Natural and human-induced effects on grain size of surface sediments along the Lianyungang muddy coast, China

To examine spatial variations of grain-size characteristics caused by both natural and human-induced processes along the Lianyungang muddy coast,China,129 samples were collected and measured using standard sieving and sedimentation techniques.Results show that sediment diameter tends to increase with increasing water depth from nearshore to offshore.Size-frequency distributions indicate a gradual mixing process of coarse and fine diameter material.Grain size trend analysis indicates that a man-made structure,the West Breakwater,along with Liandao Island itself,has resulted in severe siltation in Haizhou Bay and the Lianyungang port area,where sediment quality is also poor.Results demonstrate that grain size can be used as a natural tracer to infer how sediments respond to the effects caused by both natural and human-induced processes.     

Occurrence and microscopic analyses of multicellular magnetotactic prokaryotes from coastal sediments in the Yellow Sea

Multicellular magnetotactic prokaryotes(MMPs) are a group of aggregates composed of 7-45 gram-negative cells synthesizing intracellular magnetic crystals.Although they are thought to be globally distributed,MMPs have been observed only in marine environments in America and Europe.Most MMPs share a rosette-like morphology and biomineralize iron sulfide crystals.In the present study,abundant MMPs were observed,with a density of 26 ind./cm3,in the sediments of a coastal lagoon,Lake Yuehu,in the Yellow Sea.Optical microscopy showed that all of them were rosette shaped with a diameter of 5.5±0.8 mm.Transmission electron microscopy revealed that these MMPs were composed of 10-16 ovoid cells and flagellated peritrichously.High-resolution transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis indicated that they biomineralized bullet-shaped magnetite crystals in highly organized parallel chains within which the magnetosomes were oriented in the same direction.This is the first report of MMPs from Asia and demonstrates the ubiquitous distribution of MMPs.     

GEOCHEMICAL STUDY OF THE CORE S01 IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA

Si, Ti, Al, Fe, Mn, Ca, Mg, K, Na, P and Sr, Ba, Rb, Ga, V, Zr, Cr, Ni, Co, Cu, Zn, Pb,Nb, Y, Th, La in the core S01 were analyzed and the pattems of their enrichment are discussed.Enrichment of Na, Fe, Mn, Ba, Cu elements in the core indicates volcanic material are an importantsoarce of the sediments in the area. The enrichment frequently varying with the deposition processshows bottom volcanism is frequent in the area and that the studied area is a margin basin with distinctoceanic characteristics. The abnormal enrichment of Mn at the layers(0-15 cm and 665-670 cm) of the core could beclosely related to and so, indicate, the wide deposition hiatus that have occurred in the West PacificOcean and adjacent margin seas since Late Pleistocene.     

A STUDY ON THE ECOLOGICAL CLIMATES OF SOME FAMOUS TEA GROWING AREAS IN HIGH MOUNTAINOUS REGIONS OF CHINA

The tea tree [Camellia sinensis (L) Kuntze] is one of the world's economic crops. It is an especially important crop for southern China. Environmental factors related to the tea yield and quality in some high mountain areas of China are identified in this paper. These factors are: geology, topography, climate, hydrology, soil and vegetation. Climatological factors are the most important. Using data collected from meteorological stations which are situated at the summit and the base of high mountains, this paper discusses ecological climatic problems in growing tea in China. The ecological climatic characteristics of the famous tea areas mainly included are as follows: more . amounts of clouds and fog, less percentage of sunshine, abundant rainfall and high relative humidity in the air, temperatures that rise and fall slowly, daily and annual temperature ranges that are smaller, more days that are suitable for tea growing and low wind speeds in the lee-sides and valleys of mountains. All of these factors     

STUDY ON URBAN LAND SAVING IN THE ECONOMICDEVELOPED COASTAL REGION OF CHINA

In China, the land resource per person is poor withregard to the huge number of population. According tothe recent data from the National Land Bureau, theaverage land per person is 0. 11 ha, much less than0. 25 ha, the average land per person in the world(FAN, 1997). On the other hand, a large scale ofrural land is to be transmitted into urban land upon thefast proceeding of urbanization. At present, the urbanpopulation occupies about 30% of the total in China. Ifthe percent become 50% (th…     

Monitoring the anthropogenic impact on the muddy coast by means of topographic and bathymetric surveys north of the Yellow River Mouth,China

1　Introduction　Manhasmodifiedmanyoftheworld’scoastlines ,eitherdirectlybyconstructionordredging ,orindi rectlyasaresultofenvironmentalchangesthatinflu encesedimentsupply ,runoff,orclimate (Johns ,1995 ) .HumanactivityhasalsoproducedthemostprofoundeffectsonthecoastalenvironmentinChina .Forex ample,damconstructions ,whichrestrictpeakflowsintheupstreamoftheYellowRiver ,couldgreatlyre ducethenaturalsupplyofsedimentintotherivermouthandresultintheerosionofbeaches .　Inrecentyears,manystudiescon…     

