Nutrients in the Changjiang River

N, P and SiO3-Si in the Changjiang mainstream and its major tributaries and lakes were investigated in the dry season from November to December, 1997, and in the flood season in August and October, 1998. An even distribution of SiO3-Si was found along the Changjiang River. However, the concentrations of total nitrogen, total dissolved nitrogen, dissolved inorganic nitrogen, nitrate and total phosphorus, total particulate phosphorus increased notably in the upper reaches, which reflected an increasing impact from human activities. Those concentrations in the middle and lower reaches of the Changjiang River were relatively constant. Dissolved N was the major form of N and the particulate P was the major form of P in the Changjiang River. The molar ratio of dissolved N to dissolved P was extremely high (192.5-317.5), while that of the particulate form was low (5.6-37.7). High N/P ratio reflected a significant input of anthropogenic N such as N from precipitation and N lost from water and soil etc. Dissolved N and P was in a quasi-equilibrium state in the process from precipitate to the river. In the turbid river water, light limitation, rather than P limitation, seemed more likely to be a controlling factor for the growth of phytoplankton. A positive linear correlationship between the concentration of dissolved N and the river's runoff was found, mainly in the upper reaches, which was related to the non-point sources of N. Over the past decades, N concentration has greatly increased, but the change of P concentration was not as significant as N. The nutrient fluxes of the Changjiang mainstream and tributaries were estimated, and the result showed that the nutrient fluxes were mainly controlled by the runoff, of which more than a half came from the tributaries. These investigations carried out before water storage of the Three Gorges Dam will supply a scientific base for studying the influences of the Three Gorges Dam on the ecology and environment of the Changjiang River and its estuary.

The environment effect on fish assemblage structure in waters adjacent to the Changjiang (Yangtze) River estuary (1998-2001)

We collected fish abundance data in the Changjiang (Yangtze River) estuary and adjacent waters in November 1998, May 1999, November 2000, and May 2001. Using the data, we evaluated the characteristics of the fish assemblages at each site and investigated the effect of several environmental factors. We used a multivariate analysis, including community ordination methods such as detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) and canonical correspondence analysis (CCA), and two-way indicator species analysis (TWINSPAN). We analyzed the biological community structure and environmental factors to determine their spatial distributions, temporal dynamics, and seasonal variations. Among the fish species, five exceeded 5% of the total abundance: Harpodon nehereus (42.82%), Benthosema pterotum (13.85%), Setipinna taty (11.64%), Thryssa kammalensis (9.17%) and Apogonichthys lineatus (6.49%). These were separated into four ecological assemblages: hypsithermal-saline, hypsithermal-brackish, hypothermal-brackish, and hypothermal-saline. We evaluated the degree of influence of environmental factors on the fish community. Our analyses suggested that environmental factors including water depth, salinity, turbidity, transparency, nutrient, and suspended matter formed a synthetic spatial gradient between the coastal and pelagic areas. Ecological and environmental factors changed temporally from 1998 to 2001, and drove the fish community succession. The environmental factors driving the fish community structure included bottom temperature, water depth, bottom and surface pH, surface total phosphorous, and bottom dissolved oxygen. This investigation was completed before completion of the Three Gorges Dam; therefore the results of this study provide an important foundation for evaluating the influence of the human activities.

Phytoplankton distributions and their relationship with the environment in the Changjiang Estuary, China

This study was carried out in the Changjiang Estuary from 19 to 26 May 2003. Based on the data collected from 29 stations, including two anchor stations, phytoplankton taxonomic composition, abundance, diurnal variability and spatial distribution were examined. Eighty-seven species, including 54 species of diatoms and 16 red tide causative species, were identified. Average diversity index (H') and evenness (J) values were 1.04 and 0.40, respectively. A bloom in abundance of certain phytoplankton species, especially Prorocentrum dentatum and Skeletoneina costatum, was thought to be the cause of the low diversity index and evenness values. Total phytoplankton abundance averaged 6.75 x 10(5) cells 1(-1), and was much higher than previous investigation carried out in the same month in 1986. Abundance increased seaward showing a distinct spatial difference, and the dominant species varied with salinity. Correlation between phosphorus and abundance further supported the former conclusion that phosphorus is the controlling factor in phytoplankton growth in the Changjiang Estuary where light is not limiting. Based on the relationship between DO, pH and abundance, it is likely that the bloom was caused by rapid in situ growth of phytoplankton with high nutrients and sufficient light. The data also indicated that the duration of the bloom was not long and

Spatial and temporal variations in pH and total alkalinity at the beginning of the rainy season in the Changjiang Estuary, China

