban and suburban topsoil in Beijing,China

The urban population and urbanized land in China have both increased markedly since the 1980s. Urban and suburban developments have grown at unprecedented rates with unknown consequences for ecosystem functions. In particular, the effect of rapid urbanization on the storage of soil carbon has not been studied extensively. In this study, we compared the soil carbon stocks of different land use types in Beijing Municipality. We collected 490 top-soil samples （top 20 cm） from urban and suburban sites within the Sixth Ring Road of Beijing, which cover approximately 2400 km2, and the densities of soil organic carbon （SOC）, soil inorganic carbon （SIC）, and total carbon （TC） were analyzed to determine the spatial distribution of urban and suburban soil carbon characteristics across seven land use types. The results revealed significant differences in soil carbon densities among land use types. Additionally, urban soil had significantly higher SOC and SIC densities than suburban soil did, and suburban shelterbelts and productive plantations had lower SIC densities than the other land use types. The comparison of coefficients of variance （CVs） showed that carbon content of urban topsoil had a lower variability than that of suburban topsoil. Further findings revealed that soil carbon storage increased with built-up age. Ur- ban soil built up for more than 20 years had higher densities of SOC, SIC and TC than both urban soil with less than 10 years and sub- urban soil. Correlation analyses indicated the existence of a significantly negative correlation between the SOC, SIC, and TC densities of urban soil and the distance to the urban core, and the distance variable alone explained 23.3% of the variation of SIC density and 13.8% of the variation of TC density. These results indicate that SOC and SIC accumulate in the urban topsoil under green space as a result of the conversion of agricultural land to urban land due to the urbanization in Beijing.     

Modern sedimentation rates and sedimentation feature in the Huanghe River estuary based on210Pb technique

Based on²¹⁰Pb technique, sedimentation rates of 11 cores collected from the Huanghe River estuary were determined. CaCO₃ distribution of 4 cores chosen from among these was measured. Profiles of²¹⁰Pb in the cores showed that the distribution of²¹⁰Pb activity decayed with depth, appeared in stages and in more than one segment. The sedimentation rates,²¹⁰Pb and CaCO₃ data have similar distribution trend in the 4 cores. The profiles of²¹⁰Pb and CaCO₃ were used to study sedimentation intensity, transportation trend of material and sedimentation features in the corring area. Contribution No. 2230 from the Institute of Oceanology, Academia Sinica. This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.     

Nitrogen and phosphorus budgets of the Changjiang River estuary

Eutrophication has emerged as a key environmental problem in Chinese coastal waters, especially in the Changjiang (Yangtze) River estuary. In this area, large nutrient inputs result in frequent harmful algal blooms and serious hypoxia in bottom waters. Four cruises were made in the estuary in 2006 to assess the concentration and distribution of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and phosphorus (DIP). The concentration of DIN decreased gradually in a linear relationship with salinity from the river mouth to ...     

Seasonal variations in the influence of vegetation cover on soil water on the loess hillslope

Soil water is the key factor that restricts the restoration of the local ecological systems in the Loess Plateau of China. Studying the effects of vegetation types on soil water and its seasonal variation helps to understand hydrological characteristics and provides insights into the sustainable restoration of vegetation. Therefore, the Caijiachuan watershed was chosen as the research object to investigate the water status of a 0-10 m soil layer under different vegetation types including Pinus tabulaeformis, Robinia pseudoacacia, Platycladus orientalis, apple orchard, natural forestland,farmland and grassland. By comparing the difference between soil water of different land use types and that of grassland during the same period, the seasonal changes of soil water status of different types were judged. The results show that(1) in the 0-10 m soil layer, the largest value of soil water content was in the0.3-0.4 m layer, and the lowest was in the 5.6-5.8 m layer. The depths at which the vegetation cover influenced the soil water were up to 10 m;(2) among summer, fall and spring, the soil water storage wasthe highest in the fall. In addition, the lowest value of relative accumulation was in the fall, which was the period in which the soil water recovered;(3) the soil water in the 0-10 m layer was in a relatively deficient state in the artificial forestlands, apple orchards and native forestlands, while the relative accumulation was in the farmland. In addition, the relative deep soil layers(8-10 m) had more serious deficits in the areas in which P. tabulaeformis, R. pseudoacacia and the apple orchard grew;(4) during the study period, the farmland in the summer had the largest relative accumulation(182.71 mm), and the land under R.pseudoacacia in the fall had the lowest relative deficit(512.20 mm). In the Loess Plateau, vegetation cover will affect the change of deep soil moisture and artificial forest will cause soil water loss in different degrees.     

