生物标志物稳定氢同位素研究进展及在海洋古环境重建中的应用

生物标志物稳定氢同位素是一种比较新的古环境指标,越来越多的研究者利用生物标志物稳定氢同位素重建了陆地和海洋中古水循环的变化。在陆地上,生物标志物δD值可以用来重建降雨δD值、古海拔以及蒸散作用大小或者湖泊水的输入输出平衡。在海洋中,生物标志物δD值的变化能更好地反映与其相关的生物和环境信息。培养实验以及现场数据显示生物标志物δD值能很好地反映表层海水δD值以及表层海水盐度的变化。许多研究者也利用海洋中生物标志物δD值重建了长时间尺度降雨量以及表层海水盐度的变化。对近年来生物标志物稳定氢同位素的研究进展,尤其是在海洋古环境重建中的应用进行了总结。     

Methyl bromide: ocean sources, ocean sinks, and climate sensitivity

The oceans play an important role in the geochemical cycle of methyl bromide (CH3Br), the major carrier of O3-destroying bromine to the stratosphere. The quantity of CH3Br produced annually in seawater is comparable to the amount entering the atmosphere each year from natural and anthropogenic sources. The production mechanism is unknown but may be biological. Most of this CH3Br is consumed in situ by hydrolysis or reaction with chloride. The size of the fraction which escapes to the atmosphere is poorly constrained; measurements in seawater and the atmosphere have been used to justify both a large oceanic CH3Br flux to the atmosphere and a small net ocean sink. Since the consumption reactions are extremely temperature-sensitive, small temperature variations have large effects on the CH3Br concentration in seawater, and therefore on the exchange between the atmosphere and the ocean. The net CH3Br flux is also sensitive to variations in the rate of CH3Br production. We have quantified these effects using a simple steady state mass balance model. When CH3Br production rates are linearly scaled with seawater chlorophyll content, this model reproduces the latitudinal variations in marine CH3Br concentrations observed in the east Pacific Ocean by Singh et al. [1983] and by Lobert et al. [1995]. The apparent correlation of CH3Br production with primary production explains the discrepancies between the two observational studies, strengthening recent suggestions that the open ocean is a small net sink for atmospheric CH3Br, rather than a large net source. The Southern Ocean is implicated as a possible large net source of CH3Br to the atmosphere. Since our model indicates that both the direction and magnitude of CH3Br exchange between the atmosphere and ocean are extremely sensitive to temperature and marine productivity, and since the rate of CH3Br production in the oceans is comparable to the rate at which this compound is introduced to the atmosphere, even small perturbations to temperature or productivity can modify atmospheric CH3Br. Therefore atmospheric CH3Br should be sensitive to climate conditions. Our modeling indicates that climate-induced CH3Br variations can be larger than those resulting from small (+/- 25%) changes in the anthropogenic source, assuming that this source comprises less than half of all inputs. Future measurements of marine CH3Br, temperature, and primary production should be combined with such models to determine the relationship between marine biological activity and CH3Br production. Better understanding of the biological term is especially important to assess the importance of non-anthropogenic sources to stratospheric ozone loss and the sensitivity of these sources to global climate change.     

Evidence suggesting anaerobic oxidation of the bisulfide ion in Chesapeake Bay

Upper Chesapeake Bay bottom waters are stratified in the summer. In the water column below the pycnocline, anoxic and sulfidic conditions exist. Hydrogen sulfide concentrations approach 60 μM or greater and elemental sulfur is also present. Water samples brought on board ship, exposed to light, and not treated with formaldehyde show rapid sulfide decomposition which is significantly faster than sulfide oxidation by molecular oxygen. The data presented show evidence for anaerobic, sulfide oxidation. The kinetics of the decomposition are consistent with possible biological mediation. Hydrogen, peroxide produced by microorganisms may be the chemical oxidant responsible for the oxidation. Alternately, solid metal oxides such as colloidal manganese oxide phases may be reponsible.     