The results of field observation carried out in May 2003 were used to examine pH and total alkalinity behaviors in the Changjiang Estuary. It was showed that PH and total alkalinity took on clear spatial variations in values with the minima in the low salinity region. Like salinity, transect distributions of PH and total alkalinity (TA) in a downriver direction had a sharp gradient each. These gradients appeared in such a sequence that the TA gradient was earlier than salinity and PH gradients, and the salinity gradient was earlier than the PH gradient. These distribution characteristics seemed to be strongly influenced by the mixing process of freshwater and seawater, for both PH and total alkalinity had significant linear relationships with salinity and temperature. For PH, phytoplankton activities also had a significant impact upon its spatial distribution. During a period of 48 h, PH and total alkalinity changed within wide ranges for every layer of the two anchor stations, namely, Stas 13 and 20, which were located at the mixed water mass and seawater mass, respectively. For both Stas 13 and 20, PH and TA fluctuation of every layer could be very wide during a 4 h period. As a whole, the data of the two anchor stations showed that neither variations in salinity and temperature nor phytoplankton activities were the main factors strongly influencing the total alkalinity temporal variability on a small time scale. The data of Sta. 20 implied that both salinity variation and phytoplankton activities had a significant influence on PH temporal variability, but the same conclusion could not be drawn from the data of Sta. 13.

A nitrogen budget of the Changjiang river catchment

Based on 1997-1998 field investigations in the Changjiang river mouth, rain sampling from the river's upper reaches to the mouth, historical data, and relevant literature, the various sources of Total Nitrogen (TN) and Dissolved Inorganic Nitrogen (DIN) in the Changjiang river catchment and N transport in the Changjiang river mouth were estimated. The export fluxes of various form of were mainly controlled by the river runoff, and the export fluxes of NO3-N, DIN and TN in 1998 (an especially heavy flood year) were 1438 103 tonnes (t) yr(-1) or 795.1 kg km(-2) yr(-1) 1746 10(3) t yr(-1) or 965.4 kg km(-2) yr(-1) and 2849 10(3) t yr(-1) or 1575.3 kg km(-2) yr(-1), respectively. The TN and DIN in the Changjiang river came mainly from precipitation, agricultural nonpoint sources, N lost from fertilizer and soil, and point sources of industrial waste and residential sewage discharge, which were about 56.2% and 62.3%, 15.4% and 18.5%, 17.1% and 14.4%, respectively, of the N outflow at the Changjiang river mouth; maximum transport being in the middle reaches.

Seasonal and spatial distribution of matrix-bound phosphine and its relationship with the environment in the Changjiang River Estuary, China

Sediment is commonly considered as a source of phosphine, which is a highly toxic and reactive atmospheric trace gas. This study aims to investigate the seasonal and spatial distribution of matrix-bound phosphine (MBP) and its relationship with the environment in the Changjiang River Estuary. A total of 43 surface sediments were collected in four seasons of 2006, and concentrations of MBP and relative environmental factors were analyzed. MBP ranged from 1.93 to 94.86 ng kg(-1) dry weight (dw) with an average concentration of 17.14 ng kg(-1) dw. The concentrations of MBP in the tipper estuary were, higher than those in the lower estuary, which could be attributed to greater pollutant inputs in the upper estuary. The concentrations of MBP also varied with season, with November > August > May > February. Significant correlations existed between MBP and total phosphorus (TP), organic phosphorus (OP), inorganic phosphorus (W), organic carbon (OC), total nitrogen (TN), the grain size, and redox potential (Eh), suggesting that these sedimentary environmental characteristics played an important role in controlling the MBP levels in the sediments. Notably, there were positive linear relationships between the concentrations of soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP), TP, and chlorophyll a (Chl a) in bottom water and MBP in sediments. These relationships might be very complicated and need further exploration. This work is the first comprehensive study of the seasonal and spatial distribution of MBP in sediments and its relationships with environmental factors in a typical estuary, and will lead to deeper understanding of the phosphorus (P) biogeochemical cycle. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dissolved oxygen and O-2 flux across the water-air interface of the Changjiang Estuary in May 2003

