The characteristics of seasonal variation in phytoplankton biomass and dominant species in the Changjiang River Estuary and adjacent seas were discussed based on field investigation data from 1959 to 2009. The field data from 1981 to 2004 showed that the Chlorophyll-a concentration in surface seawater was between 0.4 and 8.5 μg dm-3. The seasonal changes generally presented a bimodal trend, with the biomass peaks occurring in May and August, and Chlorophyll-a concentration was the lowest in winter. Seasonal biomass changes were mainly controlled by temperature and nutrient levels. From the end of autumn to the next early spring, phytoplankton biomass was mainly influenced by temperature, and in other seasons, nutrient level(including the nutrient supply from the terrestrial runoffs) was the major influence factor. Field investigation data from 1959 to 2009 demonstrated that diatoms were the main phytoplankton in this area, and Skeletonema costatum, Pseudo-nitzschia pungens, Coscinodiscus oculus-iridis, Thalassinoema nitzschioides, Paralia sulcata, Chaetoceros lorenzianus, Chaetoceros curvisetus, and Prorocentrum donghaiense Lu were common dominant species. The seasonal variations in major dominant phytoplankton species presented the following trends: 1) Skeletonema(mainly S. costatum) was dominant throughout the year; and 2) seasonal succession trends were Coscinodiscus(spring) →Chaetoceros(summer and autumn) → Coscinodiscus(winter). The annual dominance of S. costatum was attributed to its environmental eurytopicity and long standing time in surface waters. The seasonal succession of Coscinodiscus and Chaetoceros was associated with the seasonal variation in water stability and nutrient level in this area. On the other hand, long-term field data also indicated obvious interannual variation of phytoplankton biomass and community structure in the Changjiang River Estuary and adjacent seas: average annual phytoplankton biomass and dinoflagellate proportion both presented increased trends during the 1950 s-2000
YANG ShuHAN XiurongZHANG ChuansongSUN BaiyeWANG XiulinSHI Xiaoyong
Water samples were collected in the coastal area of the Changjiang Estuary on four cruises from August 2002 to May 2003. The seasonal variations of dissolved inorganic arsenic (DIAs) distributions were analyzed. The results showed that the distributions of DIAs were mainly influenced by the terrestrial input and the intrusion of the Kuroshio Subsurface Water (KSSW). The concentration of the total dissolved inorganic arsenic (TDIAs) decreased consecutively from winter to summer, while it increased in autumn. The distributions of TDIAs showed some relationships with salinity and suspended particulate matter (SPM). The relationships between DIAs speciation (including arsenite [As(Ⅲ)] and arsenate [As(Ⅴ)]), biological activity and the availabilities of the phosphate were investigated in the study area for the cruise August 2002. The ratio of As (Ⅲ)/TDIAs increased with the decrease of phosphate concentrations. In the bottom water, the As(Ⅲ)/TDIAs ratio decreased with the increasing of N/P. The concentration of TDIAs decreased 28.7% approximately after the occurrence of harmful algal blooms (HAB) because of the uptake of arsenate by algae. Further study is needed about the arsenic source/sink relationships in their vertical or horizontal profiles and the uptake mechanism during the occurrence of harmful algal blooms.