Alteration of trace metal geochemical cycles due to the marine discharge of wastewater

The coastal area investigated of southern California is adjacent to a densely populated, highly industrialized area that injects about 4 × 10⁹l per day of wastewater into the adjacent coastal ocean. The wastewater contains large amounts of Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, Fe, Pb, Mn, Ni, Ag and Zn, primarily associated with the solids, which produce trace metal concentrations in the wastewater praticulates of two to three orders of magnitude greater than the natural marine sediment. The injection of this solid waste into the ocean causes large areas (on the order of 130 km²) of the marine sediment adjacent to the outfall systems to become heavily contaminated with trace metals.Less than 10% of the metals injected from the outfall are present in the contaminated marine sediment of the study area. The remaining 90% are either dissolved out of the waste solids suspended in seawater or transported out of the area by currents while still associated with the particulate matter.The effect on the global geochemical system due to wastewater discharge is not as extensive as on a local scale but is perhaps more important. The ocean injection of metals in municipal wastewater by man is now of the same order of magnitude as the injection of the metals by natural weathering. The global consequences of this are unknown; however while the natural rate of trace metal injection is constant, the anthropogenic contribution will increase with time.     

Role of hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radical in pyrite oxidation by molecular oxygen

Hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radical are readily formed during the oxidation of pyrite with molecular oxygen over a wide range of pH conditions. However, pretreatment of the pyrite surface influences how much of the intermediates are formed and their fate. Acid-washed pyrite produces significant amounts of hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radical when suspended in air-saturated water. However, the hydrogen peroxide concentration shows an exponential decrease with time. Suspensions made with partially oxidized pyrite yield significantly lower amounts of hydrogen peroxide product. The presence of Fe(III)-oxide or Fe(III)-hydroxide patches facilitates the conversion of hydrogen peroxide to oxygen and water. Hence, the degree to which a pyrite surface is covered with patches of Fe(III)-oxide or Fe(III)-hydroxide patches is an important control on the concentration of hydrogen peroxide in solution.Hydrogen peroxide appears to be an important intermediate in the four-electron transfer from pyrite to molecular oxygen. Addition of catalase, an enzyme that decomposes hydrogen peroxide to water and molecular oxygen, to a pyrite suspension reduces the oxidation rate by 40%. By contrast, hydroxyl radical does not appear to play a significant role in the oxidation mechanism. It is estimated on the basis of a molecular oxygen and sulfate mass balance that 5-6% of the molecular oxygen is consumed without forming sulfate.     

Ocean anoxic events in the mid-Cretaceous simulated by a 3-D biogeochemical general circulation model

The mid-Cretaceous is well known for its ocean anoxic events. The causal mechanisms are controversial: stagnant deepwater, high biological productivity in the surface waters, and other possibilities have been suggested. Our study simulated the mid-Cretaceous ocean, using general circulation models combined with a marine biogeochemical cycle model to explore the relationship between thermohaline circulation and biogeochemical cycles and investigate the causes of ocean anoxic events. The simulated thermohaline circulation shows an unsteady inactive state. Oxygen concentrations in the deepwater decrease under the inactive state, but a horizontal gradient develops, with higher oxygen concentrations in the Tethys and lower concentrations in eastern Panthalassa. This is not due to the different ages of the deepwater but rather to the differences in biological productivity in the surface water, meaning that the relationship between thermohaline circulation and biogeochemical cycles under the inactive state is different from that in the present ocean. In the standard simulation, assuming the present level of the total amount of phosphate in the ocean, 29% of the bottom water is anoxic. The experiments increasing the amount of phosphate show its high sensitivity for extending the anoxic region with global-scale anoxia simulated under the doubled amount of phosphate. The high amount of phosphate would be reasonable because the inactive state would induce an imbalance of phosphate between riverine input and sediment output. Therefore, both the inactive thermohaline circulation and the increase in the total amount of phosphate in the ocean induce the global-scale anoxic condition in the deepwater.     

Role of superoxide in the photochemical reduction of iron in seawater

We have conducted a series of laboratory studies to investigate the generation of ferrous iron and reactive oxygen species when solutions of seawater containing natural organic matter (NOM) and ferric iron are exposed to simulated sunlight. Total ferrous iron and hydrogen peroxide were measured at nanomolar concentrations with high temporal resolution using chemiluminescence-based methods. In all cases, ferrous iron concentrations rapidly peaked at several nanomoles per litre after a few minutes, and then declined over time, while hydrogen peroxide concentrations increased in a non-linear manner. Although concentrations of both species depended on the concentration of NOM, hydrogen peroxide concentrations were only minimally affected by the presence of iron. Increasing the NOM concentration while the total iron concentration was maintained constant led to an increase in the maximum ferrous iron concentration, suggesting that superoxide-mediated reduction of iron may be a major pathway for ferrous iron formation. This was supported by measurements of superoxide production from irradiation of NOM in the absence of iron and kinetic calculations, as well as an experiment in which superoxide dismutase was added. Further analysis of the data suggested that dissolved oxygen and photo-produced hydrogen peroxide were the primary oxidants of the Fe(II) formed. Thus we propose that superoxide and ferrous iron may be intricately coupled in the system, and that their generation is determined by the supply of NOM available to harvest light and donate electrons.     