The field observation of this study was carried out in the Changjiang Estuary from May 19 to 26,2003, just a few days before the Three Gorges Dam began to store water. A total of 29 stations, including 2 anchor stations, were distributed through almost the whole salinity gradient Based on the data gained from these stations, the biogeochemical characteristics of dissolved oxygen (DO) were examined. Spatial distribution of DO concentrations showed the pattern that it increased in a downriver direction. DO concentration generally varied within a narrow range of 733-8.10 mg l(-1) in the freshwater region and the west part of the mixed water region, and after that it increased rapidly. In vertical direction, the differences in DO concentrations between surface and 2 m above the bottom were big at the stations with water depths exceeding 20 m; DO concentration up to 14.88 mg l(-1) was recorded at the sea surface, while at 2 m above the bottom its concentration was only about 4 mg l(-1). The fluctuation in DO concentrations was small during a period of 48 h in the mixed water region and 2 m above the bottom of the seawater region; while it was large during the same period in the seawater region for surface and 5 m below the surface layer, and a maximum variation from 8.77 to 12.66 mg l(-1) in 4 h was recorded. Oxygen fluxes also showed a marked spatio-temporal variation. As a whole, the freshwater region and mixed water region were an oxygen sink while the seawater region was a source. Relationships between dissolved oxygen and some biogeochemical parameters which could markedly influence its spatio-temporal distribution were discussed in this paper. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

pCO(2) and carbon fluxes across sea-air interface in the Changjiang Estuary and Hangzhou Bay

Partial pressure of CO2 (pCO(2)) was investigated in the Changjiang (Yangtze River) Estuary, Hangzhou Bay and their adjacent areas during a cruise in August 2004, China. The data show that pCO(2) in surface waters of the studied area was higher than that in the atmosphere with only exception of a patch east of Zhoushan Archipelago. The pCO(2) varied from 168 to 2 264 mu atm, which fell in the low range compared with those of other estuaries in the world. The calculated sea-air CO2 fluxes decreased offshore and varied from -10.0 to 88.1 mmol m(-2) d(-1) in average of 24.4 +/- 16.5 mmol m(-2) d(-1). Although the area studied was estimated only 2 x 10(4) km(2), it emitted (5.9 +/- 4.0) x 10(3) tons of carbon to the atmosphere every day. The estuaries and their plumes must be further studied for better understanding the role of coastal seas playing in the global oceanic carbon cycle.

Transfer and transport of phosphorus and silica in the turbidity maximum zone of the Changjiang estuary

The concentration of suspended particulate matter (SPM), sedimentation flux, and various forms of phosphorus and silica in turbidity maximum zone (TMZ) in the Changjiang (Yangtze) estuary was studied. Based on the budget of P and Si, their mass balances in the TMZ were calculated. Results show that the variation in concentration of dissolved inorganic silicon (DISi) was mainly controlled by seawater dilution, while that of dissolved inorganic phosphor-us (DIP) was considerably affected by the buffering of suspended matter and sediment. Our experiments showed that the sedimentation fluxes of SPM and particulate inorganic phosphorus (PIP), total particulate phosphorus (TPP), particulate inorganic silicon (PISi), and biological silicon (BSi) in the TMZ were 238.4 g m(-2) d(-1) and 28.3, 43.1, 79.0, 63.0 mg m(-2) d(-1), respectively. In addition, a simple method to estimate the ratio of resuspension of sediment in the TMZ was established, with which the rate in surface and bottom waters of the TMZ accounted for 55.7 and 66.1% of the total SPM, respectively, indicating that the sediment resuspension in the TMZ influenced significantly the mass balances of P and Si. Particulate adsorbed P (60.8%) and 35.5% of total particulate P discharged from the river were filtered and then deposited in the TMZ. The input flux of PIP from the river mouth was 55.9% of that of DIP, being important as biologically available P, while that of PISi was only 3.5% of DISi, showing that particulate adsorbed Si was much less important than particulate adsorbed P. (c) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Size-fractionated phytoplankton biomass in autumn of the Changjiang (Yangtze) River Estuary and its adjacent waters after the Three Gorges Dam construction

A cruise was undertaken from 3rd to 8th November 2004 in Changjiang (Yangtze) River Estuary and its adjacent waters to investigate the spatial biomass distribution and size composition of phytoplankton. Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentration ranged 0.42-1.17 mu g L-1 and 0.41-10.43 mu g L-1 inside and outside the river mouth, with the mean value 0.73 mu g L-1 and 1.86 mu g L-1, respectively. Compared with the Chl-a concentration in summer of 2004, the mean value was much lower inside, and a little higher outside the river mouth. The maximal Chl-a was 10.43 mu g L-1 at station 18 (122.67 degrees E, 31.25 degrees N), and the region of high Chl-a concentration was observed in the central survey area between 122.5 degrees E and 123.0 degrees E. In the stations located east of 122.5 degrees E, Chl-a concentration was generally high in the upper layers above 5 m due to water stratification. In the survey area, the average Chl-a in sizes of > 20 mu m and < 20 mu m was 0.28 mu g L-1 and 1.40 mu g L-1, respectively. High Chl-a concentration of < 20 mu m size-fraction indicated that the nanophytoplankton and picophytoplankton contributed the most to the biomass of phytoplankton. Skeletonema costatum, Prorocentrum micans and Scrippsiella trochoidea were the dominant species in surface water. The spatial distribution of cell abundance of phytoplankton was patchy and did not agree well with that of Chl-a, as the cell abundance could not distinguish the differences in shape and size of phytoplankton cells. Nitrate and silicate behaved conservatively, but the former could probably be the limitation factor to algal biomass at offshore stations. The distribution of phosphate scattered considerably, and its relation to the phytoplankton biomass was complicated.

