Trophic relationships in the Changjiang River estuarine salt marshes: preliminary investigation from δ13C and δ15N analysis

To obtain information on food web structure in salt marshes of the Changjiang (Yangtze) River Estuary, the δ13C and δ15N values of primary producers and consumers were determined. The mean δ13C values of 31 dominant consumers ranged from -23.13‰ to -14.37‰. Except for several species (Eriocheir sinensis, Sinonovacula constricta and Potamocorbula ustulata), consumers had intermediate δ13C values between those of benthic microalgae and Spartina alterniflora. The mean δ15N values of 31 dominant consumers varie...     

Indicators and impact analysis of sediment from the Changjiang Estuary and East China Sea to

Based on the historical evolution of the Hangzhou Bay, by making use of the conclusions made by the previous research workers and the integration of concrete data, five distinct impact indicators of the sediment from the Changjiang Estuary and the East China Sea to the Hangzhou Bay are summarized. Numerical calculation and analysis indicate that the scouring and deposition of seabed in the Hangzhou Bay are subject to the direct impact of the evolution of the Changjiang Estuary, and the growth and decline and the direction of the sandy bar at Nanhuizui give traces to the sediment transport between the Changjiang Estuary and the Hangzhou Bay. The transport of sediment from the Changjiang Estuary to the Hangzhou Bay occurs mainly in winter and spring seasons and the increase of the Changjiang River runoff and the decrease of sediment charge have caused scouring in the northern coast of the Hangzhou Bay and the seabed erosion along the frontal margin of the Changjiang River Delta.     

Grain size composition and transport of sedimentary organic carbon in the Changjiang River (Yangtze River) Estuary and Hangzhou Bay and their adjacent waters

Surface sediments from the Changjiang River(Yangtze River) Estuary,Hangzhou Bay,and their adjacent waters were analyzed for their grain size distribution,organic carbon(OC) concentration,and stable carbon isotope composition(δ13C).Based on this analysis,about 36 surface sediment samples were selected from various environments and separated into sand(0.250 mm,0.125–0.250 mm,0.063–0.125 mm) and silt(0.025–0.063 mm)fractions by wet-sieving fractionation methods,and further into silt-(0.004–0.025 mm) and clay-sized(0.004mm) fractions by centrifugal fractionation.Sediments of six grain size categories were analyzed for their OC andδ13C contents to explore the grain size composition and transport paths of sedimentary OC in the study area.From fine to coarse fractions,the OC content was 1.18%,0.51%,0.46%,0.42%,0.99%,and 0.48%,respectively,while theδ13C was –21.64‰,–22.03‰,–22.52‰,–22.46‰,–22.36‰,and –22.28‰,respectively.In each size category,the OC contribution was 42.96%,26.06%,9.82%,5.75%,7.09%,and 8.33%,respectively.The OC content in clay and fine silt fractions(0.025 mm) was about 69.02%.High OC concentrations were mainly found in offshore modern sediments in the northeast of the Changjiang River Estuary,in modern sediments in the lower estuary of the Changjiang River and Hangzhou Bay,and in Cyclonic Eddy modern sediments to the southwest of the Cheju Island.Integrating the distribution of terrestrial OC content of each grain size category with the δ13C of the bulk sediment indicated that the terrestrial organic material in the Changjiang River Estuary was transported seaward and dispersed to the Cyclonic Eddy modern sediments to the southwest of the Cheju Island via two pathways:one was a result of the Changjiang River Diluted Water(CDW) northeastward extending branch driven by the North Jiangsu Coastal Current and the Yellow Sea Coastal Current,while the other one was the result of the CDW southward extending branch driven by the Taiwan Warm Current.     

Indicators and impact analysis of sediment from the Changjiang Estuary and East China Sea to the Hangzhou Bay

Based on the historical evolution of the Hangzhou Bay, by making use of the conclusions made by the previous research workers and the integration of concrete data, five distinct impact indicators of the sediment from the Changjiang Estuary and the East China Sea to the Hangzhou Bay are summarized. Numerical calculation and analysis indicate that the scouring and deposition of seabed in the Hangzhou Bay are subject to the direct impact of the evolution of the Changjiang Estuary, and the growth and decline and the direction of the sandy bar at Nanhuizui give traces to the sediment transport between the Changjiang Estuary and the Hangzhou Bay. The transport of sediment from the Changjiang Estuary to the Hangzhou Bay occurs mainly in winter and spring seasons and the increase of the Changjiang River runoff and the decrease of sediment charge have caused scouring in the northern coast of the Hangzhou Bay and the seabed erosion along the frontal margin of the Changjiang River Delta.     

