Key nitrogen biogeochemical processes revealed by the nitrogen isotopic composition of dissolved nitrate in the Changjiang River estuary,China

Seasonal variations in the nitrogen isotopic composition of dissolved nitrate(δ 15 NO 3) were investigated in the surface waters of the Changjiang River estuary in 2009 and 2010. δ 15 NO 3 varied between-4.6‰ and 8.9‰ with changes in temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen concentrations, and the composition of the dissolved inorganic nitrogen pool. In February, biological processes decreased because of low temperature, and the mean δ 15 NO 3 near the river mouth was 2.4‰. In May, δ 15 NO 3 was the highest in the surface waters among all seasons. Analysis on the conservative mixing revealed assimilation, and this fi nding is supported by positive relationship between Chl a and δ 15 NO 3. The fractionation factor of assimilation was estimated to be 2.0‰ by the Rayleigh equation. Nitrifi cation was supported based on the mixing behaviors in November 2010 and the low δ 15 NO 3 values in May and November 2009. The high ammonium concentrations in the adjacent marine area and positive relationships between total organic nitrogen and δ 15 NO 3 in November 2010 indicated that mineralization was taking place.     

The relation between distribution of zooplankton and salinity in the Changjiang Estuary

Seasonal netzplankton samples from stations in the Changjiang (Yangtze River) Estuary were collected from May, 2004 to February, 2005. The dominant species and their contribution to the total zooplankton abundance were determined. Moreover, the relationship between the salinity and abundance was studied with stepwise linear regression. During the whole year, the salinity was positively correlated with the abundance, while the temperature, negatively. Linear regression analysis showed also a high positive correlation with salinity for total abundance in August and November, while in February and May, no obvious relations were found. The most abundant community was composed of neritic and brackish-water species. The North Passage (NP) (salinity <5) was greatly diluted by freshwater while the North Branch (NB) was brackish water with salinity range of 12–28. Consequently, clear decline in abundance of zooplankton was along the estuarine haloclines from the maximum in the area of high salinity to the minimum in the limnetic zone. Total zooplankton abundance and biomass were lower in NP than the NB in all seasons. In short, the salinity influenced the abundance of each species of zooplankton, and ultimately determined the total abundance of zooplankton. Furthermore, a winter peak in the abundance existed, which might be caused by the flourishing of Sinocalanus sinensis, a widely distributed species in the Changjiang Estuary.     

GEOCHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF SEDIMENTS AND ANALYSIS OF THE CHANGJIANG ESTUARY ENVIRONMENT

Analysis of material from three 55- cm long cores collected with box corer m summer of 1988 in the Changjiang Estuary region yielded data on the sedimentation rate, granulometric composition and contents of carbonates, organic matter, Al, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu and Pb there. Subsequent study of the data led to the conclusion that there is no obvious pollution in the region based on the absolute value of the content of heavy metals, but the region is in potential danger of being polluted as seen by the obvious increase of sedimentation flux of heavy metals to and the enrichment of them on the surface sediment during the last several years, e.g. Pb increased by 10-20μg/g, Zn by about 30μg/g, Cu by 5-10μg/g and Mn by 150μg/g.A ferromanganese redox interface was found at about 40 cm depth of sediments where Fe and Mn and associated trace metals are enriched. The trace metals such as Zn, Cu have (but Pb does not) the same source, forms, displacement mechanism and geochemical behaviours as those of Fe and Mn in t     

Study of red tide prediction model for the Changjiang Estuary

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pCO2 and carbon fluxes across sea-air interface in the Changjiang Estuary and Hangzhou Bay

Partial pressure of CO2(pCO2) was investigated in the Changjiang(Yangtze River) Estuary,Hangzhou Bay and their adjacent areas during a cruise in August 2004,China.The data show that pCO2 in surface waters of the studied area was higher than that in the atmosphere with only exception of a patch east of Zhoushan Archipelago.The pCO2 varied from 168 to 2 264 μatm,which fell in the low range compared with those of other estuaries in the world.The calculated sea-air CO2 fluxes decreased offshore and varied from -10.0 to 88.1 mmol m-2 d-1 in average of 24.4 ± 16.5 mmol m-2 d-1.Although the area studied was estimated only 2 × 104 km2,it emitted(5.9 ± 4.0) × 103 tons of carbon to the atmosphere every day.The estuaries and their plumes must be further studied for better understanding the role of coastal seas playing in the global oceanic carbon cycle.     