Responses of a coastal phytoplankton community to increased nutrient input from the Changjiang (Yangtze) River

Nutrient input from the Changjiang River (Yangtze River) has been increasing dramatically since the 1960s. At the mouth of the Changjiang River, the nitrate concentration has increased about three-fold in 40 years, from 20.5 mu mol/L in the 1960s to 59.1 mu mol/L in the 1980s and to 80.6 mu mol/L in 1990-2004. Phosphate concentration increased by a factor of 30%, from 0.59 mu mol/L in the 1980s to 0.77 mu mol/L in 1990-2004. The increasing nitrate input has arisen mostly from the mid and lower reaches of the Changjiang River, where the river meets one of the most strongly developed agriculture areas in China. Responses of the coastal phytoplankton community to the increasing nutrient inputs are also seen in the available monitoring data. First, a trend of increasing phytoplankton standing stock from 1984 to 2002 appeared in the Changjiang River estuary and adjacent coastal waters, especially in late spring. Secondly, the proportion of diatoms in the whole phytoplankton community showed a decreasing trend from about 85% in 1984 to about 60% in 2000. Finally, red tides/harmful algal blooms increased dramatically in this area in terms of both number and scale. About 30-80 red tide events were recorded each year from 2000 to 2005 in the East China Sea. The scale of some blooms has been in excess of 10,000 km(2). (c) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Concentrations and distribution of organochlorine pesticides in shellfish from Changjiang estuary

To analyze and evaluate the status of organochlorine pollutants in the Changjiang (Yangtze River) estuary and adjacent waters, the concentrations of hexachlorocyclohexane (HCHs) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDTs) in shellfish collected in study area from 2006 to 2007 were determined with gas chromatography (GC). The concentration range of HCHs was (ND-12.13)x10(-3) mg/kg wet weight and averaged at 0.54x10(-3) mg/kg while the concentration of DDTs was in the range of (4.06-281.73) x10(-3) mg/kg with a mean of 57.52x10(-3) mg/kg in the survey areas. The concentrations of DDTs in the shellfish were higher than HCHs', so that DDTs could be considered as typical organochlorine pollutants in the areas. The concentrations of DDTs in the shellfish were higher than HCHs', so that DDTs could be considered as typical organochlorines pollutants. The HCHs in all the shellfish conformed to the first level of criterion (0.02 mg/kg) of the Marion Biology Quality (GB 18421-2001), and that of DDTs in most samples were beyond the first level (0.01 mg/kg) but conformed to the second level (0.10 mg/kg). On average, alpha-HCH and delta-HCH occupied the most part of HCHs, while O,P'-DDT and P,P'-DDT occupied the most part of DDTs. The concentrations of organocholorine pesticides in shellfish samples varied in site and in species. The highest level occurred at the Shengsi (SS), followed by Yangkougang (YKG), Lvsi (LS), Dongyuan (DY) and Beibayao (BBY), low concentrations were observed at Changsha (CS), Beidaodi (BDD), and Gouqi (GQ). The concentration of HCHs and DDTs in most sites decreased clearly from 2006 to 2007 except for YKG, DY, BDD, LYS, and SS. All of above results suggested that the study area was slightly affected by organochlorine pesticide, special by DDTs.

