Distribution of dinoflagellate cysts in Yellow Sea sediments

To investigate the distribution, abundance, and species composition of dinoflagellate cysts in the Yellow Sea, surface sediment samples were collected at 37 sites, including the Korean dump site. Twenty-one dinoflagellate cyst taxa were identified, with the assemblages dominated mainly by Spiniferites bulloideus, Operculodinium centrocarpum, and cyst of Alexandrium catenella/tamarense type. A high frequency of O. centrocarpum in the Yellow Sea was observed for the first time, and it is likely that this can be attributed to the dynamics of the Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass and the Changjiang (Yangtze) River runoff. Total cyst concentrations ranged from 23 to 48 442 cysts/g dry weight, and high cyst concentrations were recorded adjacent to the dumping site. This result suggests that anthropogenic activities such as ocean dumping stimulate the growth of dinoflagellates in the Yellow Sea, which in turn leads to high levels of dinoflagellate cyst production.