Jing Ling Ren

Environmental change in Jiaozhou Bay recorded by nutrient components in sediments

Inorganic or bulk organic chemical indicators, including organic carbon (OC), total nitrogen, organic nitrogen (ON), fixed ammonium (N(fix)), exchangeable ammonium, exchangeable nitrate, organic phosphorus (OP), inorganic phosphorus (IP), and biogenic silica (BSi), were examined in a 3-m core collected in Jiaozhou Bay (JZB) to decipher how the environment has changed during the preceding two centuries of increasing anthropogenic influence in this region. Concentrations of BSi, OC, and OP reveal overall increases to ca.30 cm ( approximately 1984), then decreased toward the surface, probably reflecting a decrease in the productivity of overlying waters since 1984. Aquaculture might play an important role in the decrease of nutrient elements in the upper layers recorded in sediments. The decreased molar BSi/OC ratios upcore may be due to a change in dominance from large- to small-sized diatoms, as shown in other research. However, the shift may also be related to changes from heavily-silicified to lightly-silicified diatoms or to non-siliceous forms such as dinoflagellates. ON concentrations increased towards the surface sediment, which is most likely consistent with the increase in fertilizer application and wastewater discharge. Concentrations of IP, total P, and N(fix) all decreased conspicuously upcore at 41 cm depth ( approximately 1977), and were largely consistent with the decrease in rainfall and freshwater discharge to JZB. Our data suggest that the environment has significantly changed since the 1980s. Anthropogenic activities in the watersheds may exert a substantial influence on carbon cycling processes in estuaries and potentially the coastal ocean.

Geochemical behavior of dissolved manganese in the East China Sea: Seasonal variation, estuarine removal, and regeneration under suboxic conditions

To better understand the geochemical cycle of dissolved manganese (Mn) in the East China Sea (ECS), the distribution of dissolved Mn across the ECS was investigated during three field studies in 2011 (May, August, and November). The concentration of dissolved Mn decreased across the ECS with distance from the coast. Mn-rich ECS shelf waters could export to the Kuroshio Waters, and had the potential to influence the northwest Pacific Ocean as well as the Japan Sea. The Kuroshio Waters were devoid of dissolved Mn, so its incursion could be tracked as it entered the ECS continental shelf region (approximately 50 m isobath). Seasonal variations of dissolved Mn in the ECS were significant, with the highest concentrations occurring in summer. Dissolved Mn in the Changjiang Estuary was nonconservative, and significant quantities were removed by net sorption onto suspended particulate matter. A model describing the sorption processes was applied to data for the Changjiang Estuary. Regeneration of dissolved Mn took place in near-bottom waters of the suboxic zone in August 2011, following extensive consumption of oxygen. The benthic flux of dissolved Mn was estimated based on Mn concentrations in the overlying waters and the near-bottom waters. A preliminary box model was established to develop a dissolved Mn budget for the ECS. Based on the dissolved Mn content in the ECS and the total input flux, a residence time of 76–350 days for dissolved Mn in the ECS was inferred.