The effect of salinity on ammonium sorption in aquatic sediments: Implications for benthic nutrient recycling

Ambient exchangeable ammonium concentrations in freshwater sediments are generally considerably greater than those reported for marine sediments. Laboratory measurements indicate that competition for cation exchange sites by ions in seawater is a factor responsible for the lower exchangeable ammonium concentrations in marine sediments. Exchangeable ammonium concentrations were 3- to 6-fold higher when river and estuarine sediments were incubated with fresh water relative to the same sediments incubated with salt water (%.-23). A model was developed to explore the implications for benthic nitrogen cycling of this salinity effect on exchangeable ammonium concentrations. Ammonium diffusion, exchangeable and dissolved ammonium concentrations, and nitrification rates were components of the model formulation. The model output suggests that higher exchangeable ammonium concentrations predicted in fresh water relative to marine sediments can markedly increase the fraction of the ammonium produced in sediments that is nitrified (and subsequently denitrified). These results are consistent with field and experimental laboratory data which indicate that a larger percentage of net ammonium production in aerobic freshwater sediments is nitrified and denitrified (80–100%) relative to marine sediments (40–60%).     

全球海洋硅循环及研究中面临的主要挑战

海洋硅循环是海洋生物地球化学循环的关键过程之一,对调控全球二氧化碳浓度、海洋酸碱度和多种元素(氮、磷、铁、铝等)的循环具有重要作用。在当今气候变化和人类活动影响日益增强的背景下,硅循环与“生物泵”及碳循环的紧密联系,是其成为地球科学领域研究热点的主要原因。海洋中硅的外部来源主要为河流、地下水、大气沉降、海底玄武岩风化作用和海底热液输送5个途径,在全球气温变暖趋势的影响下,极地冰川融化成为高纬度海域不可忽视的硅源。生物硅在沉积物中的埋藏、硅质海绵和生物硅的反风化作用是重要的海洋硅移除过程。海洋硅循环过程复杂,受生物(生物吸收、降解)、物理(吸附、溶解)和化学(矿化分解和反风化作用)多重因素的影响,针对海洋硅循环关键过程的研究有助于综合评估海洋硅的“源-汇”和收支。本文总结了海洋硅循环的主要过程及海洋硅的收支,根据国际和国内研究现状讨论了当前海洋硅循环研究中面临的主要问题和挑战。现有研究成果显示,海洋硅的外源输入和输出通量比以往的评估分别增加了2.4和2.2倍。在短时间尺度内(<8 ka),全球海洋中硅的收支大致平衡,海洋硅循环基本处于稳定状态。气候变化和人类活动导致河流输送至陆架边缘海的硅通量发生变化,可能影响硅藻等海洋浮游植物种群结构,是未来海洋硅循环研究需要关注的问题之一。陆架边缘海较高沉积速率和强烈的反风化作用提高了该区域生物硅的埋藏效率,准确评估该区域生物硅的埋藏通量仍是亟须解决的难题。目前的研究评估了全球海洋浮游硅藻、硅质海绵以及放射虫生产力,而海洋底栖硅藻生产力的贡献受到忽视,未来需要关注底栖硅藻对生物硅的贡献及其在海洋硅的生物地球化学过程中的作用。     

古海水pH值代用指标——海洋碳酸盐硼同位素研究进展

仪器测量的海水pH记录太短，无法评估海水pH自然变化的频率和幅度,并预测未来大气CO₂急剧增加后海水酸度的响应。海相碳酸盐的硼同位素是目前恢复古海洋pH的有效途径，倍受古气候—环境学家的重视。评述了近年来海洋碳酸盐的硼同位素的最新研究成果和研究现状，重点探讨了海相碳酸盐的硼同位素的测定方法、硼同位素—pH模型和古海水pH恢复等前沿内容，旨在提供一个系统的海洋碳酸盐硼同位素—pH系统的基本概念及研究思路，以利于气候学、地质学界了解这一交叉领域的发展动态。     

