Spatial and temporal variations of mesozooplankton in the Pearl River estuary, China

This paper examines spatial and temporal variations of mesozooplankton abundance, biomass and community structure during three cruises of July 2002 (summer), January 2003 (winter), and April 2003 (spring) in the Pearl River estuary, China. Zooplankton abundance and biomass fluctuated widely and showed distinct heterogeneity in the Pearl River estuary. A total of 154 species were identified during three surveys. The number of zooplankton species richness was strongly linked to salinity. Hierarchical cluster analysis identified three zooplankton groups during this study. Estuarine, neritic and pelagic groups corresponded to the upper, middle and lower reaches in the Pearl River estuary. The difference among groups could be mainly ascribed to changes in the relative contributions of the dominant species. The fluctuations in the zooplankton abundance, biomass and community structure were determined by the interactive effects of freshwater inflow, tidal and coastal currents, chlorophyll a, salinity and temperature. Significant spatial variability in the distribution of zooplankton species, abundance and biomass can be ascribed to the virtual presence of a horizontal gradient in salinity.     

长江口及其邻近海域有害藻华的发生情况、危害效应与演变趋势

长江口及其邻近海域是我国近海有害藻华高发区之一。自2000年以来,由东海原甲藻(Prorocentrum donghaiense)、米氏凯伦藻(Karenia mikimotoi)和亚历山大藻(Alexandrium spp.)等甲藻形成的大规模有害藻华连年暴发,对海水养殖业、人类健康和生态安全构成了严重威胁。以往调查和研究工作表明,长江口及其邻近海域藻华优势类群近年来已由硅藻逐渐转变为甲藻,同时,有害藻华原因种也表现出明显的年际变异特征和有毒有害藻种增多的态势,亟待解析其演变机理、趋势和驱动因素。长江口及其邻近海域受长江径流影响,富营养化问题突出,是大规模有害藻华形成的重要原因。同时,该海域也受到来自台湾东北部黑潮分支的影响,但对其与有害藻华的关系所知甚少。在中国科学院战略性先导科技专项"热带西太平洋海洋系统物质能量交换及其影响"支持下,针对这一问题开展了较为系统的调查和研究工作,本文对研究中得到的科学认识进行了初步总结。结果表明:东海黑潮分支能够到达长江口及其邻近海域赤潮区,影响该海域赤潮生物多样性状况;黑潮分支对长江口及其邻近海域甲藻赤潮发生过程具有重要调控作用;长江冲淡水和黑潮分支的共同作用决定了长江口及其邻近海域有害藻华的发生过程和演变趋势。在现有结果基础上进一步分析和讨论了未来长江口及其邻近海域有害藻华的研究方向,以期为进一步解析有害藻华演变趋势、提升有害藻华的监测和预警能力提供依据。     

基于新型高频声学多普勒流速剖面仪的河口近底部边界层观测初探

河口物质输运、能量交换与底边界层内的水动力过程密切相关,底边界层参数(如切应力、拖曳系数)的确定至关重要。挪威Nortek公司生产的新型声学多普勒流速剖面仪AD2CP相比传统ADCP具有高频、低噪的优点,可用于高频(16Hz)流速剖面观测,而被广泛应用于底边界层观测的ADV只能测量单点高频流速。本文采用AD2CP在长江口南槽最大浑浊带区域进行座底式观测,并与同步近底部三脚架上ADV的观测结果进行对比。结果表明,使用AD2CP测得的近底部平均流速与ADV的测量结果吻合良好;使用惯性耗散法计算了底切应力,基于ADV的单点高频流速数据计算结果为2.16×10~(-2)～5.69×10~(-1)N/m~2,基于AD2CP的结果为2.09×10~(-2)～4.26×10~(-1)N/m~2,二者范围大致相当。在此基础上,基于AD2CP数据计算出摩阻流速为4.55×10~(-3)～2.06×10~(-2)m/s、底拖曳系数范围为1.84×10~(-4)～2.49×10~(-3),与ADV的计算结果基本一致。此外,由于AD2CP可以获得高频的流速剖面数据,优于单点ADV,具备观测近底部边界层参数和边界层内湍流剖面的潜力。     