Tidal effects on diel variations of picoplankton and viruses in the Changjiang estuary

Spatial distributions and seasonal variations of picoplankton (i.e. Synechococcus spp., Prochlorococcus spp., picoeukaryotes and heterotrophic bacteria) and viruses in the Changjiang estuary have been reported in the past. However, short-term variations (e.g. at a tidal timescale) of these organisms and their regulating factors remain unclear. We determined the time-series of fluctuations of picoplankton and viruses with tide simultaneously in flow cytometry in the Changjiang estuary during a cruise in June 2006, in which a tidal model based rectangle equation was applied. The results indicate that high cell abundances of picoplankton and viruses occurred during flood tide and low cell abundances during ebb tide. The period of the surface cell abundance variations was about 13 h, suggesting the surface cell abundances in the Changjiang estuary were largely regulated by tide. However, cell abundances in middle and bottom waters varied in different periods due to influences of tidal induced physical forces such as resuspension and stratification. Therefore, tidal action is an important factor for the diel variations of picoplankton and viruses in the Changjiang estuary.     

Tidal effects on diel variations of picoplankton and viruses in the Changjiang estuary

Spatial distributions and seasonal variations of picoplankton (i.e. Synechococcus spp., Prochlorococcus spp., picoeukaryotes and heterotrophic bacteria) and viruses in the Changjiang estuary have been reported in the past. However, short-term variations (e.g. at a tidal timescale) of these organisms and their regulating factors remain unclear. We determined the time-series of fluctuations of picoplankton and viruses with tide simultaneously in flow cytometry in the Changjiang estuary during a cruise in June 2006, in which a tidal model based rectangle equation was applied. The results indicate that high cell abundances of picoplankton and viruses occurred during flood tide and low cell abundances during ebb tide. The period of the surface cell abundance variations was about 13 h, suggesting the surface cell abundances in the Changjiang estuary were largely regulated by tide. However, cell abundances in middle and bottom waters varied in different periods due to influences of tidal induced physical forces such as resuspension and stratification. Therefore, tidal action is an important factor for the diel variations of picoplankton and viruses in the Changjiang estuary.     

Distribution and accumulation of soil carbon in temperate wetland,northeast China

Estimating carbon sequestration and nutrient accumulation rates in Northeast China are important to assess wetlands function as carbon sink buffering greenhouse gas increasing in North Asia. The objectives of this study were to estimate accreting rates of carbon and nutrients in typical temperate wetlands. Results indicated that average soil organic carbon(SOC), total nitrogen(TN) and total phosphorus(TP) contents were 37.81%, 1.59% and 0.08% in peatlands, 5.33%, 0.25% and 0.05% in marshes, 2.92%, 0.27% and 0.10% in marshy meadows, respectively. Chronologies reconstructed by 210 Pb in the present work were acceptable and reliable, and the average time to yield 0–40 cm depth sediment cores was 150 years. Average carbon sequestration rate(Carbonsq), nitrogen and phosphorus accumulation rates were 219.4 g C/(m~2·yr), 9.16 g N/(m~2·yr) and 0.46 g P/(m~2·yr) for peatland; 57.13 g C/(m~2·yr), 5.42 g N/(m~2·yr) and 2.16 g P/(m~2·yr) for marshy meadow; 78.35 g C/(m~2·yr), 8.70 g N/(m~2·yr) and 0.71 g P/(m2·yr) for marshy; respectively. Positive relations existed between Carbonsq with nitrogen and precipitations, indicating that Carbonsq might be strengthened in future climate scenarios.     

