Vertical dynamics of summer phytoplankton in a stratified estuary (Gulf of Finland,Baltic Sea)

We present the results of multiparametric observations designed to follow the phytoplankton dynamics and interrelated physical, chemical and biological processes in the Gulf of Finland (Baltic Sea). Data were acquired by an autonomous moored water column profiler, an acoustic Doppler current profiler, a flow-through system installed aboard a ferry and by profiling and discrete water sampling aboard research vessels in July and August 2009. The main aim of the study was to investigate the processes responsible for the formation and maintenance of sub-surface maxima of phytoplankton biomass. We suggest that the environmental conditions caused by the prevailing atmospheric and oceanographic forcing (wind; vertical stratification; basin-wide, mesoscale and sub-mesoscale processes) are preferred by certain species/taxonomic groups and explain the migration patterns of phytoplankton. Nocturnal downward migration of phytoplankton with a swimming speed up to 1.6 m h⁻¹ occurred when the community was dominated by the dinoflagellate Heterocapsa triquetra. The observed splitting of the population into two vertically separated biomass maxima suggests that the H. triquetra cells, which reached the sub-surface layers with high nutrient concentrations, experienced bi-diurnal or asynchronous (when swimming upwards) vertical migration. The most intense sub-surface biomass maxima, on some occasions with the biomass much higher than that in the surface layer, were detected in connection to the sub-mesoscale intrusions below the depth of the strongest vertical density gradient.     

Synoptic hydrography of a highly stratified estuary

This study investigates the hydrodynamic characteristics of the lower, middle, and upper sectors of a highly stratified estuary, the Itajaí-Açu river estuary (south of Brazil ∼27° S/48.5° W). The study is based on a 25-h field campaign with three sampling stations positioned at 2, 17, and 38 km inward from the river mouth, during low river discharge condition and spring tide. The experimental data gathered was reduced and analyzed in terms of distribution of variables in time and space tide average vertical profiles and decomposition of the advective transport of salt and suspended particulate matter (SPM). Tidal range was nearly constant along the estuary, presenting time lag of about 2 h between lower and upper estuary. The ebb discharge peaks were about twice the discharge flood peaks and occurred simultaneously. The tide was the main determining agent in the lower estuary, where currents, salt stratification, and SPM distributions presented a repetitive behavior. In the middle estuary, the tide effects were also observed, but the presence of saline waters decreased along the time due to increasing river discharge during the campaign. The distribution of SPM in the mid- and upper estuary presented patched pattern not associated with tides and may be attributed to short-term flood contributions of tributaries. Currents presented ebb dominance in all three sectors; in the middle and upper estuary, they presented also a time asymmetry, with ebb currents longer than flood. The advective transport of salt in the lower estuary was upstream, with dominance of gravitational circulation term. In the mid-estuary, there was practically no transport, with balance between fluvial discharge (downstream) and tidal correlation (upstream). The advective transport of SPM was upstream in the lower estuary and downstream in the mid- and upper estuary, being dominated by gravitational circulation in the former and fluvial discharge in the others.     

Determining the photosynthetic productivity of a stratified phytoplankton population

During the summer, a stratified population of the red-coloured cyanobacterium Planktothrix rubescens dominates the phytoplankton of Lake Zürich. The organism hovers in the metalimnion by regulating its buoyancy, provided by gas vesicles. The daily integral of primary production by the organism has been calculated from its P/I curve and measurements of the vertical distributions of Planktothrix sp., irradiance and temperature in the lake, using numerical integration with Excel spreadsheets. The basic methods are described and the particular problems of analysing production by stratified populations are discussed. Daily integrals of primary production based on measured growth/irradiance (7/I) curves of P. rubescens produce a closer correspondence to the changes in the natural population than do integrals based on P/I curves.     

Mixing and phytoplankton growth around an island in a stratified sea

An island in a stratified region of the shelf seas creates a local increase in tidal mixing. The influences of the enhanced mixing on both the physical structure and phytoplankton biomass distribution have been assessed in a detailed survey of the Scilly Isles region of the Celtic Sea. Marked asymmetries in the observed pattern of stratification and sea surface temperature are in accord with the h/u³ distribution which predicts low stability regions occurring on the sides of the island. Displacement of the low stability regions relative to the h/u³ minima is consistent with a northward mean flow.Levels of biomass and primary productivity were found to be increased by a factor ～5 over a large region (～20 ×island area) surrounding the islands with particularly intense concentrations of phytoplankton in the pycnocline where chlorophyll levels up to 30 mg m^?3 were observed. The location of these maxima at some distance from the islands is suggestive of an intrusive flow of mixed water into the pycnocline. Estimates of nitrate flux, associated with the production of mixed water by stirring, are of the right order to sustain the observed levels of production.     