Inorganic carbon parameters responding to summer hypoxia outside the Changjiang Estuary and the related implications

The eutrophication, hypoxia and coastal acidification are attracting more and more attention. In this study, inorganic carbon parameters, including dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), total alkalinity (TA) and calculated partial pressure of CO₂ (pCO₂), obtained from a summer cruise in August, 2009, were used to investigate their integrated response to biological processes accompanying the oxygen depletion in the areas off the Changjiang Estuary. According to the observations, the typical hypoxia occurred in the bottom water just outside the Changjiang Estuary with Dissolved Oxygen (DO) lower than 2.00 mg L^?1. The biological uptake in the surface water and the decomposition of organic matter in the bottom water were fully coupled with each other. The high concentration of Chl_a (Chl_a = 10.9 μg L^?1) and DO (9.25 mg L^?1), profoundly decreased DIC concentration (1828 μmol kg^?1) and elevated pH (8.42) was observed in the surface water. The correspondingly increased DIC and depletion of oxygen were observed in the bottom water. The semi-quantitative analysis proved that the locally-produced phytoplankton, determined by primary productivity, was deposited to the bottom and contributed about 76% of total amount of the organic carbon decomposition in the bottom. However, in the bottom hypoxia (DO = 2.05 mg L^?1) area observed in the Southern Zhejiang coastal water, the responding patterns of inorganic carbon parameters deviated from the previous one. The expanding of Changjiang Diluted Water (CDW), the adding of Hangzhou Bay water (with high DIC concentration) and Coastal Current together modify the DIC background value in this area, and the local degeneration and upwelling process may also help to offset the local DIC removed by net biological uptake in surface water. In addition, when the mixing occurring in autumn, which may break the summer stratification, the excess release of high DIC in the bottom water to the subsurface water could have an important influence on coastal acidification and the CO₂ uptake capacity in this area.     

IMPACTS OF FUTURE SEA LEVEL RISE ON SALT WATER INTRUSION IN THE CHANGJIANG RIVER ESTUARY

Sea level rise could increase the salinity of an estuary by altering the balance between fresh water and salt water. The implications of sea level rise for increasing salinity have been examined in the Changjiang (Yangtze) River estuary. By correlative analysis of chlorinity, discharge and tidal level and calculation of two-dimensional chlorinity, distribution of the Changjiang River estuary, the changes of the intensity and lasting hours of salt water intrusion at Wusong Station and the changes of chlorinity distribution in the South Branch of the Changjiang River estuary have been estimated when future sea level rises 50-100 cm. The intensity of salt water intrusion in the future will be far more serious than current trend.     

Distributions of Picophytoplankton and Phytoplankton Pigments Along a Salinity Gradient in the Changjiang River Estuary,China

We investigated the abundance of different picophytoplankton groups and the phytoplankton pigment ratio in relation to environmental factors such as nutrients and suspended solids along a salinity gradient in the Changjiang River Estuary.The average numbers of Synechococcus spp.（Syn） and picoeukaryotes （Euk） were （2.7 ±5.1）×l03 and （1.1±1.4）×l03 cells mL-1,respectively.Prochlorococcus spp.（Pro） was only found in the high-salinity brackish water with the concentration of 3.0× 10^3 cells mL-1.Syn and Euk numbers both tended to increase offshore and Syn showed a larger variation in cell abundance than Euk.The contribution of picophytoplankton to total phytoplankton biomass increased with increasing salinity and decreasing nutrient concentrations from the estuary to the open ocean.The response of different picophytoplankton groups to environmental variables was different.Water temperature was more important in its control over Euk than over Syn,while nutrients were more important in their influence over Syn than over Euk.Phytoplankton pigment ratios were different in the three different ecological zones along the salinity gradient （i.e.,freshwater zone with 0-5 range,fresh and saline water mixing zone with 5-20 range,and high-salinity brackish water zone with 20-32 range）,where three different phytoplankton communities were discovered,suggesting that phytoplankton pigment ratios can be considered as a complementary indicator of phytoplankton community structure in the Changjiang River Estuary.     