Effect of regional warming on the abundance of Pseudeuphausia sinica Wang et Chen (Euphausiacea) off the Changjiang River (Yangtze River) Estuary

Distribution and abundance of Pseudeuphausia sinica off the Changjiang River Estuary (30 ° 00′ - 32 ° 00′ N, 122 ° 00′ -123 ° 30 ′E), the East China Sea were studied in relation to environmental features associated with the regional warming. P. sinica is a subtropical species. Off the Changjiang River Estuary, its abundance reached maximum in summer. To examine spatial and temporal changes of P. sinica off the Changjiang River Estuary, the authors have combined all available sampling data in 1979, 1981, and 2000-2007. This database shows that a significant increase in abundances of P. sinica was observed in spring of 2000-2007 as compared with 1979, 1981. The abundance of P. sinica increased from 0.18-0.21 ind./m 3 in 1979 and 1981 to 0.68-4.00 ind./m 3 in 2000-2007. Accordingly, the sea temperature increased obviously from spring of 1979, 1981 to the 2000s. The authors further found a positive relationship between average surface temperature and average abundance of P. sinica. Regional warming, together with the release of predator induced stress due to a sharp decline in the abundance of its predator (e.g., fishes), were thought to be responsible for the increase in abundance of P. sinica in water off the Changjiang River Estuary.     

西南黄海近岸低盐水体的来源与输送机制

In the southwestern Yellow Sea there is a low-salinity and turbid coastal water,the Subei Coastal Water(SCW).The origins of freshwater contents and thus the dissolved terrigenous nutrients in the SCW have been debated for decades.In this study,we used a well-validated numerical model to quantify the contributions of multiple rivers,i.e.,the Changjiang River in the south and the multiple Subei local rivers(SLRs) in the north,in forming this yearround low-salinity coastal water.It is found that the freshwater contents in the SCW is dominated by the Changjiang River south of 33.5°N,by the SLRs north of 34.5°N,and by both sources in 33.5°–34.5°N.Overall,the Changjiang River contributes ~70% in the dry season and ~80% in the wet season of the total freshwater contents in the SCW,respectively.Dynamics driving the Changjiang River Plume to flow northward is the tidal residual current,which can even overwhelm the wind effects in winter seasons.The residual currents turn offshore near the Old Yellow River Delta(OYRD) by the collision of the two tidal wave systems,which transport the freshwater from both sources into the interior Yellow Sea.Water age experiments show that it takes 50–150 d for the Changjiang River Plume to reach the SCW in the spring and summer seasons,thus there is a 2-month lag between the maximum freshwater content in SCW and the peak Changjiang River discharge.In the winter and autumn seasons,the low salinity in inner SCW is the remnant Changjiang River diluted water arrived in the previous seasons.     

台湾暖流水和长江冲淡水在32°N断面和PN断面上的分布及其变化

Based on six=cruise data gathered along 32°N and PN sections fron 1987 to 1998,we examined variations of water mass distribution and associated circulation in the westem part of the East China Sea with the emphasis on the behaviors of the Taiwan Warm Current Water and Changjiang(Yangtze)Diluted Water.It is found that the Diluted Water is Limited in the west of 122.5°E～123°E along 32°N and PN sections in autumn,winter and spring,but extends to 122.5°E～126°E in summer,especially in summer of 1998. Along the PN section, the Taiwan Warm Current (TWC)Water is found all year round,especially in deeper layer.It has significant seasonal and interannual variations which is the strongest in winter and relatively weaker in winter and relatively weaker in spring,summer and fall.The deep water carried by the TWC along 123°E～123.5°E tends to reach the north of 28°N even 30°N not only in warm seasons but also in cold seasons in even greater strength.It is noteworthy that the TWCwater was also strong in the flood summer of 1998.In general,the TWC water acts weakly in the north of 32°Nsection.However in spring of 1994.the body of the TWC water in salinity at 33.5 was found along 32°N section.It seems the extreme of the TWC water's northward intrusion with the depth in summer,but does not in winter.     

A study on the distribution of 210Pb, 226Ra and total β radioactivity in estuary sediments

Determination on the content variation of 210Pb, 226Ra and total β radioactivity in estuary sediments of the Jiulongjiang River and the Changjiang River were made to study distributions of natural radioactive substances in the areas studied. Sources of radioactive substances were determined, and the transportation of bottom waters and sediments in the areas was searched according to the distributions.     

