Peaked abundance of Calanus sinicus earlier shifted in the Changjiang River (Yangtze River) Estuary: a comparable study between 1959, 2002 and 2005

The sea surface temperature (SST) of the East China Sea (ECS) increased in the past decades, which may have a great impact on the ecosystem of the ECS, including the changes in plankton-population structure. In this paper, the changes in peaked abundance of Calanus sinicus in the Changjiang River (Yangtze River) Estuary were compared between 1959 and 2002, based on the data collected from the seasonally oceanographic cruises and those performed in spring of 2005. It was much higher in spring compared with that in other seasons both in 1959 and 2002. Furthermore, in spring 2005, the time for occurrence and decrease of the peaked C. sinicus abundance advanced about one month, accompanying the increase in the sea surface water temperature (SST). It peaked in June and decreased in July in 1959, however, in 2005, it peaked in May and attenuated sharply in early June. The earlier decrease of peaked C. sinicus abundance may further deteriorate the ecosystem in the Changjiang River Estuary and north nearshore of the ECS.