Seasonal variation and flux of dissolved nutrients in the Danshuei Estuary, Taiwan: A hypoxic subtropical mountain river

Comprehensive bimonthly field surveys were carried out from September 2000 to June 2002 to study the seasonal dynamics and the inter-annual variability of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN; nitrate, nitrite and ammonium) and dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP) in a subtropical mountain river system, the Danshuei tributary, the largest urbanized estuarine system in Taiwan. The headwaters were found to be well aerated, saturated with oxygen, with low ambient DIN (<9 μM) and DIP (<0.2 μM) concentration. As the river flows through the city of Taipei, the river becomes hypoxic because re-aeration rates cannot keep up with elevated oxygen consumption, and the concentrations of DIP (7.53 μM) and DIN (390 μM) increase drastically. Conservative mixing was mostly observed for silicate while DIP and DIN mostly showed non-conservative removal characteristics. Silicate originates from weathering and erosion of bedrocks in the watershed, whereas nitrogen- and phosphorus-bearing nutrients come mainly from urban discharges. Ammonium is the predominant dissolved nitrogenous species, ranging from 10 to 1000 μM. The nutrient chemistry is complex and dynamic due to anthropogenic perturbations and reactions in the tidally mixed zone of strong redox gradients. On average, the annual loading rates of dissolved phosphate and dissolved inorganic nitrogen from the Danshuei River to the ocean are 0.1 and 3.2 Gmol/year, respectively, which represent 0.1% and 0.2% of the world's total river discharge of dissolved inorganic nitrogen and phosphate.     

Nitrogen uptake,ammonium oxidation and nitrous oxide (N2O) levels in the coastal waters of western Cook Strait,New Zealand

Vertical measurements of $\text{NH}{}_4{}^{\mathrm{+}}$, $\text{NO}{}_3{}^{\mathrm{?}}$ and N₂O concentrations, $\text{NO}{}_3{}^{\mathrm{?}}$ and $\text{NH}{}_4{}^{\mathrm{+}}$ uptake, and $\text{NH}{}_4{}^{\mathrm{+}}$ oxidation rates were measured at 5 sites in western Cook Strait, New Zealand, between 31 March and 3 April 1983. Nitrate increased with depth at all stations reaching a maximum of 10.5 μg-atom $\text{NO}{}_3{}^{\mathrm{?}}\text{N l}{}^{\mathrm{?1}}$ at the most strongly stratified station whereas $\text{NH}{}_4{}^{\mathrm{+}}$ was relatively constant with depth at all stations (～0.1 μg-atom $\text{NH}{}_4{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{N l}{}^{\mathrm{?1}}$). The highest rates of $\text{NH}{}_4{}^{\mathrm{+}}$ oxidation generally occurred in the near surface waters and decreased with depth. N₂O levels were near saturation with respect to the air above the sea surface and showed no obvious changes during 24 h incubation. $\text{NH}{}_4{}^{\mathrm{+}}$ oxidation by nitrifying bacteria may account for about 30% of the total $\text{NH}{}_4{}^{\mathrm{+}}$ utilization (i.e. bacterial+agal) and, assuming oxidation through to $\text{NO}{}_3{}^{\mathrm{?}}$, may supply about 40% of the algal requirements of $\text{NO}{}_3{}^{\mathrm{?}}$ in the study area. These results suggest that bacterial nitrification is of potential importance to the nitrogen dynamics of the western Cook Strait, particularly with respect to the nitrogen demands of the phytoplankton.     

Abundance and distribution of ichthyoplankton in the upwelling zone off Oregon during anomalous El Niño conditions

The abundance and distribution patterns of nearshore ichthyoplankton were investigated during a year of anomalously high sea temperatures off Oregon. Samples collected from 2 to 18 km offshore from April through September of 1983 showed increased occurrences and higher abundances of taxa usually found at distances offshore of 37 km in other years. The dominant species collected, comprising more than half of the total larval fish abundance, was the northern anchovy (Engraulis mordax). Larval anchovy have rarely been collected inshore in previous studies. Many of the dominant taxa normally found inshore, especially osmerids, were present in reduced numbers in 1983. Changes in the hydrographic conditions associated with onshore surface drift and reduced summer upwelling during the 1983 El Niño could explain the distributional patterns observed. The warm inshore waters apparently provided a substantial spatial and temporal expansion of the spawning habitat for E. mordax.     