-座富营养化水库—福建山仔水库夏季热分层期间浮游植物垂向分布

对福建省水温分层型富营养化山仔水库夏季大坝断面垂向水体的物理化学参数进行了监测分析,并应用荧光分析法结合显微镜细胞计数法,对垂向分层水体和沉积物中的浮游植物生物量、群落组成及丰度进行了分析.结果表明,水库的水温分层能够引起水化学指标的分层.夏季大坝断面水体中的浮游植物以蓝藻门微囊藻属占绝对优势,垂向分布表现为表层的浮游植物细胞数量高于底层,温跃层以下细胞数急剧减少,水温分层可能决定着浮游植物的垂向分布,底泥中的浮游植物将为水体的水华提供"种源".     

Input and behaviour of linear alkylbenzenesulphonates (LAS) in a stratified estuary

Input and distribution of linear alkylbenzenesulphonates (LAS) in the highly stratified Krka River estuary were studied during 1990–1991. Determinations of individual LAS homologues in wastewater and estuarine waters were performed using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with spectrofluorimetric detection. The investigated municipal wastewaters contained LAS homologues with alkyl-chain lengths from C₁₀ to C₁₃ at total concentrations in the range of 285–1041 μg l⁻¹. Total LAS input via wastewaters into ibenik Harbour, the most polluted part of the estuary, was estimated at 12.6 kg day⁻¹. A relatively large fraction of total LAS, depending on the wastewater particle load, was found in particulate form (11–59%). Distributions of the individual homologues in dissolved and particulate fractions were rather different, the latter being significantly enriched in higher homologues (C₁₂, C₁₃). The LAS concentration in the estuary was quite low (0.2–23.9 μg l⁻¹) which was caused chiefly by a strong and fast dilution process. However, characteristic vertical distribution of LAS in the estuarine water column indicated that the wastewater plume spreads almost exclusively in the upper (brackish) layer. The concentration maxima were observed in the surface microlayer and at the brackish water/seawater boundary.     

Species diversity and distribution for phytoplankton of the Pearl River estuary during rainy and dry seasons

Based on data collected at 31 stations and 1 continuous station in the Pearl River estuary during cruises of July 1999 (rainy season) and January 2001 (dry season), this study examined taxonomic composition, abundance, and spatial distribution of phytoplankton. Results indicated 130 species of phytoplankton in the samples from the rainy season, and 132 species in the dry season. Among them, in the rainy season, 82 species of diatom, 39 fresh-water and half-fresh-water species and 41 species of red tide organisms were found. Within these, there were 54 tropical and sub-tropical species, 47 cosmopolitan species and 17 temperate species. The abundance of phytoplankton in the rainy season was higher than that of the dry season, with an average of 6.3 x 10(5) cells x L(-1) and 1.4 x 10(5) cells x L(-1), respectively. Diversity index (H') and evenness (J) were 2.47 and 0.57 in the rainy season, and 2.01 and 0.54 in the dry season. The dominant phytoplankton species in the rainy season was Skeletonema costatum with an average of 2.8 x 10(5) cells x L(-1) and 45.0% of the total phytoplankton abundance. In the dry season, Eucampia zoodiacus became the key dominant species (5.9 x 10(4) cells x L(-1)) when it was 43.47% of the total phytoplankton abundance. Distribution of the dominant species varied with salinity of sea-water, and their amounts correlated negatively with nutrients and zooplankton.     