Distributions of picophytoplankton and phytoplankton pigments along a salinity gradient in the Changjiang River Estuary,China

We investigated the abundance of different picophytoplankton groups and the phytoplankton pigment ratio in relation to environmental factors such as nutrients and suspended solids along a salinity gradient in the Changjiang River Estuary. The average numbers of Synechococcus spp.(Syn) and picoeukaryotes(Euk) were(2.7 ±5.1) ×103 and(1.1±1.4) ×103 cells m L-1, respectively. Prochlorococcus spp.(Pro) was only found in the high-salinity brackish water with the concentration of 3.0×103 cells m L-1. Syn and Euk numbers both tended to increase offshore and Syn showed a larger variation in cell abundance than Euk. The contribution of picophytoplankton to total phytoplankton biomass increased with increasing salinity and decreasing nutrient concentrations from the estuary to the open ocean. The response of different picophytoplankton groups to environmental variables was different. Water temperature was more important in its control over Euk than over Syn, while nutrients were more important in their influence over Syn than over Euk. Phytoplankton pigment ratios were different in the three different ecological zones along the salinity gradient(i.e., freshwater zone with 0-5 range, fresh and saline water mixing zone with 5-20 range, and high-salinity brackish water zone with 20-32 range), where three different phytoplankton communities were discovered, suggesting that phytoplankton pigment ratios can be considered as a complementary indicator of phytoplankton community structure in the Changjiang River Estuary.     

Molecular characterization of sulfate-reducing bacteria community in surface sediments from the adjacent area of Changjiang Estuary

Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB), which obtain energy from dissimilatory sulfate reduction, play a vital role in the carbon and sulfur cycles. The dissimilatory sulfite reductase (Dsr), catalyzing the last step in the sulfate reduction pathway, has been found in all known SRB that have been tested so far. In this study, the diversity of SRB was investigated in the surface sediments from the adjacent area of Changjiang Estuary by PCR amplification, cloning and sequencing of the dissimilatory sulfite reductase beta subunit gene (dsrB). Based on dsrB clone libraries constructed in this study, diversified SRB were found, represented by 173 unique OTUs. Certain cloned sequences were associated with Desulfobacteraceae, Desulfobulbaceae, and a large fraction (60%) of novel sequences that have deeply branched groups in the dsrB tree, indicating that novel SRB inhabit the surface sediments. In addition, correlations of the SRB assemblages with environmental factors were analyzed by the linear model-based redundancy analysis (RDA). The result revealed that temperature, salinity and the content of TOC were most closely correlated with the SRB communities. More information on SRB community was obtained by applying the utility of UniFrac to published dsrB gene sequences from this study and other 9 different kinds of marine environments. The results demonstrated that there were highly similar SRB genotypes in the marine and estuarine sediments, and that geographic positions and environmental factors influenced the SRB community distribution.     