Effects of vegetation restoration on soil organic carbon in China: A meta-analysis

Vegetation restoration has been proposed as an effective method for increasing both plant biomass and soil carbon(C) stocks. In this study, 204 publications(733 observations) were analyzed, focusing on the effects of vegetation restoration on soil organic carbon(SOC) in China. The results showed that SOC was increased by 45.33%, 24.43%, 30.29% and 27.98% at soil depths of 0–20 cm, 20–40 cm, 40–60 cm and 60 cm after vegetation restoration, respectively. Restoration from both cropland and non-cropland increased the SOC content. The conversion of non-cropland was more efficient in SOC accumulation than the conversion of cropland did, especially in 40 cm layers. In addition, the conversion to planted forest led to greater SOC accumulation than that to other land use did. Conversion period and initial SOC content extended more influence on soil C accumulation as the main factors after vegetation restoration than temperature and precipitation did. The SOC content significantly increased with restoration period after long-term vegetation restoration( 40 yr), indicating a large potential for further accumulation of carbon in the soil, which could mitigate climate change in the near future.     

Occurrence and distribution of dissolved tellurium in Changjiang River estuary

With the implementation of the GEOTRACES program, the biogeochemical cycle and distribution of tellurium （Te） in marine environments are becoming increasing environmental concerns. In this study, the concentration of dissolved Te in the Changjiang （Yangtze） River estuary and nearby waters was determined in May 2009 by hydride-generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry to elucidate the abundance, dominant species, distribution, and relationship with environmental factors. Results show that： （1） dissolved Te was low owing to its low abundance in the Earth＇s crust, high insolubility in water, and strong affinity to particulate matter; （2） Te（IV） and Te（VI） predominated in surface water. Te（VI） was the dominant species in bottom water, and Te（IV） was the minor species; （3） Horizontally, resulting from low phytoplankton metabolism and the weak reduction from Te（VI） to Te（IV） in the shore, Te（IV） was concentrated in the central zone instead of the coastal region. However, Te（VI） was abundant near the mouth of the Changjiang River where the Changjiang water is diluted and in the area to the south where the Taiwan Warm Current invaded. In the adsorption-desorption process, Te（IV） was negatively related to suspended paniculate matter （SPM）, indicating that it was adsorbed by particulate matter. While for Te（VI）, the positive correlation with SPM suggested that it was desorbed from the solid phase. In the estuary, dissolved Te had a negative correlation to salinity. However, it deviated from the dilution line in high-salinity regions due to the invasion of the Taiwan Warm Current and the mineralization of organic matter. The relationship between Te（IV） and SPM nutrients indicated that it was more bioavailable and more related to phosphorus than to nitrogen. Progress in the field is slow and more research is needed to quantify the input of Te to the estuary and evaluate the biochemical role of organisms.     

Impact of seasonal tide variation on saltwater intrusion in the Changjiang River estuary

