Tracing the settlement region of massive floating green algae in the Yellow Sea

Outbreaks of large-scale green tides formed by Ulva prolifera in the Yellow Sea(YS)cause heavy ecological damages and huge economic losses.However,the ecological consequences of green tides remain poorly understood due to the lack of knowledge on the settlement region of massive green algae floating in the YS.In this study,we established a method to trace the settlement region of floating green algae,using 28-isofucosterol preserved in sediment as the specific biomarker for green algae.Sterols including 28-isofucosterol in surface sediment samples collected during an investigation in the YS and the Bohai Sea(BS)in August 2015 were analyzed using gas chromatography coupled with a mass spectrometer(GC-MS).Based on the content of 28-isofucosterol in sediment samples,the potential settlement region of loating green algae was identified in the sea area southeast to the Shandong Peninsula around the sampling site H06(122.66°E,36.00°N).This paper presents a first result on the settlement region of floating green algae in the YS for providing a solid basis to elucidate the ecological consequences of green tides in the area.