近年来人类活动影响下长江河口的变化模式

To evaluate the controlling factors for coastline change of the Changjiang(Yangtze River) Estuary since 1974,we extracted the mean high tide line from multi-temporal remote sensing images that span from 1974 to 2014 at 2-year intervals.We chose 42 scenes to constrain the changing pattern of the Changjiang Estuary coastline,and implemented GIS technology to analyze the area change of the Changjiang(Yangtze) Subaerial Delta.Runoff,sediment discharge and coastal engineering were withal considered in the analysis of the coastline changes.The coastline has transgressed seaward since 1974,and a part of it presents inter-annual variations.The area of the Changjiang Subaerial Delta increased by 871 km2,with a net accretion rate of 21.8 km2/a.Based on the change of sediment discharge due to the major projects in the Changjiang River Basin,we divided the changing pattern of the coastline into three stages:the slow accretion stage(1974–1986),the moderate accretion stage(1987–2002),and the rapid accretion stage(2003–2014).Liner regression analysis illustrated that there is a significantly positive correlation between the area changes and sediment discharge in the Chongming Eastern Shoal and Jiuduansha.This suggested that sediment load has a fundamental effect on the evolution of the Changjiang Estuary.Construction of Deep Waterway in the North Passage of the Changjiang River(1998–2010) led to a rapid accretion in the Hengsha Eastern Shoal and Jiuduansha by influencing the hydrodynamics in North Passage.Coastal engineering such as reclamation and harbor construction can also change the morphology of the Changjiang Estuary.We defined a contribution rate of area change to assess the impact of reclamation on the evolution of Changjiang Estuary.It turned out that more than 45.3% of area increment of the Changjiang Estuary was attributed to reclamation.     

Phosphate limitation of phytoplankton growth in the Changjiang Estuary

Laboratory experiments of bioassay with Pltaeodaetytum tricornutum, Chatoceros didymus, Chaetoreros calcitraus and Heterogtoea sp. sampled from the Changjiang Estuary in spring and summer, 1986, indicated that both N and P limit phytoplankton growth in the medium with N : P ranged between 8-30, and N limits phytoplankton production in the medium with N: P<8, while P is the limitary nutrient in the N : P>30. Generally, N : P in the Changjiang Estuary waters is 2 times higher than Redfield ratio. The bioassay experiments with high N : P water samples collected from Changjiang Estuary show that phytoplankton production is limited by P. Phytopiankton appears to give priority to the uptake of P at all periods of time. And the optimum N:P for phytoplankton growth is determined to be 18.     

用三维荧光光谱-平行因子分析法研究长江口南部有色溶解有机物荧光的季节变化

The southern Changjiang River Estuary has attracted considerable attention from marine scientists because it is a highly biologically active area and is biogeochemically significant.Moreover,land-ocean interactions strongly impact the estuary,and harmful algal blooms(HABs) frequently occur in the area.In October 2010 and May 2011,water samples of chromophoric dissolved organic matter(CDOM) were collected from the southern Changjiang River Estuary.Parallel factor analysis(PARAFAC) was used to assess the samples' CDOM composition using excitation-emission matrix(EEM) spectroscopy.Four components were identified:three were humic-like(C1,C2 and C3) and one was protein-like(C4).Analysis based on spatial and seasonal distributions,as well as relationships with salinity,Chl a and apparent oxygen utilization(AOU),revealed that terrestrial inputs had the most significant effect on the three humic-like Components C1,C2 and C3 in autumn.In spring,microbial processes and phytoplankton blooms were also important factors that impacted the three components.The protein-like Component C4 had autochthonous and allochthonous origins and likely represented a biologically labile component.CDOM in the southern Changjiang River Estuary was mostly affected by terrestrial inputs.Microbial processes and phytoplankton blooms were also important sources of CDOM,especially in spring.The fluorescence intensities of the four components were significantly higher in spring than in autumn.On average,C1,C2,C3,C4 and the total fluorescence intensity(TFI) in the surface,middle and bottom layers increased by123%–242%,105%–195%,167%–665%,483%–567% and 184%–245% in spring than in autumn,respectively.This finding corresponded with a Chl a concentration that was 16–20 times higher in spring than in autumn and an AOU that was two to four times lower in spring than in autumn.The humification index(HIX) was lower in spring that in autumn,and the fluorescence index(FI) was higher in spring than in autumn.This result indicated that the CDOM was labile and the biological activity was intense in spring.     