An improved 3-D ECOM-si model was used to study the impact of seasonal tide variation on saltwater intrusion into the Changjiang River estuary, especially at the bifurcation of the North Branch (NB) and the South Branch (SB). The study assumes that the river discharge and wind are constant. The model successfully reproduced the saltwater intrusion. During spring tide, there is water and salt spillover (WSO and SSO) from the NB into the SB, and tidally averaged (net) water and salt fluxes are 985 m3/s and 24.8 ton/s, respectively. During neap tide, the WSO disappears and its net water flux is 122 m3/s. Meanwhile, the SSO continues, with net salt flux of 1.01 ton/s, much smaller than during spring tide. Because the tidal range during spring tide is smaller in June than in March, overall saltwater intrusion is weaker in June than in March during that tidal period. However, the WSO and SSO still exist in June. Net water and salt fluxes in that month are 622 m3/s and 15.35 ton/s, respectively, decreasing by 363 m3/s and 9.45 ton/s over those in March. Because tidal range during neap tide is greater in June than in March, saltwater intrusion in June is stronger than in March during that tidal period. The WSO and SSO appear in June, with net water and salt fluxes of 280 m3/s and 8.55 ton/s, respectively, increasing by 402 m3/s and 7.54 ton/s over those in March. Saltwater intrusion in the estuary is controlled by the river discharge, semi-diurnal flood-ebb tide, semi-monthly spring or neap tide, and seasonal tide variation.     

Mapping soil organic carbon stocks of northeastern China using expert knowledge and GIS-based methods

The main aim of this paper was to calculate soil organic carbon stock (SOCS) with consideration of the pedogenetic horizons using expert knowledge and GIS-based methods in northeastern China. A novel prediction process was presented and was referred to as model-then-calculate with respect to the variable thicknesses of soil horizons (MCV). The model-then-calculate with fixed-thickness (MCF), soil profile statistics (SPS), pedological professional knowledge-based (PKB) and vegetation type-based (Veg) methods were carried out for comparison. With respect to the similar pedological information, nine common layers from topsoil to bedrock were grouped in the MCV. Validation results suggested that the MCV method generated better performance than the other methods considered. For the comparison of polygon based approaches, the Veg method generated better accuracy than both SPS and PKB, as limited soil data were incorporated. Additional prediction of the pedogenetic horizons within MCV benefitted the regional SOCS estimation and provided information for future soil classification and understanding of soil functions. The intermediate product, that is, horizon thickness maps were fluctuant enough and reflected many details in space. The linear mixed model indicated that mean annual air temperature (MAAT) was the most important predictor for the SOCS simulation. The minimal residual of the linear mixed models was achieved in the vegetation type-based model, whereas the maximal residual was fitted in the soil type-based model. About 95% of SOCS could be found in Argosols, Cambosols and Isohumosols. The largest SOCS was found in the croplands with vegetation of Triticum aestivum L., Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench, Glycine max (L.) Merr., Zea mays L. and Setaria italica (L.) P. Beauv.     

Impacts of sea level rise on coastal erosion in the Changjiang River delta and north Jiangsu coastal plain

At present, approximately 36% of coasts are experiencing net erosion in the Changjiang River delta and the north Jiangsu coastal plain. Future sea level rise will accelerate the process of coastal erosion. According to the ratio of the calculated value of coast retreat by Bruun rule to the estimated value by using measured data, the proportion affected by sea level rise in total coastal erosion has been estimated in this paper. When sea level rises by 20cm, the proportion determined by sea level rise will increase from 1.0% at present to 2.2% in the future in the coasts of abandoned Huanghe River delta and from 8.5%–9.6% to 13.5%–15.2% in the north and south banks of the Changjiang River delta. This result is lower than that from the similar research in the world, and this phenomenon is related with the special development process of the coasts in this area. The mechanism of accelerating coastal erosion by sea level rise is that sea level is will increase the intensity of tidal current, wave and storm surge and decrease the ability to reduce the force of waves on the tidal flat and coastal wetland due to the loss of their areas. Therefore, the length of erosion coasts will increase, the sedimentation rate of accretion coasts will decrease or even turn accretion into erosion, the width of tidal flat will reduce and coastal slope will increase. So the project of coastal protection of this area must be reinforced. Project funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.     