The nitrogen isotopic composition of dissolved nitrate in the Yangtze River (Changjiang) estuary,China

The nitrogen isotopic composition of dissolved nitrate (δ¹⁵N-NO₃⁻) in surface water of the Yangtze River estuary was determined in four seasons of 2006. δ¹⁵N-NO₃⁻ ranged from 0.4‰ to 6.5‰ and varied with seasons and geographic regions, reflecting the dynamics of nitrogen cycling in the estuarine ecosystem. δ¹⁵N-NO₃⁻ was markedly lower in February than in other seasons and exhibited conservative mixing, which was probably attributed to the NO₃⁻ being sourced from the atmospheric deposition and agricultural fertilizer. In the upper estuary, the influence of riverine inputs was important during all surveys. In the turbidity maximum zone, nitrification was found with nitrate depleted in ¹⁵N in May, whereas denitrification resulting in heavy δ¹⁵N-NO₃⁻ played an important role in August. More enriched δ¹⁵N-NO₃⁻ values coinciding with losses of nitrate concentrations based on the conservative mixing model were found in the adjacent marine area in May, and may reflect obvious phytoplankton assimilation of dissolved nitrate. In this manner, δ¹⁵N-NO₃⁻ may be a sensitive indicator of nitrogen sources and biogeochemical processing existing in this estuary in conjunction with the variations of dissolved nitrate and other environmental factors.     

Organic complexation and its control of the dissolved concentrations of copper and zinc in the Scheldt estuary

Cathodic stripping voltammetry (CSV) is used to determine total (after UV-irradiation) and labile dissolved metal concentrations as well as complexing ligand concentrations in samples from the river Scheldt estuary. It was found that even at high added concentrations of catechol (1 m for copper and 0·4 m for iron) and of APDC (1 m for zinc) only part of the dissolved metal was labile (5–58% for copper, 34–69% for zinc, 10–38% for iron); this discrepancy could be explained by the low solubility of iron which is largely present as colloidal material, and by competition for dissolved copper and zinc by organic complexing ligands. Ligand concentrations varied between 28 and 206 n for copper and between 22 and 220 n for zinc; part of the copper complexing ligands could be sub-divided into strong complexing sites with concentrations between 23 and 121 n and weaker sites with concentrations between 44 and 131 n . Values for conditional stability constants varied between (logK′ values) 13·0 and 14·8 for strong and between 11·5 and 12·1 for weaker copper complexing ligands, whereas for zinc the values were between 8·6 and 10·6. The average products of ligand concentrations and conditional stability constants (a-coefficients) were 6 × 10² for zinc and 6 × 10⁶ for copper.The dissolved zinc concentration was found to co-vary with the zinc complexing ligand concentration throughout the estuary. It is argued that the zinc concentration is regulated, in this estuary at least, by interactions with dissolved organic complexing ligands. A similar relationship was apparent between the dissolved copper and the strong copper complexing ligand concentration. The total copper complexing ligand concentrations were much greater than the dissolved copper concentrations, suggesting that only strongly complexed copper is kept in solution.These results provide evidence for the first time that interactions of copper and zinc with dissolved organic complexing ligands determine the geochemical pathway of these metals.     

Thermal Stratification in Saldanha Bay (South Africa) and Subtidal, Density-driven Exchange with the Coastal Waters of the Benguela Upwelling System

A study was conducted to understand the mechanisms driving observed subtidal variability in the stratification of Saldanha Bay, located in the southern Benguela system. It was found that the 6–8 day period variability in bay stratification was caused by the inflow and outflow of cold upwelled water driven by changing baroclinic pressure gradients between the coastal and bay domains. The direction and magnitude of the pressure gradients were governed by coastal upwelling activity and a lag in the response of the bay to changes in density structure in the coastal ocean. When the pressure gradients were bayward and cold water was being driven into the bay the cycle was termed to be in an ‘ active phase ’ and the reverse was termed the ‘ relaxation phase ’. The upwelling-favourable equatorward wind stress impacted the bay stratification in two ways: on the regional scale, wind drives upwelling and governs the inflow–outflow of cold upwelled bottom water, which strengthens stratification; conversely, on the local bay scale, wind drives vertical mixing, which weakens stratification. A four-phase model is used to describe the observed variability in stratification in the bay. The associated density-driven exchange flows are capable of flushing the bay in 6–8 days, about one-third of the time for tidal exchange alone (c. 25 days). These inflows of cold bottom water are ecologically critical as they supply nutrients to the bay and thus impose a control on new production within the bay environment. Further ecological implications of this bay–ocean exchange include export of phytoplankton new production to the coast, limitation of the risk of harmful algal blooms (HABs) and the division of the system into two distinct ecosystems (bay and lagoon).     