Effect of reclamation time and land use on soil properties in Changjiang River Estuary,China

The objective of this study is to analyze soil physical and chemical properties,soil comprehensive functions and impact factors after different years of reclamation.Based on the survey data taken from 216 soil sampling points in the Fengxian Reclamation Area of the Changjiang (Yangtze) River Estuary,China in April 2009 and remotely sensed TM data in 2006,while by virtue of multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA),geo-statistical analysis (GA),prin-cipal component analysis (PCA) and canonical correspondence analysis (CCA),it was concluded that:1) With the in-crease in reclamation time,soil moisture,soil salinity,soil electric conductivity and soil particle size tended to decline,yet soil organic matter tended to increase.Soil available phosphorous tended to increase in the early reclamation period,yet it tended to decline after about 49 years of reclamation.Soil nitrate nitrogen,soil ammonia nitrogen and pH changed slightly in different reclamation years.Soil physical and chemical properties reached a steady state after about 30 years of reclamation.2) According to the results of PCA analysis,the weighted value (0.97 in total) that represents soil nutrient factors (soil nitrate nitrogen,soil organic matter,soil available phosphorous,soil ammonia nitrogen,pH and soil particle size) were higher than the weighted value (0.48 in total) of soil limiting factors (soil salinity,soil elec-tric conductivity and soil moisture).The higher the F value is,the better the soil quality is.3) Different land use types play different roles in the soil function maturity process,with farmlands providing the best contribution.4) Soil physi-cal and chemical properties in the reclamation area were mainly influenced by reclamation time,and then by land use types.The correlation (0.1905) of the composite index of soil function (F) with reclamation time was greater than that with land use types (-0.1161).     

Numerical Study of the Three Gorges Dam Influences on Chlorophyll-a in the Changjiang Estuary and the Adjacent East China Sea

The impoundment of the Three Gorges Dam(TGD)has altered downstream hydrological characteristics and sediment discharge,and it has caused ecological impacts,such as changes in chlorophyll-a(Chl-a)in estuaries and coastal oceans.To investigate the TGD's influence on Chl-a's interannual and seasonal variations in the Changjiang Estuary and the adjacent coastal East China Sea,a physical-biogeochemical model was developed with numerical experiments covering a decade,including TGD's preperiod(pre-TGD,1999–2003)and post-period(post-TGD,2004–2008).The modeling results demonstrate an annual increase in the regional average Chl-a from pre-to post-TGD,with the largest increase reaching up to 20.8%in spring in the nearshore region beyond the Changjiang mouth.The spatial variations in Chl-a are high,with the largest variation being observed around the 20–40 m isobaths.The increase in Chl-a is influenced by improved light and nutrient conditions,which is attributed to dam construction and fertilization by human activities.A decline in nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizer usage ratio along the Changjiang River watershed after the TGD's impoundment is another factor that influences the Chl-a's variation.The modeling results also show severe NO3 and PO4 imbalances with a larger N/P ratio during the post-TGD period,especially in regions with large Chl-a increases.Moreover,the greater increase in the usage of phosphorus fertilizer than nitrogen fertilizer influences Chl-a's variation and has potential promotion effects on the outbreak of harmful algal bloom events.     

长江口外海域瞬时悬沙质量浓度垂向分布剖面的初探

以2006年8月在长江口外海域海试的悬浮泥沙数据资料为基础,采用相关分析和非线性回归分析方法,通过在经典泥沙剖面模型中引入潮流等过程的影响,改进了泥沙剖面模型的预测效果,将仅受水深一个因素控制的泥沙剖面模型拓展为与不同地点水文物理过程相关联的实用模型,并在整个研究区域验证了模型的有效性。     

The ecological distributions of N, P utilizing bacteria and heterotrophic bacteria in the moderate hypoxia zone of the Changjiang Estuary

