底栖有孔虫(Florilus decors)壳体微量元素/钙比值的LA-ICP-MS原位微区分析方法及应用——以长江口外海域为例

深海沉积物中有孔虫壳体的微量元素、同位素测试技术已较为成熟,而河口近海沉积物中有孔虫壳体元素微区测试却鲜有报道。本文报道了一种利用激光剥蚀电感耦合等离子体质谱（LA-ICP-MS）分析法测试取自长江口外沉积物中的有孔虫壳体元素/钙比值的技术,研究了氦气载气流量、能量密度、束斑大小、激光剥蚀频率等参数对测试结果的影响,优化了活体有孔虫原位分析方法。应用确定的测试条件对2016年7月取自长江口外的底栖有孔虫优美花朵虫样品（Florilus decors）进行测试,发现Mg、Sr等元素/钙比值在壳体不同位置上无显著差异,而Mn的数据较为离散,可能与有孔虫生长过程中经历的水环境及其变化有关。     

基于数字高程模型定量分析长江口深水航道工程治理效果

长江口深水航道工程于1998年开工建设,2002年和2005年一期和二期工程先后竣工,分别达到8.5和10.0 m通航水深。自2006年三期工程实施以来,北槽航道中段连续4a发生严重淤积,年疏浚维护量平均达6×107m3,影响三期工程目标的如期实现。通过自主开发的数字高程模型定量分析平台,建立时间序列的空间分布属性数据库,对长江口深水航道工程治理过程前后的河床冲淤变化规律和工程效果进行量化分析,分析结果揭示了长江口南港北槽深水航道近期淤积的泥沙来源、淤积过程、主要淤积原因和淤积部位,从而为工程治理对策提供科学依据。     

Spatial and temporal distributions of nitrogen, phosphorus and heavy metals in the intertidal sediment of the Chang jiang River Estuary in China

Spatial and temporal distributions of nutrients (N and P) and heavy metals (Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd) in the intertidal sediments at Dongtan wetland of the Changjiang River (Yangtze River) Estuary were examined by laying one transect running seaward to landward during January, April, June, August and October of 2005. Total nitrogen (TN) and heavy metal concentrations in the intertidal sediment showed an increasing trend from open bare °at to the high marsh, with the maximum concentrations in the high marsh and the minimum values in open bare °at. In contrast, sediment total phosphorus (TP) concentrations changed little among sampling sites. One-way ANOVA found that there were signiˉcantly temporal variations of nutrients and heavy metals concentrations in the intertidal sediment (P <0.05). The concentrations of heavy metals generally showed an increasing trend from January to October. As compared with other large estuaries, heavy metal contamination in the intertidal sediment of the Changjiang River Estuary was relatively low.     

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.     

Physical determinants of intertidal communities on dissipative beaches: Implications of sea-level rise

Sea-level rise is likely to cause significant changes in the morphodynamic state of beaches in the higher latitudes, resulting in steeper beaches with larger particle sizes. These physical changes have implications for beach invertebrate communities, which are determined largely by sediment particle size, and hence for ecosystem function. Previous studies have explored the relationships between invertebrate communities and environmental variables such as particle size, beach slope and exposure to wave action, and often these physical variables can be integrated in various indices of morphodynamic state. Most of these studies incorporated a full range of beach types that included wave-dominated surf beaches, where the wave action is harsh enough to enable reliable estimates of breaker height, a parameter included in several of the indices, and concluded that more dissipative beaches with gentler slopes and finer particle sizes often support a higher number of species and greater abundance than more reflective beaches. Whether these predictions remain valid for less wave-dominated beaches, where breaker height is more difficult to determine, is uncertain. In the present study, the abundance of meio- and macrofauna was quantified across a range of beaches in the UK, which are generally towards the lower energy end of the morphodynamic gradient, and their relationships with beach physical properties explored. No significant relationships were found between abundance and the standard morphodynamic indices, but significant relationships were found for both macro- and meiofaunal abundance when these indices were combined with an exposure index (derived from velocity, direction, duration and the effective fetch). All the relationships identified between abundance and combined morphodynamic indices indicated a higher abundance of both macro- and meiofauna on the more dissipative beaches. The reverse was however found for species richness. If predictions that accelerated sea-level rise will move beaches towards a more reflective morphodynamic state are correct, this could lead to declines in the abundance of meio- and macrofauna, with potential adverse consequences for ecosystem functioning.     