Variations in light absorption properties during a phytoplankton bloom in the Pearl River estuary

From 15 to 28 August in 2007, a Chaetoceros socialis bloom was detected in the Pearl River Estuary water with chlorophyll a concentration (Chl a) up to 30 mg m⁻³ and cell density up to 10⁶ cells L⁻¹. Time series of bio-optical measurements was obtained at a single site (114.29°E, 22.06°N) with the mooring of marine optical buoy. Light absorption properties of seawater experienced large variability throughout the algal bloom. Absorption by colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) was one of the dominant optical components of the light absorption (30–70%) especially for pre- and post-bloom waters, and it tended to decrease with Chl a during the algal bloom. Absorption by phytoplankton was another dominant optical component (18–50%) and increased rapidly with Chl a. Phytoplankton and accompanying material played dominant roles in light absorption as indicated by the relationship between absorption coefficient and Chl a. At high pigment concentrations, water samples showed significantly lower specific phytoplankton absorption, compared with pre- and post-bloom conditions, with the specific phytoplankton concentration at 443 nm varied between 0.011 and 0.022 m² mg⁻¹ and that at 676 nm between 0.007 and 0.018 m² mg⁻¹; small values of blue-to-red ratio of phytoplankton were also observed. These lower values were associated with variations in phytoplankton size structure. Spectral variability of phytoplankton absorption and total absorption (not including the fixed background absorption by pure water itself) could be expressed as simple linear functions linking absorption at one wavelength to the absorption at the other wavelengths, with the slope of the relationship changing with wavelength. The absorption coefficients by non-algal particles and CDOM follow the general exponential functions with remarkably limited variability in the exponent with means of 0.0105 and 0.0166 nm⁻¹, respectively. These spectral dependencies of absorption coefficients provide useful information for retrieving inherent optical properties from reflectance data in a remote-sensing context.     

Long-term perspective on the relationship between phytoplankton and nutrient concentrations in a southeastern Australian estuary

Sixteen years (1997–2013) of physicochemical, nutrient and phytoplankton biomass (Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a)) data and a decade (2003-2013) of phytoplankton composition and abundance data were analyzed to assess how the algal community in a temperate southeastern Australian estuary has responded to decreased chronic point source nitrogen loading following effluent treatment upgrade works in 2003. Nitrogen concentrations were significantly lower (P < 0.05) following enhanced effluent treatment and Chl-a levels decreased (P < 0.05) during the warmer months. Temperature and nutrient concentrations significantly influenced temporal changes of Chl-a (explaining 55% of variability), while salinity, temperature, pH and nutrient concentrations influenced phytoplankton abundance and composition (25% explained). Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) dynamics differed between sites likely influenced by physical attributes of the estuary. This study demonstrates that enhanced effluent treatment can significantly decrease chronic point source nitrogen loading and that Chl-a concentrations can be lowered during the warmer months when the risk of blooms and HABs is greatest.     

Vertical ozone distribution on a global scale

All available data of the vertical ozone distribution measured with chemical sondes have been assembled and combined with one year's results from the BUV satellite to obtain the best possible information on the vertical ozone distribution averaged over longitude as a function of season (month by month). For the southern hemisphere Umkehr data have been used as a guideline in the necessary smoothing procedure. Especially in the northern hemisphere considerable adaptation to the observed latitudinal mean of the total amount was needed because most sounding stations, are situated in upper air trough positions.The results are presented as vertical distributions, as meridional cross sections of partial pressure and of mixing ratio and as partial pressure isolines as a function of latitude and season at different levels. The interaction between photochemical processes and transport resonsible for the observed distribution is briefly discussed.     

西藏巴松错浮游植物功能群垂直分布特征及其与环境因子的关系

为了解青藏高原湖泊浮游植物功能群垂直分布特征与环境因子的关系,本文选取西藏东南部最大的高山冰川堰塞湖之一的巴松错为研究对象,于2017年11月(枯水期)和2018年9月(丰水期)在湖心利用挂锤式深水采样器进行浮游植物垂直分层采样,共设置7个断面,采集水样84个.应用浮游植物功能群、相关性分析、冗余分析(RDA)等方法,对巴松错浮游植物功能群垂直分布特征及其与环境因子的关系进行了研究.结果表明:1)巴松错水体稳定性强,水温有明显的分层现象,枯水期在30~60 m处形成温跃层,丰水期在1~15 m和30~60 m处形成双温跃层;2)巴松错浮游植物群落共鉴定7门76属242种,物种组成均表现为硅藻蓝藻绿藻型结构;3)根据浮游植物功能群分类方法,可划分为25个功能群,分别为A、B、C、D、E、F、G、H1、H2、J、L M、L O、M、MP、N、P、S1、S2、T、W1、W2、X1、X2、X3和Y,优势功能群从枯水期的MP、D、L O、P转变为丰水期的D、F、L O、MP、N、P,其中MP功能群为巴松错浮游植物群落绝对优势群;4)通过RDA表明,不同水情期浮游植物功能群垂直分布特征受环境因子影响差异较明显,整体上,pH、总氮和氨氮浓度是影响浮游植物功能群分布格局的主要环境因子.     