Distribution and origin of sediments on the northern Sunda Shelf, South China Sea

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Clay minerals and geochemistry of the bottom sediments in the northwestern East China Sea

Clay minerals of 34 sediments collected from the northwestern continental shelf of the East China Sea have been determined by X-ray diffraction analysis. The clay mineral distribution is mainly controlled by the sediment source and the dominant circulation pattern. The predominant clay mineral in our study area is illite comprising more than 67% of the whole clay fraction. The highest concentration of illite (>68%) is found in the southeastern offshore parts beyond the reach of terrigenous input from the Jeju Island. It means that these illites are largely transported by the Kuroshio Current from the South China Sea (SCS). Smectite is highly concentrated in the northwest middle part and in the outer-shelf mud patch. It seems to be due to the high supply of smectite transported from China where fine-grained sediments are discharged from modern and ancient Huanghe (Yellow) River. The relatively high abundant kaolinite is likely derived from the Changjiang (Yangtze) River via the Taiwan Warm Current. In contrast, large amounts of chlorite and high chlorite/kaolinite ratios occur in the northwestern area, reflecting the transportation by the Yellow Sea Coastal Current from the southern Yellow Sea. The discrimination diagrams clearly show that the sediments in the northwestern East China Sea are ultimately sourced from Chinese rivers, especially from the Huanghe River, whereas the sediment in the northeast part might come from the Jeju Island. The muddy sediments of the Changjiang River’s submerged delta have much lower 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.716 2–0.718 0) than those of the Shandong Peninsular mud wedge (0.721 6–0.724 9), which are supposed to be originated from the Huanghe River, suggesting the distribution pattern of 87Sr/86Sr ratios as a new tracer to discriminate the provenance of shelf sediments in the study area. The 87Sr/86Sr ratios of the outer-shelf muddy sediments ranged from 0.7169 to 0.7216 in a wide range and was between those of the Huanghe River and Changjiang River sediments, suggesting multiple sources of the sediment in the area.     

BACKGROUND STUDY ON NON-RESIDUAL PHASE OF ELEMENTS IN CHANGJIANG AND HUANGHE ESTUARINE SEDIMENTS

Analysis of Zn, Cu, Pb, Co, Cr, Li, Ni, K, Al, Fe extracted by 1 mol/L HCl or 0.5 mol/LHCl/H_2O_2, showed concentrations of Zn, Cu, Pb, Co, Cr, Fe, Ni were significantly correlated with Li, Al,K, and clay. Two methods are used to indicate the background value of the non-residual phase of elementsin sediments, and are the same as the methods used to indicate the background value of totalconcentrations in sediments. The first method uses correlograms and regression equations,the second usesthe mean element concentrations normalized with grain size. Li, Al, K can be used as reference elements to determine the background value of Zn, Cu, Pb, Co,Cr, Ni, Fe, while the clay concentration's correlation with some extractable concentrations can be used tocalculate the background value of the non-residual phase of elements as a percentage of clay concentrationin the sediments. Based on this study, the concept of using the background value of the non-residualphase of elements to compare the pollution level in differ     

A comparative study of fish community in four main estuaries of China southeastern coastal areas and their adjacent waters

Based on literature and survery data of fish composition collected by bottom trawl investigation from 2006 to 2007 infour main estuaries of China southeastern coastal areas and their adjacent waters,changes of the taxonomic diversity across spatialand temporal scales of fish community were analyzed by taxonomic diversity indices.The results are as follows:a total number of1397 fish species(including some freshwater species),belonging to 2 classes,42 orders,186 families and 593 genera,were collected inthe studied sea areas.The species richness increased with lower latitudes,particularly so with Perciformes.There were 339 fish spe-cies in the Yangtze River Estuary and adjacent waters,belonging to 2 classes,31 orders,101 families and 231 genera.There were 535fish species in the Minjiang River Estuary and adjacent waters,belonging to 2 classes,33 orders,133 families and 323 genera.A totalnumber of 803 fish species were collected in the Jiulongjiang River Estuary and adjacent waters,which belonged to 2 classes,35 orders,155 families and 419 genera.And 1021 fish species which belonged to 2 classes,32 orders,153 families,and 466 genera were collectedin the Pearl River Estuary and adjacent waters.The numbers of orders and families of fish species from the northern to the southern wa-ters first increased and then decreased.The average variation in taxonomic distinctness(Λ+)gradually decreased with lower latitudes inthe four estuaries and adjacent waters.There were no significant differences in the average taxonomic distinctness(△+)among the fourestuaries and adjacent waters,and fish fauna were closely related with each other,and all of them belonged to the same zoogeographicalfauna(Indian-Malaysia fauna).Fish composition in the Minjiang River Estuary and adjacent waters was more similar to that in the Jiu-longjiang River Estuary and adjacent waters among the four estuaries.Compared with the historical data,the average taxonomic dis-tinctness of fish community showed a great decrease in the Minjiang River Estuary and the Jiulongjiang River Estuary and their adjacentwaters.     