The distributions of N utilizing bacteria (denitrifying bacteria and ammonifying bacteria), P utilizing bacteria (organic phosphobacteria and inorganic phosphobacteria) and heterotrophic bacteria in the Changjiang Estuary, and the roles of main environmental factors in distributing bacteria, are explored with observations from two cruises in June and August 2006. Comparisons between the two important periods of initial hypoxia phase (June) and developed hypoxia phase (August) show differences in both bacterial distributions and the associated main environmental factors. First, the primary group of ammonifying bacteria has larger magnitude with spatial maximum value in the hypoxic stations related to sediment in August. The phosphobacterial abundance and detection rates in August are much lower than those in June, but the denitrifying bacterial abundance becomes greater in August. However, the difference of heterotrophic bacterial abundance between June and August is not obvious. Second, main environmental factors influencing bacteria vary from initial hypoxia phase to developed hypoxia phase. Two parameters (salinity and NO₃ ^?) in surface water and five environmental parameters (pH, salinity, PO₄ ^3?, NO₃ ^? and temperature) in bottom water and surface sediment play major roles in the bacterial abundance in June, while different parameter combinations (salinity and PO₄ ^?) in surface water and different parameter combinations (DO, DOC, NO₃ ^?, PO₄ ^3? and pH) in bottom water and surface sediment play major roles in August. Moreover, the bottom bacteria distributions in area south of 31°N are related to the position of the Taiwan Warm Current in June. The bacterial abundance and distribution may respond to the environmental change in the hypoxia processes of initial phase and developed phase. During the hypoxia processes, the whole structure of bacterial functional groups probably turns to different states, causing the recycling of nutrient regeneration and aggravating hypoxia regionally.     

An experimental study on major element release from the sediments in the Changjiang (Yangtze River) Estuary

With the enhanced warming and acidification of global ocean, whether and to what extent the naturally-weathered fluvial sediment into the sea can release elements and thus influence the geochemical pro...     

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins （PCDDs） and dibenzofurans （PCDFs） in surface sediment and bivalve from the Changjiang Estuary, China

Surface sediments and bivalves were collected from the Changjiang Estuary in December 2003 and November 2004, respectively. Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and dibenzofurans (PCDFs) in these samples were measured with high-resolution chromatography (HRGC)/High Resolution Mass Spectrometer (HRMS). The concentrations of total PCDD/Fs and toxic equivalent (TEQ) were 169.83±119.63 and 0.81±0.36 pg/g dry weight (dw) in sediments, and 580.33±240.17 and 7.24±3.65 pg/g dw in bivalves. The homolog compositions of PCDD/Fs were similar among samples, the most abundant congener was octa-chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin (OCDD) and then octa-chlorinated dibenzofuran (OCDF) and 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-hepta-chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin (HpCDD). The herbicide pentachlorophenol (PCP) and sodium pentachlorophenol (Na-PCP) were proved the main source of PCDD/Fs in this area.     

Spatial distribution and diurnal variation of chemical oxygen demand at the beginning of the rainy season in the Changjiang （Yangtze） River Estuary

A field observation was carried out in the Changjiang （Yangtze） River Estuary from May 19 to 26, 2003. A total of 29 stations, including 2 anchored stations, were occupied through almost the whole salinity gradient. Based on the observation data, biogeochemistry of chemical oxygen demand （COD） was examined. Spatial distribution pattern of COD shows that it decreased downstream. The COD concentration varied generally within a narrow range of 1.24-1.60 mg/L in the zone around the river mouth, beyond which it decreased rapidly to 0.20 mg/L. In the mixed water zone, the fluctuation in COD was smaller at 2 m above the bottom layer than at the surface layer in 48 h. In the seawater zone, the 48-h fluctuation at the surface was the largest, followed by that of 5 m below the surface and 2 m above the bottom layers in a range of from 2.50 to 0.55 mg/L. Freshwater discharge was the dominant source of COD in the estuary. The average COD beyond the river mouth was 2.7 mg/L, which accorded with the Chinese seawater quality Grade I. Relationships between dissolved oxygen and biogeochemical parameters such as suspended particulate matter, dissolved organic matter and chlorophyll-a were also discussed.     