Some geochemical controls on Ni and Co concentrations in marine ferromanganese deposits

The uptake of Ni and Co in the hydrous Mn oxide or the amorphous Fe-oxide phases of ferromanganese deposits in the oceans was studied by electron-microprobe analyses of 17 natural manganese nodules and by experiments on desorption-dissolution of these metals from synthetic Fe oxide or Mn oxides and natural nodule material. Ni was found to occur nearly always in the Mn-oxide phases of natural nodules, while Co occurs both in the Mn-oxide and Fe-oxide phases, with a slight preference for the latter. The solubility of Ni and Co (from coprecipitates of these metals with Fe hydroxides after aging) in seawater was found to depend strongly on the crystallinity of the host phase. The adsorption of Co by the synthetic Mn oxides from seawater was higher than that of Ni. The experimentally determined solubility of Ni and Co in seawater from natural nodule material is extremely low and matches the concentration range of these metals in ocean water.     

Calcium-isotope fractionation in selected modern and ancient marine carbonates

The calcium-isotope composition (δ^44/42Ca) was analyzed in modern, Cretaceous and Carboniferous marine skeletal carbonates as well as in bioclasts, non-skeletal components, and diagenetic cements of Cretaceous and Carboniferous limestones. In order to gain insight in Ca²⁺_aq-CaCO₃-isotope fractionation mechanisms in marine carbonates, splits of samples were analyzed for Sr, Mg, Fe, and Mn concentrations and for their oxygen and carbon isotopic composition. Biological carbonates generally have lower δ^44/42Ca values than inorganic marine cements, and there appears to be no fractionation between seawater and marine inorganic calcite. A kinetic isotope effect related to precipitation rate is considered to control the overall discrimination against ⁴⁴Ca in biological carbonates when compared to inorganic precipitates. This is supported by a well-defined correlation of the δ^44/42Ca values with Sr concentrations in Cretaceous limestones that contain biological carbonates at various stages of marine diagenetic alteration. No significant temperature dependence of Ca-isotope fractionation was found in shells of Cretaceous rudist bivalves that have recorded large seasonal temperature variations as derived from δ¹⁸O values and Mg concentrations. The reconstruction of secular variations in the δ^44/42Ca value of seawater from well preserved skeletal calcite is compromised by a broad range of variation found in both modern and Cretaceous biological carbonates, independent of chemical composition or mineralogy. Despite these variations that may be due to still unidentified biological fractionation mechanisms, the δ^44/42Ca values of Cretaceous skeletal calcite suggest that the δ^44/42Ca value of Cretaceous seawater was 0.3-0.4‰ lower than that of the modern ocean.     

The Paleoceanography during the Time with High δ13C of Phanerozoic marine carbonates