On the Taiwan Warm Current Water

Using our data from special observation in the source area of the Taiwan Warm Current from 19S2 to 1985) and historical data, the authors conducted studies to clarify the temperature and salinity characteristics, variability, and origin of the Taiwan Warm Current Water, and its influence on the expanding direction of the Changjiang Diluted Water.The main results of these studies are briefly given below. (1) The Taiwan Warm Current Water can be divided into two parts:the Surface Water of the Taiwan Warm Current and the Deep Water of the Taiwan Warm Current; the former is formed due to the mixing of the Kuroshio Surface Water flowing northward along the east coast of Taiwan with the Taiwan Strait Water; the latter completed originates from Kuroshio Subsurface Water to the east of Taiwan. It is characterized by lower temperature and higher salinity in summer and the characteristics of temperature and salinity are more stable. The maximum seasonal variational range and maximum secular variational range of t     

The black water around the Changjiang (Yangtze) Estuary in the spring of 2003

The Changjiang (Yangtze) Estuary is located in the East China Sea shelf with shallow water. Affected by the tide mixing and the runoff of the Changjiang River and the Qiantang River, the turbidity is very high. Generally, the water-leaving radiance is high in the turbid water because of the large particle scattering. Based on the in-situ data and ocean color remote sensing data of SeaWiFS, it was found that there was a black water region with the normalized water-leaving radiances less than 0.5 mW/(cm2·μm2·...     

春季长江口富营养化水域浮游植物群集对冲淡水和上升流的响应

A comprehensive study on the phytoplankton standing stocks, species composition and dominant species in the eutrophic Changjiang(Yangtze River) Estuary(CE) was conducted to reveal the response of phytoplankton assemblage to Changjiang Diluted Water(CDW) and upwelling in the spring. Phytoplankton presented peak standing stocks(13.03 μg/L of chlorophyll a, 984.5×103 cells/L of phytoplankton abundance) along the surface isohaline of 25. Sixty-six species in 41 genera of Bacillariophyta and 33 species in 19 genera of Pyrrophyta were identified, as well as 5 species in Chlorophyta and Chrysophyta. Karenia mikimotoi was the most dominant species, followed by Prorocentrum dentatum, Paralia sulcata, Pseudo-nitzschia delicatissima and Skeletonema costatum. A bloom of K. mikimotoi was observed in the stratified stations, where the water was characterized by low nitrate, low phosphate, low turbidity, and specific ranges of temperature(18–22 °C) and salinity(27–32). K.mikimotoi and P. dentatum accumulated densely in the upper layers along the isohaline of 25. S. costatum was distributed in the west of the isohaline of 20. Benthonic P. sulcata presented high abundance near the bottom,while spread upward at upwelling stations. CDW resulted in overt gradients of salinity, turbidity and nutritional condition, determining the spatial distribution of phytoplankton species. The restricted upwelling resulted in the upward transport of P. sulcata and exclusion of S. costatum, K. mikimotoi and P. dentatum. The results suggested that CDW and upwelling were of importance in regulating the structure and distribution of phytoplankton assemblage in the CE and the East China Sea.     

Validation and application of soil moisture active passive sea surface salinity observation over the Changjiang River Estuary

Using sea surface salinity(SSS)observation from the soil moisture active passive(SMAP)mission,we analyzed the spatial distribution and seasonal variation of SSS around Changjiang River(Yangtze River)Estuary for the period of September 2015 to August 2018.First,we found that the SSS from SMAP is more accurate than soil moisture and ocean salinity(SMOS)mission observation when comparing with the in situ observations.Then,the SSS signature of the Changjiang River freshwater was analyzed using SMAP data and the river discharge data from the Datong hydrological station.The results show that the SSS around the Changjiang River Estuary is significantly lower than that of the open ocean,and shows significant seasonal variation.The minimum value of SSS appears in July and maximum SSS in December.The root mean square difference of daily SSS between SMAP observation and in situ observation is around 3 in both summer and winter,which is much lower than the annual range of SSS variation.In summer,the diffusion direction of the Changjiang River freshwater depicted by SSS from SMAP is consistent with the path of freshwater from in situ observation,suggesting that SMAP observation may be used in coastal seas in monitoring the diffusion and advection of freshwater discharge.     