The resuspension rate of sediments in 32°N section on the East China sea

This research on the influence of sediment resuspension on the flux of materials in the margin of the East China Sea showed that the sediment resuspension rates, was 47.40%–79.18% in the surface layers, and 72.75%–96.96% in the bottom layers. The research confirmed that the Changjiang River runoff and the eddy area upwelling flow near 125°E were two important factors affecting the sediment resuspension in summer; the transformation of DOC to POC through the flocculation in the transitional region (123°–124°E) was also confirmed by comparison of the resuspension rate. The sediment resuspension was shown to be influenced by the seasonal factor, especially in the surface layer. Contribution No. 4017 from the Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Project 49636210 supported by NSFC.     

Chronology of coastal aeolian deposition and its paleo-environmental implications on the Liuao Peninsula of South China

Coastal dunes are a common geomorphic type in sandy coastal zones. They are a record of the coupled evolutionary processes of the wind and ocean waves. Many coastal dune fields have developed on the east coast of Fujian China and now occur as widespread typical coastal aeolian sand landforms on the Liuao Peninsula, Gulei Peninsula and Dongshan Island, but it is difficult to evaluate the dynamic geomorphologic process of sandy coast due to the lack of systematic and accurate chronological data. In this study, we selected the Hutoushan(HTS) aeolian dune on the Liuao Peninsula as the research object. Optical dating and grain-size analysis were applied to sand samples from the aeolian sequence of a profile of the HTS dune. The results show that the ages of seven samples of this profile were in the range of 37.8–0.19 ka from 4.0 to 0.2 m deep. These correspond to the Marine Isotope Stage 3(MIS3), abrupt climatic change events of 4.2 and 1.1 ka and the Little Ice Age(LIA), respectively. These samples displayed evidence of a longer-term climate trend in this area. The period of formation of this coastal aeolian dune corresponds to a cold and arid climate associated with the East Asia Winter Monsoon(EAWM). Periods of dune fixation and rubification are evidence of a hot and humid climate. Mobilization and stabilization of the aeolian dune is an important characteristic of the coastal evolution in South China since the late Pleistocene.     

Effects of ecological projects on vegetation in the Three Gorges Area of Chongqing,China

The construction of the Three Gorges Reservoir and the resettlement project have caused increasing contradictions between human and land,and led to the deterior...     

THE DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ECOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT AND THE MOVEMENT OF CIVILIZATION CENTER IN CHINA

China is one of the ancient civilization countries. Owing to the blind reclamation, the vegetation had been destroyed, causing soil erosion and desertification, and making the civilization center move to the Changjiang (Yangtze) River valley from the Huanghe (Yellow) River. This movement began in the Qin and Han dynasties (221 B.C-220 A.D.) because at that time the large-scale reclamation was felled, the grassland was reclaimed into farmland, the vegetation was seriously destroyed in the loess and north of the Huanghe River, and the climate was getting colder; and the turn from north to south occurred in the Sui and Tang dynasties (581-907 A.D.) and completed in the Song Dynasty (960-1279 A.D.). However, at present the vegetation damage of the Changjiang River valley is very serious too and the silt carrying capacity of the Changjiang River is increasing sharply; thus the Changjiang River is in danger of becoming a second Huanghe River, so we must pay attention to the protection of ecological environmen     

Regional ecological security and diagnosis of obstacle factors in underdeveloped regions: a case study in Yunnan Province,China