Seasonal variation of tidal prism and energy in the Changjiang River estuary:a numerical study

Tidal rivers are intrinsically complex because tidal propagation is influenced by river discharge. This study aims to examine the seasonal variation of tidal prism and energy variance in the tidal river of the Changjiang(Yangtze) River estuary in China. In order to quantify the behaviour of river and tide,we use numerical modelling that has been validated using measured data. We conduct our analysis by quantifying the discharge and energy variance in separate components for both the river and the tide,during wet and dry seasons. We note various definitions of tidal prism and explore the difference between tidal discharge on the flood and ebb and tidal storage volume. The results show that the river discharge attenuates the tidal motion and reduces the tidal flood discharge but the tidal storage volume is approximately constant with different riverine discharge since part of the fresh water discharge is intercepted and captured in the estuary due to the backwater effect. It appears that the tidal discharge adjusts according to the variation of river discharge to keep a constant tidal storage volume. An analysis of the hydraulics shows that the transition from tidal dominance(at the mouth) to river dominance(upstream) depends on the location of tidal current reversal which varies from wet season to dry season. Duringthe wet season,the Changjiang River estuary is totally dominated by energy from fresh water discharge.     

Long-term ecological interactions between nutrient and phytoplankton community in the Changjiang estuary

Both nitrate (NO₃⁻) and soluble reactive phosphate (PO₄³⁻) concentration in the freshwater end-member at the mouth of the Changjiang River have increased dramatically since the 1960s. Within the same period in the sea area, with surface salinity>30, NO₃⁻ concentration has shown an obvious increase, PO₄³⁻ has not changed greatly and dissolved reactive silica (SiO₃²⁻) has deceased dramatically. An examination of the elemental ratio of NO₃⁻ to PO₄³⁻ at the mouth of the Changjiang River did not show a systematic trend from the 1960s to 2000s largely because both nutrients increased simultaneously. In comparison, the elemental ratio of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) to PO₄³⁻ in surface seawater, with salinity>22, has shown a clearly increasing trend. Furthermore, an overall historical change of the SiO₃²⁻:PO₄³⁻ ratio has undergone a reverse trend in this area. Based on the changes of SiO₃²⁻:PO₄³⁻ and DIN:PO₄³⁻ ratios, we can conclude that an overall historical change of SiO₃²⁻:DIN ratio has decreased in this area from the 1950–1960s to 2000s. The argument that phytoplankton productivity in the Changjiang estuary has been enhanced by increasing nutrient input from the riverine transport was supported by these results. A comparative study analyzing the shift of phytoplankton composition from the mid-1980s to 2000s was also made. The results indicated that the average yearly percentage of diatom species in the Changjiang estuary has decreased from 84.6% during 1985–1986 to 69.8% during 2004–2005. Furthermore, the average yearly percentage of diatom abundance in the Changjiang estuary decreased from 99.5% during to 75.5% over the same time period, while the abundance of dinoflagellates has increased dramatically, from 0.7% to 25.4%.     

The influence of seasonal snow on soil thermal and water dynamics under different vegetation covers in a permafrost region

Seasonal snow is one of the most important influences on the development and distribution of permafrost and the hydrothermal regime in surface soil. Alpine meadow, which constitutes the main land type in permafrost regions of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, was selected to study the influence of seasonal snow on the temperature and moisture in active soil layers under different vegetation coverage. Monitoring sites for soil moisture and temperature were constructed to observe the hydrothermal processes in active soil layers under different vegetation cover with seasonal snow cover variation for three years from 2010 to 2012. Differences in soil temperature and moisture in areas of diverse vegetation coverage with varying levels of snow cover were analyzed using active soil layer water and temperature indices. The results indicated that snow cover greatly influenced the hydrothermal dynamics of the active soil layer in alpine meadows. In the snow manipulation experiment with a snow depth greater than 15 cm, the snow cover postponed both the freeze-fall and thawrise onset times of soil temperature and moisture in alpine LC （lower vegetation coverage） meadows and of soil moisture in alpine HC （higher vegetation coverage） meadows; however, the opposite response occurred for soil temperatures of alpine HC meadows,where the entire melting period was extended by advancing the thaw-rise and delaying the freeze-fall onset time of the soil temperature. Snow cover resulted in a decreased amplitude and rate of variation in soil temperature, for both alpine HC meadows and alpine LC meadows, whereas the distinct influence of snow cover on the amplitude and rate of soil moisture variation occurred at different soil layers with different vegetation coverages. Snow cover increased the soil moisture of alpine grasslands during thawing periods. The results confirmed that the annual hydrothermal dynamics of active layers in permafrost were subject to the synergistic actions of both snow cover and vegetation coverage.     