Cellular energy allocation in mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) from the stratified estuary as a physiological biomarker

This study demonstrates the usefulness of cellular energy allocation (CEA) evaluations as a physiological biomarker to infer the occurrence of natural stress in native populations of mussels inhabiting the stratified estuary (Krka River estuary, Croatia). Sampling sites were selected based on their differences in the salinity and temperature. The CEA value was calculated as a ratio between available energy (E_a) and energy consumption (E_c). Generally, higher values of E_a were recorded in June than in November, which were especially evident in the storage components (carbohydrates and lipids), while the constitutive component (proteins) remained relatively constant. The highest E_c was recorded in mussels at estuarine site compared to coastal site, which may be caused by the energetically costly maintenance of osmotic balance. Decrease in CEA recorded in estuarine mussels may ultimately result in a lower amount of energy available for growth, reproduction, or defence against other stresses (e.g. pollution).     

The distribution of mercury in the Mersey estuary

The distributions of both dissolved and particulate mercury in the Mersey have been evaluated. A well-defined seaward increase of dissolved mercury concentrations was observed. Further offshore, much lower dissolved mercury concentrations, typical of unpolluted coastal waters, were recorded. Dissolved mercury is, however, rapidly removed from solution, presumably by scavenging and precipitation. Mercury-contaminated water discharged to the Manchester Ship Canal from the chlor-alkali plants at Runcorn and Ellesmere Port is periodically released to the estuary via the Weaver Sluices. Discrete dissolved mercury maxima are observed in the estuary adjacent to the point of release. A broad maximum in the particulate mercury distribution occurs in the middle estuary.     

Measuring natural phytoplankton fluorescence and biomass: a case study of algal bloom in the Pearl River estuary

A moored optical buoy was deployed in the Pearl River estuarine waters for a 15-day period. A four-day algal bloom event occurred during this study period. Both chlorophyll a concentration and algal cell density (a proxy for biomass) changed dramatically before and after the event. The chlorophyll concentration at a 2.3 m depth rose from 5.15 mg/m⁻³ at 15:00 h on August 19 to 23.62 mg/m⁻³ at 9:00 h on August 21, and then decreased to 3.24 mg/m⁻³ at 15:00 h on August 24. The corresponding cell density ranged from 1.57 × 10⁵ to 1.76 × 10⁶ cells/L. We used normalized fluorescence line height (NFLH) and normalized fluorescence intensity (NFI) in order to determine fluorescence activity. Combined with the in situ sampling dataset, we were able to correlate natural fluorescence (NFLH and NFI) with chlorophyll a concentrations, and found correlation coefficients of 0.72 and 0.75, respectively. We also found correlations between natural fluorescence and cell density, with correlation coefficients of 0.71 and 0.65, respectively. These results indicate that applying continuous time series of natural fluorescence can reflect changes in biomass. This technique will prove extremely useful for in situ and real-time observations using an optical buoy. Although there are still problems to solve in the real-time observation of natural fluorescence in algal bloom events, we discuss the primary factors affecting fluorescence signals and suggest possible methods for mitigating these issues.     

Study on nutrient distribution and interaction with sediments in a macro-tidal estuary

An integrated hydro-environmental model has been developed for predicting the distribution of nutrients in estuarine and coastal waters. This paper also reports on an application of the model to the Loughor Estuary in the UK, which has a high tidal range. The horizontal two-dimensional model considers the hydrodynamic, sediment transport, dissolved oxygen and nutrient cycling processes. In particular, the effect of sediment suspension and deposition on the nutrient distribution in the water column has been included in the model. A TVD-MacCormack scheme has been adopted to numerically solve the coupled partial differential equations. Field surveys and laboratory experiments in connection with the Loughor Estuary were conducted to obtain measured data for model calibration and verification. It was found that the linear isotherm model gave a good approximation of the adsorption/desorption processes over the range of nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations measured in the natural estuary. Through experiments on the collected soil samples, the salinity-dependent partition ratios between the adsorbed and dissolved nutrients were determined. The results of the established model showed good agreement with the measured data. Finally, the model was used to examine the implications of changing the sewage effluent discharge scheme on the nutrient distributions in the estuary.     