The status and characteristics of eutrophication in the Yangtze River (Changjiang) estuary and the adjacent East China Sea, China

Eutrophication has become increasingly serious and noxious algal blooms have been of more frequent occurrence in the Yangtze River Estuary and in the adjacent East China Sea. In 2003 and 2004, four cruises were undertaken in three zones in the estuary and in the adjacent sea to investigate nitrate (NO3-N), ammonium (NH4-N), nitrite (NO2-N), soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP), dissolved reactive silica (DRSi), dissolved oxygen (DO), phytoplankton chlorophyll a (Chl a) and suspended particulate matter (SPM). The highest concentrations of DIN (NO3-N+NH4-N+NO2-N), SRP and DRSi were 131.6, 1.2 and 155.6 mu M, respectively. The maximum Chl a concentration was 19.5 mg m(-3) in spring. An analysis of historical and recent data revealed that in the last 40 years, nitrate and SRP concentrations increased from 11 to 97 mu M and from 0.4 to 0.95 mu M, respectively. From 1963 to 2004, N:P ratios also increased from 30-40 up to 150. In parallel with the N and P enrichment, a significant increase of Chl a was detected, Chl a maximum being 20 mg m(-3), nearly four times higher than in the 1980s. In 2004, the mean DO concentration in bottom waters was 4.35 mg l(-1), much lower than in the 1980s. In comparison with other estuaries, the Yangtze River Estuary was characterized by high DIN and DRSi concentrations, with low SRP concentrations. Despite the higher nutrient concentrations, Chl a concentrations were lower in the inner estuary (Zones 1 and 2) than in the adjacent sea (Zone 3). Based on nutrient availability, SPM and hydrodynamics, we assumed that in Zones 1 and 2 phytoplankton growth was suppressed by high turbidity, large tidal amplitude and short residence time. Furthermore, in Zone 3 water stratification was also an important factor that resulted in a greater phytoplankton biomass and lower DO concentrations. Due to hydrodynamics and turbidity, the open sea was unexpectedly more sensitive to nutrient enrichment and related eutrophication processes.

Long-term ecological interactions between nutrient and phytoplankton community in the Changjiang estuary

Both nitrate (NO (3) (-) ) and soluble reactive phosphate (PO (4) (3-) ) concentration in the freshwater end-member at the mouth of the Changjiang River have increased dramatically since the 1960s. Within the same period in the sea area, with surface salinity > 30, NO (3) (-) concentration has shown an obvious increase, PO (4) (3-) has not changed greatly and dissolved reactive silica (SiO (3) (2-) ) has deceased dramatically. An examination of the elemental ratio of NO (3) (-) to PO (4) (3-) at the mouth of the Changjiang River did not show a systematic trend from the 1960s to 2000s largely because both nutrients increased simultaneously. In comparison, the elemental ratio of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) to PO (4) (3-) in surface seawater, with salinity > 22, has shown a clearly increasing trend. Furthermore, an overall historical change of the SiO (3) (2-) :PO (4) (3-) ratio has undergone a reverse trend in this area. Based on the changes of SiO (3) (2-) :PO (4) (3-) and DIN:PO (4) (3-) ratios, we can conclude that an overall historical change of SiO (3) (2-) :DIN ratio has decreased in this area from the 1950-1960s to 2000s. The argument that phytoplankton productivity in the Changjiang estuary has been enhanced by increasing nutrient input from the riverine transport was supported by these results. A comparative study analyzing the shift of phytoplankton composition from the mid-1980s to 2000s was also made. The results indicated that the average yearly percentage of diatom species in the Changjiang estuary has decreased from 84.6% during 1985-1986 to 69.8% during 2004-2005. Furthermore, the average yearly percentage of diatom abundance in the Changjiang estuary decreased from 99.5% during to 75.5% over the same time period, while the abundance of dinoflagellates has increased dramatically, from 0.7% to 25.4%.

Macrobenthic community structure in the Changjiang Estuary and its adjacent waters in summer

On the basis of data collected in the summer of 2006 from 27 sampling stations in the Changjiang Estuary and its adjacent waters, the ecological characteristics of macrobenthos and the relationship between the macrobenthos and the environmental factors were studied using hierarchical cluster and non-metric multidimensional scaling ( MDS). The biomass, abundance, Shannon - Wiener's and Margalef' s indices of the macrobenthos were presented. The results showed that a total of 253 maerobenthic species were found in the research region, and most. of them belong to mollusks and polychaetes. The dominant species were Cossurella dimorpha, Eocylichna cylindrella, Episiphon kiaochowwanense, Nassarius semiplicatus, Ocstergrenia variabilis and Sternaspis scutata. The average abundance of the macrobenthos was (313.15 +/- 233.4) ind. / m(2), and the average biomass was (15.2 +/- 11.2) g/ m(2). The distribution patterns of the abundance and biomass of the macrobenthos were similar. The abundance and biomass in the area close to the estuary were lower than those from the area more distant to the estuary; the central part of the research region had higher abundance and biomass than other parts of the research region. In accordance with the results, four macrobenthic communities with distinct spatial differences were identified. The low abundance and biomass in the area close to the estuary should be caused by the high sedimentation rate. The statistical analysis indicated that the depth is the most important factor affecting the distribution of macrobenthos.