Observation and simulation of 2-methylisoborneol in the Qingcaosha Reservoir,Changjiang estuary

Journal of Oceanology and Limnology - 2-Methylisoborneol (2-MIB) is a cyanobacterial metabolite that is responsible for many taste and odor (T&O) complaints related to the aesthetics of...     

Concentrations and distribution of organochlorine pesticides in shellfish from Changjiang estuary

To analyze and evaluate the status of organochlorine pollutants in the Changjiang (Yangtze River) estuary and adjacent waters, the concentrations of hexachlorocyclohexane (HCHs) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDTs) in shellfish collected in study area from 2006 to 2007 were determined with gas chromatography (GC). The concentration range of HCHs was (ND-12.13)×10-3 mg/kg wet weight and averaged at 0.54×10-3 mg/kg while the concentration of DDTs was in the range of (4.06-281.73) × 10-3 mg/kg with a mean of 57.52×10-3 mg/kg in the survey areas. The concentrations of DDTs in the shellfish were higher than HCHs', so that DDTs could be considered as typical organochlorine pollutants in the areas. The concentrations of DDTs in the shellfish were higher than HCHs', so that DDTs could be considered as typical organochlorines pollutants. The HCHs in all the shellfish conformed to the first level of criterion (0.02 mg/kg) of the Marion Biology Quality (GB 18421-2001), and that of DDTs in most samples were beyond the first level (0.01 mg/kg) but conformed to the second level (0.10 mg/kg). On average, α-HCH and δ-HCH occupied the most part of HCHs, while O,P'-DDT and P,P'-DDT occupied the most part of DDTs. The concentrations of organocholorine pesticides in shellfish samples varied in site and in species. The highest level occurred at the Shengsi (SS), followed by Yangkougang (YKG), Lvsi (LS), Dongyuan (DY) and Beibayao (BBY), low concentrations were observed at Changsha (CS), Beidaodi (BDD), and Gouqi (GQ). The concentration of HCHs and DDTs in most sites decreased clearly from 2006 to 2007 except for YKG, DY, BDD, LYS, and SS. All of above results suggested that the study area was slightly affected by organochlorine pesticide, special by DDTs.     

A STUDY ON THE RELATIONSHIPS OF THE NUTRIENTS NEAR THE CHANGJIANG RIVER ESTUARY WITH THE FLOW OF THE CHANGJIANG RIVER WATER

Investigations from August, 1985 to July , 1986 showed that the high concentration area of PO4-P , SiO3-Si and NO3-N gradually reduced with the reduction of the area of the Changjiang River diluted water from summer, autumn to winter , and that the seasonal distributions and variations of the nutrients concentrations were mainly controlled by the river flow and were also related to the growth and decline of phytoplankton . The conservation of SiO3-Si and NO3-N in the estuary in the flood season was poorer than that in the dry season .. The behaviour of PO4-P in the estuary shows that aside from -biological removal, buffering of PCU-P is possible in the estuary . The highest monthly average concentrations and annual average concentrations in the river mouth were respectively 0.88 and 0.57 umol/L for PO4-P,191.5 and 96.2 umol/L for SiO3-Si, and 81.6 and 58.6 umol/L for NOs-N . The Changjiang's annual transports of PO4-P , SiO3-Si and NO3-N to the sea were about 1.4×104tons , 204.4×104 tons and 63.6×104