Centurial Evolution of an Offshore Mud Deposition Area in the Changjiang (Yangtze) Estuary and Its Links to Environmental and Anthropogenic Activities

Large amounts of sediments originating from the Changjiang(Yangtze) River are deposited in the subaqueous delta and in the adjacent muddy area off the mouth and on the inner shelf of the East China Sea. The terrestrial sediments deposited in these areas not only contain information about the composition and environment of the source area, but they also record changes in anthropogenic activities. A sediment piston core(CJ0702) was extracted from the Changjiang subaqueous depocenter(31.00°N, 122.67°E) in a water depth of 22.0 m. The core was subsampled at 1 – 2 cm intervals and analyzed for grain size, clay mineralogy, and major element geochemistry. Results indicate a relatively high sediment accumulation rate of approximately 3.11 cm yr~(-1). These parameters exhibited only minor cyclical fluctuations in the core, which resulted from many factors. During the past 120 years, the Changjiang River-derived sediment is the primary source of sediment in the offshore mud area without evidence for the Yellow River-derived sediment increasing. After the trunk stream shifted from the North Branch to South Branch, the variations of proxies are controlled by the periodic fluctuation possibly linked to El Ni?o-Southern Oscillation(ENSO) and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation(PDO). In addition, anthropogenic heavy metal concentrations can be divided into three stages, which coincide well with economic development and environmental protection policies.     

Size-fractionated phytoplankton biomass in autumn of the Changjiang （Yangtze） River Estuary and its adjacent waters after the Three Gorges Dam construction

A cruise was undertaken from 3rd to 8th November 2004 in Changjiang （Yangtze） River Estuary and its adjacent waters to investigate the spatial biomass distribution and size composition of phytoplankton. Chlorophyll-a （Chl-a） concentration ranged 0.42-1.17 μg L^-1 and 0.41-10.43 μg L^-1 inside and outside the river mouth, with the mean value 0.73 μg L^-1 and 1.86 μg L^-1, respectively. Compared with the Chl-a concentration in summer of 2004, the mean value was much lower inside, and a little higher outside the river mouth. The maximal Chl-a was 10.43 μg L^-1 at station 18 （122.67°E, 31.25°N）, and the region of high Chl-a concentration was observed in the central survey area between 122.5°E and 123.0°E. In the stations located east of 122.5°E, Chl-a concentration was generally high in the upper layers above 5 m due to water stratification. In the survey area, the average Chl-a in sizes of 〉20 μm and 〈20 μm was 0.28 μg L^-1 and 1.40 μg L^-1, respectively. High Chl-a concentration of 〈20 μm size-fraction indicated that the nanophytoplankton and picophytoplankton contributed the most to the biomass of phytoplankton. Skeletonema costatum, Prorocentrum micans and Scrippsiella trochoidea were the dominant species in surface water. The spatial distribution of cell abundance of phytoplankton was patchy and did not agree well with that of Chl-a, as the cell abundance could not distinguish the differences in shape and size of phytoplankton cells. Nitrate and silicate behaved conservatively, but the former could probably be the limitation factor to algal biomass at offshore stations. The distribution of phosphate scattered considerably, and its relation to the phytoplankton biomass was complicated.     

THE DISTRIBUTION PATTERNS OF BACTERIA,ATP AND THE RELATIONS WITH RESPIRATION RATES AND PHYTOPLANKTON IN THE CHANGJIANG ESTUARY AND ITS ADJACENT EAST CHINA SEA

Two cruises were conducted in January and July 1986 in the Changjiang (Yangtse River) Estuary and its adjacent East China Sea (30°45′ -32°00′N,121°00′-124°00′E). Direct epifluorescence counts of planktonic bacteria and determinations of ATP concentrations were made. Subsamples were taken for measurement of oxygen consumption rates and chlorophyll concentrations.Bacteria and ATP concentrations were higher in summer than in winter, highest in the river and the river mouth, and gradually lower offshore. The bacteria number was correlated positively with suspended matter, nitrates and oxygen consumption rates, and negatively with salinity.In winter bacteria were the main contributors of ATP and the main consumers of dissolved oxygen in the whole studied area. In summer two maxima of ATP were found along the salinity gradient. The first one which coincided with the peak of turbidity near the river mouth was attributed to bacte -ria, and the second which occurred in the waters with a salinity range be