Carbon isotopic composition of marine carbonates is a record for various important geological events in the process of earth development and evolution. The carbonates of Carboniferous, Permian and Triassic, as the transition from Paleozoic to Mesozoic-Cenozoic have very high ¹³C value. Taking this as the main point, and combined with the oxygen, strontium isotopic composition in carbonates, distribution of carbonate basin area through geologic time, the correlation of carbon isotopic composition of marine carbonates to sea level change, organic carbon burial flux, exchange of CO₂ content in atmosphere and ocean, and long cycle evolution of the earth ecosystems were approached. The results are shown as follows: ①The interval of ¹³C >3‰ during Phanerozoic was concentrated in Carboniferous, Permian and the beginning of Triassic, but the beginning of Triassic was characterized by higher frequency and larger fluctuations in ¹³C value during a short time, whereas the Carboniferous-Permian presented a continuously stable high ¹³C value, indicating a larger amount of organic carbon accumulation in this time interval. Relatively high ¹⁸O values during this time was also observed, showing a long time of glaciations and cold climate, which suggest a connection among rapid organic carbon burial, cold climate, as well as pCO₂ and pO₂ states of atmosphere. ②The over consumption of atmosphere CO₂ by green plants during the time with high ¹³C of seawater forced CO₂ being transferred from ocean to atmosphere for the balance, but the decrease in the seawater amount and water column pressure caused by the global cooling could weaken dissolution capacity of CO₂ in seawater and carbon storage of marine carbonates, and also reduce the carbonate sedimentary rate and decrease the carbonate basin area globally from Devonian to Carboniferous and Permian. During the middle-late Permian carbonate was widely replaced by siliceous sediments even though in shallow carbonate platform, which resulted in the decrease of marine invertebrates, suggesting the Permian chert event should be global. ③The Phanerozoic ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr trend of seawater showed a sharp fall in Permian and drop to a minimum at the end of the Permian, indicting input of strontium from the submarine hydrothermal systems (mantle flux). Such process should accompany with a supplement of CO₂ from deep earth to atmosphere and ocean system, but the process associated with widespread volcanism and rises of earth’s surface temperature pricked up the mass extinction during the time of end Permian. ④Cold climate and increase of continental icecap volume, the amalgamation of northern Africa and Laurentia continentals were the main reasons responsible for the sea level drop, but the water consumption result from the significantly increased accumulation of organic carbon should also be one of the reasons for the sea level drop on the order of tens of meters. ⑤The mass extinction at the end Permian was an inevitable event in the process of earth system adjustment. It was difficult for marine invertebrates to survive because of the continuously rapid burial of organic carbon, and of the decrease of sea water amount and its dissolution ability to CO₂. At last, at the end of Paleozoic, the supplement of CO₂ to atmosphere and ocean by widely magma activities resulted in a high temperature of earth surface and intensified mass extinction.     

Bioavailability of sediment-bound metals to marine bivalve molluscs: An overview

Coastal marine sediments are commonly enriched in metals, including potentially toxic trace metals, by natural processes and human activities. These sediments have long been regarded as the final repositories of contaminants, but in recent years it has been recognized that they can also serve as potentially important sources of metal contaminants for benthic organisms and benthic food chains in general. The geochemical and biological factors governing the bioavailability of diverse metals (Ag, Cd, Co, Cr, Se, Zn) that are bound to different kinds of marine sediments are reviewed. Particular attention has been paid to those species of marine bivalve mollusks that are used as bioindicators of coastal contamination. Both deposit-feeding and suspension-feeding bivalves can accumulate metals appreciably by assimilating sediment-bound metals that are ingested, although important differences have been recognized between these two feeding modes as well as between metals. The properties of the digestive tracts of deposit and suspension-feeding bivalves that influence metal bioaccumulation from food are also discussed. Through kinetic modeling, the relative importance of ingestion as a route of metal uptake has been compared quantitatively with uptake from the dissolved phase, including from pore water and from overlying water, and has been shown to account for the high concentrations in bivalve tissues for a number of contaminant metals.     

海水硝酸盐氮、氧同位素组成研究进展

海洋中氮的生物地球化学循环影响着海洋生态系统的结构和功能,并和全球气候变化有着密切的联系,一直是海洋科学研究的重点和热点。海水硝酸盐的15N/14N和18O/16O比值可以反映海洋中氮循环的主要过程,因而成为研究海洋氮循环的一个重要手段。综述海水硝酸盐氮、氧同位素组成的测定方法,同化吸收作用、硝化作用、反硝化作用、生物固氮作用等氮循环过程所导致的氮、氧同位素分馏及其在海洋学研究中的应用。海洋生态系中硝酸盐氮、氧同位素的分布可以提供支持生物生产力的氮来源信息,以及氮在不同储库迁移转化的路径与机制。未来的研究需要发展适用于低含量硝酸盐的同位素测量方法,构筑海洋氮的收支平衡,掌握影响上层海洋硝酸盐氮、氧同位素变化的过程,获取全球海域有关硝酸盐氮、氧同位素组成的更多数据。     