Mercury distribution in Douro estuary (Portugal)

Determinations of dissolved reactive and total dissolved mercury, particulate and sedimentary mercury, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), particulate organic carbon (POC) and suspended particulate matter (SPM) have been made in the estuary of river Douro, in northern Portugal. The estuary was stratified by salinity along most of its length, it had low concentrations of SPM, typically <20 mg dm(-3), and concentrations of DOC in the range <1.0-1.8 mg dm(-3). The surface waters had a maximum dissolved concentration of reactive mercury of about 10 ng dm(-3), whereas for the more saline bottom waters it was about 65 ng dm(-3). The surface waters had maximum concentrations of total suspended particulate mercury of approximately 7 microg g(-1) and the bottom waters were always <1 microg g(-1). Concentrations of mercury in sediments was low and in the range from 0.06 to 0.18 microg g(-1). The transport of mercury in surface waters was mainly associated with organic-rich particulate matter, while in bottom waters the dissolved phase transport of mercury is more important. Lower particulate organic matter, formation of chlorocomplexes in more saline waters and eventually the presence of colloids appear to explain the difference of mercury partitioning in Douro estuarine waters.     

Vertical distribution of a pollutant in river flow: Mathematical modeling

A mathematical model has been developed to assess the role of the shape of channel cross-section, the position of pollutant source on the bank slope, and the sedimentation rate of pollutant particles in the process of pollutant transport in water flow. The procedure of numerical experiments and the obtained results and conclusions can be of use in the simulations and studies of pollution propagation from sources on riverbanks in permafrost zone, which are subject to thermal erosion.     

新安江水库(千岛湖)湖泊区夏季热分层期间垂向理化及浮游植物特征

2010年7月对亚热带特大型水库——新安江水库湖泊区水体的垂向物理、化学参数以及浮游植物群落进行了观测研究,并应用Water-PAM对水体浮游植物垂向光合作用参数进行了测定.研究结果表明:夏季该水库湖泊区在水下10～20 m处形成明显的温跃层,垂向pH值、溶解氧及浊度的变化同叶绿素a浓度呈现高度一致;夏季浮游植物群落以硅藻占绝对优势,水体表层以梅尼小环藻(Cyclotella meneghiniana)为主,表层以下其它各层均以巴豆叶脆杆藻(Fragilaria cro-tonensis)为绝对优势种,垂向分布表现为5～10 m区间为浮游植物高密度区域,温跃层以下浮游植物密度显著下降,水温分层可能是决定浮游植物垂向分布的重要因素之一.浮游植物最大光合效率从表层向下层逐步降低,实际光合效率最大值出现在垂向10 m区域.     

Variation of particulate organic carbon and its relationship with bio-optical properties during a phytoplankton bloom in the Pearl River estuary

In this study, variations in the particulate organic carbon (POC) were monitored during a phytoplankton bloom event, and the corresponding changes in bio-optical properties were tracked at one station (114.29°E, 22.06°N) located in the Pearl River estuary. A greater than 10-fold increase in POC (112.29-1173.36 mg m⁻³) was observed during the bloom, with the chlorophyll a concentration (Chl-a) varying from 0.984 to 25.941 mg m⁻³. A power law function is used to describe the relationship between POC and Chl-a, and the POC:Chl-a ratio tends to change inversely with Chl-a. Phytoplankton carbon concentration is indirectly estimated using the conceptual model proposed by Sathyendranath et al. (2009), and this carbon is found to contribute 47.21% (±10.65%) to total POC. The estimated carbon-to-chlorophyll ratio of phytoplankton in diatom-dominated waters is found to be comparable with results reported in the literature. Empirical algorithms for determining the concentrations of Chl-a and POC were developed based on the relationships of these variables with the blue-to-green reflectance ratio. With these bio-optical models, the levels of particulate organic carbon and Chl-a could be predicted from the radiometric data measured by a marine optical buoy, which showed much more detailed information about the variability in biogeochemical parameters during this bloom event.