Sediment Transport Capacity Under the River–Tide Interaction in the Changjiang Estuary

Sediment transport capacity is a fundamental parameter in sediment transport theory and its accurate calculation is important from both theoretical and engineering viewpoints. The capacity of sediment transport has been studied extensively by many researchers in the last decades. Nevertheless, the underlying mechanism behind sediment transport capacity in estuaries remains poorly understood. The current study aims to explore the impact of the river–tide interaction on sediment transport and establish a formula of sediment transport capacity under the river–tide interaction. The impact of the river–tide interaction on the hydrodynamics and sediment dynamics in the Changjiang Estuary was analyzed, a practical method for describing the variation in tide-runoff ratio was established,and a formula of sediment transport capacity considering the impact of river–tide interaction was proposed by introducing the tide-runoff ratio. The new method bridged the gap between two well-known sediment transport capacity methods by considering the variation in the index a for the gravitational term and overcomes the drawback of distinguishing flood/dry season or spring/ebb tide in the calculation of estuarine sediment transport. A large amount of flow and sediment data obtained from the Changjiang Estuary were collected to verify the proposed formula. The effect of salt-fresh water mixture and the morphological evolution on sediment transport capacity of the Changjiang Estuary were discussed.     

Seasonal distribution of Calanus sinicus (Copepoda, Crustacea) in the East China Sea

On the basis of the four-season investigation in 23°30′~33°N and 118°30′~128°E of the East China Sea from 1997 to 2000, the seasonal distribution of Calanus sinicus was studied with aggregation intensity, regression contribution and other statistical methods. It was inferred that C. sinicus’s predominance presented from winter to summer, especially in spring and summer, because its dominance amounted to 0.62 and 0.29 respectively. The percent of its abundance in copepod abundance was 76.71% in summer, greater than 66.60% in spring, greater than 19.02% in winter, greater than 4.02% in autumn. The occurrence frequency in winter and spring was 83.08% and 93.89%, higher than that in summer and autumn, 76.71% and 73.87%. Compared with other dominant species of copepods, C. sinicus’s contribution to the copepod abundance was obviously greater than that of the other species in winter, summer and spring, but smaller in autumn. C. sinicus tended to have an aggregated distribution. The clumping index peaked in summer (50.19), followed in spring (19.60), declined in autumn (13.18) and was the lowest in winter (3.04). The abundance changed in different seasons and areas, relating to temperature but not salinity in spring and autumn, to salinity but not temperature in summer; to neither temperature nor salinity in winter. In spring and summer, its high abundance area was often located in the mixed water mass formed by the Taiwan Warm Current, the Huanghai Sea Cold Water Mass, the coastal water masses and the Changjiang Dilute Water. In spring and autumn, its abundance was affected by the warm current, as well as the runoff from continental rivers affected it in summer. It can be inferred that C. sinicus was adapted to wide salinity and temperature, as a euryhalinous and eurythermous species in the East China Sea.     

BEHAVIOURS OF SUSPENDED PARTICULATE MATERIALS IN CHANGJIANG ESTUARY

The paper deals with the distribution of suspended particulated materials (SPM) in the Changjiang Estuary, the relation of salinity to particulated organic carbon and particulated organic nitrogen, and behaviour of SPM in mixing river-sea water. At the same time, the article shows that the SPM in Changjiang River emptying into the sea contains a large amount of organic matter. The relative concentrations of suspended particulate organic matter and living organic matter gradually increase seaward. In the estuarine environment, there is a linear relationship between log SPM and C/N ratio during the mixing of fresh water with seawater.     

Numerical study on residual current and its impact on mass transport in the Hangzhou Bay and the Changjiang Estuary Ⅰ.A3-D joint model of the Hangzhou Bay and the Changjiang Estuary

A 3-D numerical model is set up in a large domain covering the Hang zhou Bay and the Changjiang Estuary based on the ECOM model in orthogonal curvilinear coordinates.The numerical schemes for baroclinic pressure gradient (BPG) terms and convective terms are improved in the paper according to the characteristics of velocity field and mass transport in the area.The model is validated by the simulations of residual current and salinity transport in the Hangzhou Bay and the Changjiang Estuary.     

Comparison of copper speciation in the Zhujiang River Estuary between summer and winter:implication for upwelling current

The contents of total copper, total dissolved copper, particulate copper, and free ion copper in the Zhujiang River Estuary were investigated in July 2002 and January 2003 respectively, and the spatial distribution trend of these species of copper were compared in two cruises. It was found that, in summer, the total copper content in the Zhujiang River Estuary increased with salinity, while the content office ion copper decreased with salinity. However, in winter, the contents of total copper and free ion copper both decreased with salinity. So, it could be concluded that, copper content and speciation in the Zhujiang River Estuary were regulated by other factors than runoffdiffusion such as upwelling current. In order to prove the spatial trend of rice ion copper content in the Zhujiang River Estuary, the cultivation of Dunaliella tertiolecta in waters obtained from sampling stations with different salinities was carried out, and the copper uptake by algae cells was measured then. It was found that, the cells＇ uptake of copper increased with rice ion copper, not the content of total copper.