The behaviour of dissolved silica during the mixing of river and sea waters in Tokyo Bay

The behaviour of dissolved silica was studied in Tokyo Bay during six surveys in 1979 and 1980. The data from late spring and mid-summer samples showed concave mixing curves of silica versus salinity, whereas for the winter samples a simple conservative dillution curve was obtained. Plots of particulate silicon to particulate aluminium showed that even for winter samples as well as summer ones there were some processes removing silica from solution. The processes could not be adequately explained by adsorption onto suspended solids. The data are indicative of uptake by diatoms as the principal removal mechanism. Most of the diatom skeletons settled to the bottom where dissolution was rapid. The silica-salinity curves in this study thus demonstrate an apparent removal process for dissolved silica. This is because during summer the displacement rate of biogenic silica from a unit water column to the bottom as fecal pellets or by sinking is greater than the supply rate of dissolved silica by the action of diffusion and mixing of bottom water enriched with dissolved silica whereas in winter these rates are reasonably balanced.     

Comparison of precipitation and land runoff as sources of estuarine nitrogen

The seasonal and year-to-year variation of bulk precipitation as a source of total N, nitrate and ammonia is reported for a 7-year period at the Rhode River, a subestuary of Chesapeake Bay, U.S.A. These values are placed in perspective by comparison with analogous nitrogen loading due to watershed discharges.Although year-to-year variations were important, in an average year about the same amount of readily available nitrogen entered the system via precipitation as entered in land runoff and, during the summer and fall, precipitation was the largest source.     

Distributions, sources and atmospheric fluxes of nitrous oxide in Jiaozhou Bay

The distributions, sources and atmospheric fluxes of nitrous oxide (N₂O) in the seawater of Jiaozhou Bay were investigated during four surveys in 2003 to evaluate this area as a source of N₂O to the atmosphere. N₂O concentrations in both the surface and bottom waters of Jiaozhou Bay showed obvious variability with both seasons and tidal cycles. Atmospheric fluxes of N₂O in Jiaozhou Bay showed seasonal and spatial variations, with the highest values occurring in summer and the lowest in winter. The annual emission of N₂O from the bay was estimated to be 1.09 × 10⁶–2.23 × 10⁶ mol yr⁻¹. N₂O in the water column of Jiaozhou Bay was found to come from several external sources including riverine water, sewage water and groundwater input, among which the riverine input was dominant while the groundwater input was rather limited. The spatial variation in distribution and atmospheric fluxes of N₂O in Jiaozhou Bay was influenced by the input of polluted river waters and sewage effluent along the eastern coast, which highlights the effects of human impacts on N₂O emission rates.     

Distribution pattern of zooplankton in the han river estuary with respect to tidal cycle

The monthly distribution of zooplankton communities in Han River estuary was investigated at two stations from July 1998 to June 1999. Monthly mean abundance of total zooplankton varied remarkably, with the range from 20 indiv.·m^-3 to 19,600 indiv.·m^-3. During the study period, dominant species of zooplankton community were dinoflagellateNoctiluca scintillans, copepodsParacalanus indicus, Paracaanus crassirostris, Acartia hongi, Acartia ohtsukai, and meroplanton cirriped larvae. According to tidal states, relative high abundance occurred at high tide without regard to season. The temporal distribution of abundance implied that the reduced salinity probably limited the zooplankton populations and the fluctuations of salinity were an important factor in the variation of abundance. However, the results of salinity tolerance test shows that the variations in salinity do not directly influence the decrease of abundance. This study shows that the relatively high abundance of zooplankton near high tide seems to be related with the expansion of abundant zooplankton inhabiting Incheon coastal waters through tidal currents.     

Spatial and temporal variation in the abundance and composition of ichthyoplankton in a large South Island,New Zealand river estuary

Larval and juvenile fish drifting on ebb tides were collected from early summer to mid autumn at various locations in the Taieri River and Waipori River estuary, South Island, New Zealand. A total of seven species of fish were recorded, however only three species were regularly collected. These were the larval common bully (Gobiomorphus cotidianus McDowall), larval inanga (Galaxias maculatus Jenyns), and postlarval cockabully (Tripterygion nigripenne Valenciennes). Common bully densities were highest in mid January, with the highest densities being recorded drifting out of Lake Waihola. Inanga densities were highest in March and April, with the highest densities being recorded in the channels draining wetland areas where extensive tidal inundation of riparian vegetation occurred. Cockabully were recorded from February to April, mostly at more downstream sites. Inland penetration by marine species was considerable, with two marine species, clingfish (Trachelochismus pinnulatus Forster) and smooth leatherjacket (Parika scaber Forster), being recorded c. 12 km upstream in late summer.     