In order to clarify regional ecological security status and formation mechanism of regional ecological security barriers in underdeveloped regions of China, we took Yunnan province as a case to evaluate its regional ecological security by using entropy matter-element model, comprehensive index and GIS spatial method, and we diagnosed its obstacle factors through obstacle degree model. We found a low overall level of regional ecological security in Yunnan. Only Kunming fell into the good level, 68% of the regions were below the critical safe level. For the vast majority of regions in Yunnan, their regional ecological security was unstable. The indexes related to per capita resources, geological and topography environment, economic, and technology were at the unsafe or dangerous level. The indexes related to urban expansion, level of income, cultivated land quality were at the level of critical safety. The indexes concerning urban management capacity, air quality and water environment were at the good or ideal level. Yunnan’s regional ecological security was not good due to natural obstructive environment itself, simultaneously lower backward economic and social level restricted the ability of ecological security response to manage ragile ecological environment. The results of the composite index were roughly consistent with those of the entropy weight matter-element model. The mean values of the classification index, from high to low, were: the state index > the response index > the pressure index. The state index and the response index had a significant mutual promotion to each other. The regions with good composite index, state index and response index mainly distributed in the central regions of Yunnan Province. Spatial autocorrelation of regional ecological security level in Yunnan was not obvious. Water resources, economic and social development were main obstacle factors of the regional ecological security. When distinguishing with obstacle type, Kunming belonged to natural ecological environment barrier type, while other regions belonged to economic and social barrier type.     

The impact of coastal reclamation on tidal and storm surge level in Sanmen Bay,China

In recent years, fast economic development demands for more land use and thus many reclamation projects are initiated around the Sanmen Bay, Zhejiang, SE China in the East China Sea, for which tidal and storm surge levels are reassessed. A two-dimensional numerical model based on an advanced circulation model(ADCIRC) was applied to evaluate the impact of reclamation projects on tidal and storm surge levels in the bay. The results show that the shoreline relocation and topographic change had opposite effects on tidal heights. Shoreline relocation decreased the tidal amplitude, while siltation caused topographic change and increased the amplitude. Such variations of the amplitude were significant in the top areas of Sanmen Bay. Three types of typhoon paths were selected for a case study to investigate the impacts of shoreline relocation and topographic change on storm surge level. Results show that the maximum increase in storm surge level due to shoreline relocation was less than 0.06 m. The rise of peak surge level due to the change of topography was significant and the peak surge level rose when siltation increased. The maximum surge level rise occurred in the path of northwest landing typhoons, which exceeded 0.24 m at the top of the bay. The rise in peak surge level can potentially lead to severe damages and losses in Sanmen Bay and more attention needs to be paid to this problem of shoreline change in the future.     

Origin and geochemistry of surface sediments in the mud deposit area offshore the Shandong Peninsula,China

The waters offshore the Shandong Peninsula separate the North Yellow Sea from the South Yellow Sea,and receive a large amount of terrestrial material from Chinese and Korean rivers,making it an ideal area for studying land-sea interactions.However,little attention has been given to measuring sediment transportation in most previous studies.Based on an analysis in composition of major and trace elements and particle size characteristics from 62 surface sediment samples from the northeastern region off Shandong Peninsula,the type,element composition,and controlling factors of the surface sediments were inve stigated.In addition,the transportation of sediments from source to sink was described from measured thermohaline data.The results show two types of surface sediments:sandy silt and silt.The sediments were mainly terrestrial;and marine carbonate had little effect on sediment composition.Shown on a binary diagram of Rb/Sc to Co/Sc,the Huanghe(Yellow) and Changjiang(Yangtze) rivers are the main sources of surface sediments in the study area.The component mixing model showed that the relative contribution of sediment from the Huanghe River was up to 92%,followed by the Changjiang River(8%).The Yellow Sea Warm Current and the North Shandong Peninsula Coastal Current met at ～3 7.7°N in the study area,and were the main forces carrying sediment from the two main river sources.However,there was a deficit of transported material into the study area in summer.The secondary distribution of sediment from the two river sources was controlled by tidal currents and waves.     

Distribution of dissolved inorganic arsenic and its seasonal variations in the coastal area of the east China sea

Water samples were collected in the coastal area of the Changjiang Estuary on four cruises from August 2002 to May 2003. The seasonal variations of dissolved inorganic arsenic （DIAs） distributions were analyzed. The results showed that the distributions of DIAs were mainly influenced by Water （KSSW）. The concentration of the total dissolved the terrestrial input and the intrusion of the Kuroshio Subsurface inorganic arsenic （TDIAs） decreased consecutively from winter to summer, while it increased in autumn. The distributions of TDIAs showed some relationships with salinity and suspended particulate matter （SPM）. The relationships between DIAs speciation （including arsenite [ As（ Ⅲ ） ] and arsenate [ As（ Ⅴ ） ]）, biological activity and the availabilities of the phosphate were investigated in the study area for the cruise August 2002. The ratio of As （Ⅲ）/TDIAs increased with the decrease of phosphate concentrations. In the bottom water, the As（ Ⅲ ）/TDIAs ratio decreased with the increasing of N/P. The concentration of TDIAs decreased 28.7% approximately after the occurrence of harmful algal blooms （HAB） because of the uptake of arsenate by algae. Further study is needed about the arsenic source/sink relationships in their vertical or horizontal profiles and the uptake mechanism during the occurrence of harmful algal blooms.     

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.