长江河口潮波传播机制及阈值效应分析

河口潮波传播过程受沿程地形(如河宽辐聚、水深变化)及上游径流等诸多因素影响,时空变化复杂。径潮动力非线性相互作用研究有利于揭示河口潮波传播的动力学机制,对河口区水资源高效开发利用具有重要指导意义。本文基于2007—2009年长江河口沿程天生港、江阴、镇江、南京、马鞍山、芜湖的逐日高、低潮位数据及大通站日均流量数据,统计分析不同河段潮波衰减率与余水位坡度随流量的变化特征,结果表明潮波衰减率绝对值与余水位坡度随流量增大并不是单调递增,而是存在一个阈值流量和区域,对应潮波衰减效应的极大值。为揭示这一阈值现象,采用一维水动力解析模型对研究河段的潮波传播过程进行模拟。结果表明,潮波传播的阈值现象主要是由于洪季上游回水作用随流量加强,余水位及水深增大,导致河口辐聚程度减小,而余水位坡度为适应河口形状变化亦有所减小,从而形成相对应的阈值流量和区域。     

2018年秦皇岛风暴潮前后岸基站及浮标主要水质参数变化分析

对2018年8月秦皇岛风暴潮期间3个入海口岸基站及邻近海域浮标的监测数据进行分析,结果显示:风暴潮导致入海口水体中COD、总磷、总氮和氨氮含量均明显升高;风暴潮2 d之后,3个入海口邻近海域均发生赤潮,此次赤潮的发生与风暴潮导致陆源入海污染物骤然大幅升高有关。此次风暴潮导致秦皇岛人造河口、大蒲河口和七里海3个岸基监测站的COD监测日均值最高分别达到15.83 mg/L、8.70 mg/L和7.92 mg/L,约升高至前期的2倍、1.5倍和2倍;人造河口总氮变化不大,大蒲河口和七里海总氮升高30%左右;大蒲河口总磷变化不大,人造河口总磷为前期的3.5倍,升高幅度最大,七里海总磷为风暴潮之前两日的2倍,但未超过前一周的最高浓度;风暴潮当天及第二天,人造河口、大蒲河口、七里海氨氮日均值陆续达到最高,分别为2.34 mg/L、1.11 mg/L和0.12 mg/L,分别为风暴潮前两日的7倍、3.5倍和10倍。风暴潮过后,入海口临近海域发生赤潮,浮标监测到叶绿素a最高值为76.4μg/L,pH和溶解氧也大幅升高。分析表明,此次风暴潮导致的入海口污染物突然大幅升高为风暴潮之后的赤潮发生提供了充足的营养基础。     

潮致泥沙全沙净输运解析模式

泥沙运动作为水流和底床相互作用的纽带,是河流、河口及海岸工程研究的重要内容。在潮波作用明显的河口、海岸地区,周期性的动力作用下的泥沙运动具有往复和可逆的特征,因此研究这类水域的泥沙的净输运更具有实际的意义。基于泥沙输运和流速呈指数关系假设,建立潮流环境下的泥沙全沙净输运的解析解公式,并对该公式的计算结果和数值计算以及数学模型的结果进行了检验和验证,结果表明本研究提出的公式能较好地反应潮流环境下的泥沙净输运。由此,基于本公式采用潮流分潮调和常数可计算得到全沙净输运,并可以分析各分潮流及其相互作用与泥沙净输运的关系。研究结果显示,在受径流影响较大的半日潮河口,S2、MS4、M2三潮相互作用对全沙净输运的贡献显著高于通常的潮流不对称作用,即M2、M4的相互作用。此外,河口区域径流导致的余流对泥沙净输运的贡献不可忽略,特别是在洪季,大径流量条件下往往导致余流较大,其对泥沙净输运的贡献所占比例较大。     

鸭绿江河口沉积物元素地球化学及其控制因素

对鸭绿江河口地区的56个站位沉积物的常量元素含量进行了测试,并对测试结果进行了多元统计分析。研究结果表明,多数常量元素含量在鸭绿江西岸潮滩地区和西部海域波动较小,而在上游地区和河口口门地区变动较大,在河口最大浑浊带内出现两个峰值。R型主因子分析结果表明,粒度控制效应对鸭绿江河口地区常量元素的含量分布起着主要作用,贡献方差达76.55%。运用Q型聚类分析将各站位归为两种类型,揭示出沉积动力环境的差异是造成这种常量元素地球化学分区特征的最主要因素。此外,通过与附近河口对比发现鸭绿江河口及近岸地区沉积物中的常量元素含量同朝鲜半岛的河流、中朝准地台花岗岩以及朝鲜半岛花岗岩比较接近,但与长江和黄河有着较大的差异。     

Nitrous oxide production and denitrification rates in estuarine intertidal saltmarsh and managed realignment zones