Porewater-derived dissolved inorganic carbon and nutrient fluxes in a saltmarsh of the Changjiang River Estuary

Saltmarshes are one of the most productive ecosystems, which contribute significantly to coastal nutrient and carbon budgets. However, limited information is available on soil nutrient and carbon losses via porewater exchange in saltmarshes. Here, porewater exchange and associated fluxes of nutrients and dissolved inorganic carbon(DIC) in the largest saltmarsh wetland(Chongming Dongtan) in the Changjiang River Estuary were quantified. Porewater exchange rate was estimated to be(37±35) cm/d during December 2017 using a radon(~(222)Rn) mass balance model. The porewater exchange delivered 67 mmol/(m~2·d), 38 mmol/(m~2·d) and 2 690 mmol/(m~2·d) of dissolved inorganic nitrogen(DIN), dissolved silicon(DSi) and DIC into the coastal waters,respectively. The dominant species of porewater DIN was NH_4~+ (99% of DIN). However, different with those in other ecosystems, the dissolved inorganic phosphorus(DIP) concentration in saltmarsh porewater was significantly lower than that in surface water, indicating that saltmarshes seem to be a DIP sink in Chongming Dongtan. The porewater-derived DIN, DSi and DIC accounted for 12%, 5% and 18% of the riverine inputs, which are important components of coastal nutrient and carbon budgets. Furthermore, porewater-drived nutrients had obviously high N/P ratios(160–3 995), indicating that the porewater exchange process may change the nutrient characteristics of the Changjiang River Estuary and further alter the coastal ecological environment.     

春季东海溶存氧化亚氮的分布和海气交换通量

于2011年5至6月在东海采集不同深度海水样品,研究了其中溶存氧化亚氮(N2O)的分布并估算其海-气交换通量。结果表明,春季东海表层海水中溶存N2O浓度范围为6.31~11.88 nmol/L,平均值为(9.13±1.45)nmol/L;底层海水中N2O浓度范围为7.53~39.75 nmol/L,平均值为(13.71±7.76)nmol/L。随着深度的增加,N2O浓度逐渐升高。温度是影响春季东海N2O分布的主要因素,N2O浓度与温度呈负相关关系。长江冲淡水和黑潮水是东海N2O的重要来源。东海表层海水中N2O的饱和度范围为92.5%~139.3%,平均值为118.5%±10.3%,绝大多数站位都处于过饱和状态,因此,春季东海是大气N2O的净源。利用LM86公式和W92公式求得东海的海-气交换通量分别为(4.96±6.12)μmol/(m2·d)和(10.25±17.18)μmol/(m2·d),初步估算出东海年释放N2O通量约为0.061~0.127 Tg/a,占全球海洋释放总量的2.0%,远高于其所占的面积比0.2%。     

The principal factors contributing to the flux of salt in a narrow, partially stratified estuary

Observations of the velocity and salinity structure of the Tees estuary were made at eight stations along the estuary axis between Victoria Bridge and the sea during the summer of 1975. The measurements were made on ten separate tidal periods covering neap and spring tides.The data were collected over a period of relatively low freshwater flows and the residual current was found to have a strong dependence on the Stokes drift. At the upstream stations, the residuals were more than an order of magnitude greater than the currents anticipated from the freshwater discharge. Although the mean stratification decreased as the tidal range increased, the vertical circulation was stronger on spring tides than on neaps. Vertical variations in the amplitude and phase of the tidal current results in a current which strengthens the vertical circulation. However, this effect only made a relatively small contribution to the observed vertical circulation.The relative contribution of the individual salt flux terms to the net upstream transport of salt varies along the estuary. As the estuary narrows, the contribution by the oscillatory terms dominates that from the shear in the steady state flow. Of these oscillatory terms, the correlation of velocity and salinity fluctuations plays a key rôle in the salt transport. The depth mean values make a greater contribution than deviations from the depth mean and the flux due to phase variations over depth is smaller than either of these. Since the Stokes drift is compensated by a down-stream steady state flow, it does not contribute to the tidal mean transport of salt.At the seaward end of the estuary, the salt fluxes due to the steady state vertical shear and the convariance of the tidal fluctuations act in a complementary way to counter the seaward transport of salt by the freshwater flow. With the possible exceptions of the wide or narrow reaches of the Tees, the longitudinal fluxes of salt due to transverse variations in velocity, salinity and depth and turbulent fluctuations are of secondary importance as contributors to the estuary salt budget.On both neap and spring tides, the computed total salt transports at the Newport and Victoria bridges did not match the values required for a salt balance with the corresponding freshwater flows. These fluxes were probably the cause of the observed downstream displacement of the tidal mean salinity distribution between neap and spring tides.     