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.     

The effects of wastewater discharges on the functioning of a small temporarily open/closed estuary

Wastewater discharges affect the functioning of small temporarily open/closed estuaries (TOCEs) through two main mechanisms: (1) they can significantly change the water balance by altering the quantity of water inflows, and (2) they can significantly change the nutrient balance and hence the water quality. This study investigated the bio-physical responses of a typical, small TOCE on the east coast of South Africa, the Mhlanga Estuary. This estuary receives significant inflows of treated effluent from upstream wastewater treatment works. Water and nutrient budgets were used together with biological sampling to investigate changes in the functioning of the system. The increase in inflows due to the effluent discharges has significantly increased the mouth breaching frequency. Furthermore, when the mouth closes, the accumulation of nutrients leads to eutrophication and algal blooms. A grey water index, namely the proportion of effluent in the estuary and an indicator of the additional nutrient inputs into the estuary, reached high values (?50%) during low flow regimes and when the mouth was closed. In these hyper-eutrophic conditions (DIN and DIP concentrations up to 457 μM and 100 μM respectively), field measurements showed that algal blooms occurred within about 14 days following closure of the mouth (chlorophyll-a concentrations up to 375 mg chl-a m⁻³). Water and nutrient balance simulations for alternative scenarios suggest that further increases in wastewater discharges would result in more frequent breaching events and longer open mouth conditions, but the occurrence of hyper-eutrophic conditions would initially intensify despite more frequent openings. The study indicates how water and nutrient balance simulations can be used in the planning and impact assessment of wastewater treatment facilities.     

The effect of a storm surge event on the macrophytes of a temporarily open/closed estuary,South Africa

Temporarily open/closed estuaries typically open to the sea due to freshwater inflow coupled with storm surge events. In September 2008, in the absence of freshwater inflow, the mouth of the East Kleinemonde Estuary breached in response to a storm surge. The mouth of the estuary closed the following day at a high level. Marine overwash events following the breach introduced large volumes of saline water into the estuary and raised the water level by 0.07–0.33 m. Salinity was significantly higher in the 15 month closed phase after the breach (31 ± 0.9) compared to 21.9 ± 0.9 in the closed brackish phase before the breach. The historical average salinity for the estuary during a closed period is 23–25. The increase in salinity has reduced submerged macrophytes Ruppia cirrhosa and Chara vulgaris cover by 38.1%. Macroalgal cover of species such as Dictyota dichotoma, Caulacanthus ustulatus, Codium tenue and Ulva spp. have increased by 7.9%. The saline high water levels have also significantly reduced supratidal salt marsh cover by 15.2%, and reed and sedge cover by 19.7%. Loss of these habitats may result in bank destabilisation and erosion. This is the first record of an extended saline period in the 15 years the estuary has been monitored. Sea level rise in association with climate change, together with localised freshwater inflow reduction is likely to result in an increase in marine overwash events. The frequency and duration of closed saline periods are likely to increase in this type of estuary. A loss of submerged macrophytes may have significant impacts on faunal composition and abundance and on the subsequent functioning of temporarily open/closed estuaries. This has serious ecological implications since these estuaries represent 70% of the different types of estuaries found in South Africa.     

Quantifying 20th century deposition in complex estuarine environment: An example from the Hudson River

Sediment processes in estuaries are controlled by the interaction of factors that include tides, fresh water inputs, bed morphology, sediment supply, and hydrodynamics. The interaction of these factors strongly influences the pattern of sediment deposition. The ability to quantify sediment deposition on a regional scale will improve the understanding of the underlying processes, and provide valuable information for managing estuarine systems. This paper describes our approach for obtaining the deposition pattern and quantifying the amount of 20th century impacted sediments in the Haverstraw Bay section of the Hudson River Estuary. Through the combination of high-resolution seismic data and rapidly acquired geochemical information from numerous sediment cores, we estimate that our study site experiences an average sediment accumulation rate of ∼3 mm/y and that ∼75,000 t/y or ∼10% of the annual total sediment input measured at the Poughkeepsie, NY gauging station (USGS) is stored in this reach of the Hudson River on ∼100 y timescales. A detailed analysis of the depositional pattern indicates that the accumulation rate varies considerably throughout the study area ranging from non-depositional to >8 mm/y. Our data also clearly indicate that the dredged channel in Haverstraw Bay is currently the main focus of deposition in this area.