Increasing concerns over habitat loss and rising costs of sea defence maintenance due to rising sea levels, has seen increases in the practice of managed realignment and reflooding of former reclaimed areas of intertidal saltmarsh and mudflat around the world. These practices are taking place with little knowledge of their impact on soil biogeochemical processes. Rates of denitrification (using the acetylene inhibition technique) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) production were measured from a long-established saltmarsh (SM) and an adjacent, recently re-flooded managed realignment (MR) site comprising former arable land in the estuary of the River Torridge, Devon, UK. Incubations were carried out in closed chambers in which patterns of tidal flooding were simulated automatically. Measurements were made during periods of flood and non-flood over a total of four tidal inundations with estuarine water. During the latter two flooding episodes floodwater was amended with nitrate (NO₃⁻). Nitrous oxide production in the SM soil generally was lower than in the MR soil, with mean values and standard errors over the whole incubation of 0.27 ± 0.16 mg N₂O-N m⁻² h⁻¹ and 0.65 ± 0.15 mg N₂O-N m⁻² h⁻¹ respectively. Denitrification rates demonstrated a similar trend although generally were an order of magnitude higher than N₂O production, with mean rates and standard errors of 2.88 ± 1.12 mg N₂O-N m⁻² h⁻¹ in the SM soil and 3.39 ± 1.16 mg N₂O-N m⁻² h⁻¹ in the MR soil. The data suggest that both soils are net sinks for NO₃⁻ and net sources for N₂O. Both patterns of tidal inundation and floodwater chemistry affect the process rates in each soil differently. The impact of flooding with NO₃⁻ – amended water was greater on the SM soil than the MR soil, and it is likely that decomposing vegetation buried in the accreting sediments following reflooding at the MR site were supplying a source of N in the soil, and so process rates were less dependent upon external supplies. The act of managed realignment in intertidal zones could therefore result in an increase in mean production of N₂O in intertidal zones, at least in the short term.     

Effects of parasitism and environment on shell size of the South American intertidal mud snail Heleobia australis (Gastropoda)

The aim of this work was to evaluate the effects of parasitism and certain environmental factors on the shell size of Heleobia australis (Hydrobiidae, Cochliopinae). We report sporocysts and metacercariae of Microphallus simillimus (Microphallidae, Trematoda) parasitizing the gonad and digestive gland of H. australis specimens from two sites of Bahía Blanca estuary, Argentina. The prevalence of infection was significantly higher (34.17% in winter and 68.14% in late spring) in snails from the outer estuary at Site 2 than in those from the inner estuary at Site 1 (5.88% and 4.71% respectively). The only known definitive host for this digenean is the white-backed stilt Himantopus melanurus (Recurvirostridae, Aves), most abundant in the estuary during winter. Parasitism by M. simillimus causes variations in the shell dimensions of H. australis, the shells of infected snails being narrower than those of uninfected snails. Snails from Site 2 were found in general to be significantly smaller than those at Site 1, possibly as a result of differences in environmental factors such as the degree of exposure to wave energy, the allocation of energy to reproduction rather than growth (induced by predation and/or parasitic castrators) and anthropogenic stressors.     

The impact of extreme turbidity events on the nursery function of a temperate European estuary with regulated freshwater inflow

Estuaries are used as nursery grounds by numerous marine species despite being usually subject to strong anthropogenic disturbances. Abundances of marine recruits (fish and crustacean decapods) and their main prey (mysids) were monitored by monthly sampling, from June 1997 to February 2009, in the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir estuary (SW Spain). During that period, unusually high and persistent turbidity events (HPTEs) were observed twice. Both HPTEs started with strong and sudden freshwater discharges after relatively long periods of very low freshwater inflow. Data from this time-series were used to test the hypothesis that HPTEs may negatively impact the nursery function of estuaries either by decreasing prey availability or by decreasing survival/arrival of marine recruits. During HPTEs, the commonest mysid (Mesopodopsis slabberi), a key species in the estuarine food web, showed a significant decrease in abundance. Likewise, some marine recruits that prey on M. slabberi and whose peaks of abundance within the estuary occur in summer–autumn (Engraulis encrasicolus and Pomadasys incisus) were less abundant during HPTEs. It is also suggested that HPTEs might have triggered a shift in the distribution of the most euryhaline prey (Neomysis integer) and predator (Dicentrarchus punctatus and Crangon crangon) species, towards more saline waters. This could have contributed to an increase in the inter-specific competition (for food/habitat) within the estuarine nursery area. The results discussed in this study call attention to the need to reduce as much as possible the anthropogenic pressures that may stimulate the occurrence of high and persistent turbidity events (HPTEs) in order to preserve the nursery function of temperate estuaries.