The behavior of iron,manganese and silicon in the Peconic River estuary,New York

The behavior of dissolved and particulate iron and manganese and dissolved silicon has been studied as a function of chlorinity in the Peconic River estuary, New York. This study sought to identify important geochemical processes in a relatively pristine estuary facing increasing anthropogenic impact.Dissolved iron behaved in the classical non-conservative manner exhibiting removal of nearly 80% at very low chlorinities, while particulate iron increased by a corresponding amount over the same chlorinity range. Dissolved manganese was enriched by up to 200% over its predicted concentration at low and intermediate chlorinities by desorption from suspended particulates and by a probable benthic flux. Dissolved silicon was enriched by up to 100% at low and intermediate chlorinities also from a probable benthic flux. These fluxes were estimated to be 5 μg cm^?2 day^?1 for dissolved manganese and 70 μg cm^?2 day^?1 for dissolved silicon.The quantity of both particulate iron and manganese increased at high chlorinities due to an influx of suspended inorganic particulates. In the intermediate to high chlorinity region, oxidation of sediment-derived manganese is believed to contribute to the observed increase in particulate manganese.Total iron was essentially conservative throughout most of the estuary, while total manganese was non-conservative presumably due to extensive remobilization of dissolved manganese from the sediments.     

Uptake of nitrate and ammonium,and distribution of related variables,in the upwelled plume of western Cook Strait/Taranaki Bight,New Zealand

To distinguish the manner of spread of upwelling effects in the Cook Strait/Taranaki Bight (New Zealand) region, nitrogen uptake and the distribution of nutrients and chlorophyll a are described. NO3 concentrations were closely linked to upwelled water, but this was distributed irregularly and not necessarily with the upwelling focus. NH4, SRP, and chlorophyll a showed varying degrees of association with recycling processes, but linear correlations were not present. NO3 uptake was strongly inhibited by ambient NH4, but not completely. There was no evidence of either N or P limitation of total planktonic biomass, and there was indirect evidence from C/N uptake and cellular ratios that a high growth rate prevailed. N uptake increased with irradiance (= decreasing depth) similar to photosynthesis, but without high light inhibition, and could be related to light by a simple equation. The irregularity of distribution of features suggests that future modelling of the phytoplankton biomass in the region could benefit from analysis of event occurrence rather than of evenly progressive changes.     

Bacteriological investigation of the neuston and plankton in the Fraser River estuary,British Columbia

Microbiological parameters were examined in the surface microlayer (150 μm) and the subsurface waters (1 m) of the Fraser River estuary (British Columbia) at salinities of 0, 15 and 25‰. Little difference was observed in the neustonic variables between these three stations. A comparison of the neuston with the plankton over the estuary as a whole revealed elevated detritus, particulate organic carbon and nitrogen but reduced ATP, heterotrophic activity and percentage respiration in the neuston. Enrichment of bacterial numbers or dissolved organic carbon was not observed in the surface microlayer.     

Responses of nutrient biogeochemistry and nitrogen cycle to seasonal upwelling in coastal waters of the eastern Hainan Island

The coastal upwelling has profound influence on the surrounding ecosystem by supplying the nutrient-replete water to the euphotic zone. Nutrient biogeochemistry was investigated in coastal waters of the eastern Hainan Island in summer 2015 and autumn 2016. From perspectives of nutrient dynamics and physical transport, the nutrient fluxes entered the upper 50 m water depth（between the mixed layer and the euphotic zone） arisen from the upwelling were estimated to be 2.5-5.4 mmol/（m²·d）,...     

溶解无机氮在胶州湾沉积物一海水界面上的交换速率和通量研究

应用实验室培养法测定了溶解无机氮(DIN)在胶州湾16个站位沉积物-海水界面上的交换速率。结果表明, NH4 -N,NO2 -N和NO3 -N的交换速率一般分别在-0.5~1.6,0.005~0.67, + - --2.0~2.8 mmol/(m2·d)范围内。由于间隙水中DIN主要以NH4 -N形态存在,DIN在胶州湾沉 +积物-海水界面上的交换以NH4 -N的扩散为主,在大部分站位表现为由沉积物向水体的释放, +NO3 -N主要来自NH4 -N的硝化反应,而NO2 -N是NH4 -N和NO3 -N之间化学转化过程的中 - + - + -间产物。考虑胶州湾沉积物类型, 在胶州湾沉积物-海水界面上的交换通量为9.68×108 DINmmol/d,是河流输入DIN的50%左右,可提供维持胶州湾初级生产力所需DIN的52%。