全球海水剖面Fe同位素组成的不均一性及其影响因素

全球海水剖面Fe同位素组成存在显著不均一性.对大西洋洋中脊、大西洋近海岸带、东太平洋和西太平洋弧后扩张中心多个站位的海水剖面溶解Fe浓度和Fe同位素组成进行了综合分析,得出以下主要认识:（1）不同区域的海水剖面溶解Fe浓度和Fe同位素组成呈现不同的变化特征,海水Fe同位素的变化趋势与海水溶解氧浓度变化一致,而与海水溶解Fe浓度呈镜像变化关系;（2）不同深度的海水溶解Fe浓度和Fe同位素组成特征的主要控制因素不同.表层海水受到大气降尘、生物作用影响呈现富重Fe同位素特征,受河流的影响Fe同位素组成偏轻;深层海水主要受到深海沉积和海底热液活动的影响,其中沉积物中的非还原溶解Fe导致海水富集重Fe同位素,而受洋中脊热液流体影响的深部海水显著富集轻Fe同位素;（3）将目前已知海底热液溶解Fe通量最小值（0.5 Gmol/a）作为全球大洋的热液溶解Fe通量,利用不同来源的溶解Fe同位素与其通量间的关系估算海底热液对海洋的Fe循环的贡献为~5.5%.由于海底热液流体的Fe通量可能远大于0.5 Gmol/a,因此,海底热液活动对海洋溶解Fe的贡献可能远超过前人的估算结果（6.0%）.      

Heavy metals in sediments of the rhine and elbe estuaries: Mobilization or mixing effect?

On their way from the Rhine estuary into the North Sea and Dutch Wadden Sea, Rhine sediments “lose” large portions of their original heavy metal concentrations. Until now these losses were explained by a mobilization process, solubilization — the decomposition products of organic matter form soluble organometallic complexes with the metals of the sediment. Our investigations of the sediments of the Elbe clearly indicate that a mixing process, whereby highly polluted Elbe sediments mix with relatively non-polluted North Sea sediments, rather than solubilization, is the cause of the dilution of heavy metals in the sediments of the Elbe estuary. Because of the similarity of the Elbe data with those from the Rhine River, we propose that a mixing process is also effective in the Rhine estuary and adjacent North Sea areas. The mechanism by which heavy metals are “diluted” is important to the marine ecosystem. In the mixing process proposed in this paper, the heavy metals fixed to the suspected material are trapped in bottom sediments of the marine environment, whereas solubilization would increase the concentration of heavy metals in the sea water and thus they would be more available for uptake by aquatic organisms.     

Modeling on adsorption–desorption of trace metals to suspended particle matter in the Changjiang Estuary

The uptake and release of trace metals (Cu, Ni, Zn, Cd, and Co) in estuaries are studied using river and sea end-member waters and suspended particulate matter (SPM) collected from the Changjiang Estuary, China. The kinetics of adsorption and desorption were studied in terms of environmental factors (pH, SPM loading, and salinity) and metal concentrations. The uptake of the metals studied onto SPM occurred mostly within 10 h and reached an asymptotic value within 40 h in the Changjiang Estuary. As low pH river water flows into the high pH seawater and the water become more alkaline as it approaches to the seaside of estuary, metals adsorb more on SPM in higher pH water, thus, particulate phase transport of metal become increasingly important in the seaward side of the estuary. The percentage of adsorption recovery and the distribution coefficients for trace metals remained to be relatively invariable and a significant reduction only occurred in very high concentrations of metals (>0.1 mg L⁻¹). The general effect of salinity on metal behavior was to decrease the degree of adsorption of Cu, Zn, Cd, Co, and Ni onto SPM but to increase their adsorption equilibrium pH. The adsorption–desorption kinetics of trace metals were further investigated using Kurbatov adsorption model. The model appears to be most useful for the metals showing the conservative behavior during mixing of river and seawater in the estuary. Our work demonstrates that dissolved concentration of trace metals in estuary can be modeled based on the metal concentration in SPM, pH and salinity using a Kurbatov adsorption model assuming the natural SPM as a simple surfaced molecule.     

High resolution X-ray fluorescence spectrometry for water analysis of metals in East China Sea

Within the last century, water pollution has become a major problem throughout the world. Aquatic systems are endangered by many different types of pollution but one of the most threatening is contamination by heavy metals, for example, Cd, etc. The presence of these metals is mainly due to industrial wastes or mining wastes being improperly treated and dumped into the water supply. The contamination may damage marine organisms or create changes in the aquatic environment. For these reasons, monitoring the concentrations of trace elements in rivers, coastal waters and open seawater is very important for environmental conservation. Like many countries in the world, China is facing the serious problem of water pollution in its aquatic system. Areas like the Yangtze River have been industrialized very quickly, and without proper waste control practices the pollution levels have increased with the economic growth. The Yangtze River covers thousands of square kilometers and crosses more than half of China before reaching the East China Sea.