Stratification in central Bohai Sea and how it has shaped hypoxic events in summer

In the last 10 years(2012-2021),five hypoxic events have been observed in summer in the central Bohai Sea(CBS).Frequent and persistent hypoxia will have an impact on the ecosystem of the CBS.In this paper,historical sea temperature(ST),salinity(SAL),density(Den),and dissolved oxygen(DO)concentration data from three stations in the CBS are analyzed via the linear regression method,and the correlations between the stratification factors(ST,SAL,and Den)and DO concentration are determined.The thresholds of the stratification factors at the three stations in June in the year in which hypoxia occurred were determined and applied to survey data from 29 stations in late May to early June in 2022 in the CBS;this assessment found that the data from 19 stations indicated that hypoxia was about to occur.In August,the survey data showed that 14 out of the 29 stations indicated hypoxic conditions,of which 12 were from the predicted 19 stations,meaning that the estimation accuracy reached 63%.The same approach was applied to data from June 2023.The data for August from a bottom-type online monitoring system in the CBS verified the occurrence of hypoxic events around Sta.M2.The results show that the strength of the seawater stratification plays a leading role in hypoxic events in the summer in the CBS,and the thresholds of the stratification factors can be used to predict the occurrence of hypoxic events.

Spatial correlations in time and frequency domains between chlorophyll-a concentration and environmental factors in the Bohai Sea

Based on the reconstructed MODIS data and ECMWF reanalysis data from 2003 to 2021,spatial correlations between chlorophyll a(Chl a)and sea surface temperature(SST),photosynthetically available radiation(PAR),aerosol optical thickness(AOT),and wind speed(WS)in the Bohai Sea were analyzed from the perspective of time domain and frequency domain.Results indicate that the frequency domain analysis was more conducive to revealing the correlations between Chl a and environmental factors.The spatial pattern of time-domain correlations was similar to the isobaths of the Bohai Sea,which was positive in shallow waters and negative in deep waters for SST,PAR,and AOT,and was reversed for WS.Frequency-domain correlations were obtained by performing Fourier Transform and were higher than correlations in time domain.The spatial distributions indicated that the effects of SST and PAR on Chl a were greater than AOT and WS in the Bohai Sea.Additionally,cross-spectrum analysis was applied to explore the response relationships.A depth-dependent pattern was shown in correlations and time lags,indicating that the influential mechanism of environmental factors on Chl-a concentration is related to seawater depth.

Temporal and Spatial Distribution of DIN and DIP Concentrations and Source Apportionment Along the Bohai Sea of China During 2015-2022

The Bohai Sea is one of the most polluted sea areas in China.In this study,we used 2184 integrated concentrations of dis-solved inorganic nitrogen(DIN)and dissolved inorganic phosphorus(DIP)in the Bohai Sea of China during spring(March,April,and May),summer(June,July,and August),and autumn(October and November)from 2015 to 2022 to explore the trends and sources of nutrients variations.From 2015 to 2022,DIN showed a downward trend until 2020 and then an upward trend,whereas DIP exhibited a stable trend with a slight decrease.The concentrations of DIN and DIP had similar seasonal pattern which was the highest in autumn(0.292±0.247 mg/L for DIN and 0.013±0.016 mg/L for DIP)but lower in spring(0.267±0.238 mg/L for DIN and 0.006±0.010 mg/L for DIP)and summer(0.263±0.324 mg/L for DIN and 0.008±0.010 mg/L for DIP).Sources of DIN and DIP apportioned by the positive matrix factorization(PMF)model were riverine input,sediment resuspension,sewage discharge,atmospheric deposition,and underground input.During 2015-2022,the largest contributor to DIN was sewage discharge(28.7%)and the largest contributor to DIP was sediment resuspension(44.6%).Seasonally,DIN in spring and autumn was dominated by sewage discharge(45.4%and 27.8%,re-spectively).Whereas in summer,it was dominated by riverine input(32.4%)and atmospheric deposition(29.7%).DIP was dominated by sediment resuspension during all three seasons(35.8%-52.5%).In addition,the increase in DIN concentrations in 2021 and 2022 were mainly due to the incremental input of river discharge and atmospheric deposition caused by increased precipitation during sum-mer and autumn.

Numerical modeling of tidal current of LNG terminal in Caofeidian,Bohai Sea

In order to reasonably simulate tidal currents around small structures such as piles in a large-scale model domain, a 2-D hydrodynamic integrated model for Bohai Sea is established with the finite element method. The grid can be discretionarily refined as a non-structure triangle or quadrilateral so that piers can be treated as one or several impermeable elements with an area of 20 to 30 km^2 in a model domain over 85 700 km^2. The computational results of tidal levels and horizontal velocities are in good agreement with the field data. Based on the computed results by the model, the layout of an open 105 DWT liquefied natural gas （LNG）terminal in Caofeidian, Bohal Sea is effectively and reasonably optimized. It can be concluded that the model is suitable and reasonable for direct simulation of tidal currents around small structures in projects.

Applications of Bias-removed Ensemble Mean in the Gale Forecasts over the Yellow Sea and the Bohai Sea

Based on the daily sea surface wind field prediction data of Japan Meteorological Agency(JMA) forecast model,National Centers for Environmental Prediction(NCEP GFS) model and U.S.Navy Operational Global Atmospheric Prediction System(NOGAPS) model at 12:00 UTC from June 28 to August 10 in 2009,the bias-removed ensemble mean(BRE) was used to do the forecast test on the sea surface wind fields,and the root-mean-square error(RMSE) was used to test and evaluate the forecast results.The results showed that the BRE considerably reduced the RMSEs of 24 and 48 h sea surface wind field forecasts,and the forecast skill was superior to that of the single model forecast.The RMSE decreases in the south of central Bohai Sea and the middle of the Yellow Sea were the most obvious.In addition,the BRE forecast improved evidently the forecast skill of the gale process which occurred during July 13-14 and August 7 in 2009.The forecast accuracy of the wind speed and the gale location was also improved.

Study on the wave extreme parameters of the Bohai Sea with the numerical simulation using SWAN

Wave fields in Bohai Sea from 1985 to 2004 were simulated using SWAN wave model by inputting high-resolution hindcast wind fields dataset. Comparisons of wave heights between simulation and observation show good agreement in general. According to the annual extreme values of simulation, this paper gives wave extreme parameters with different return-period for all computation grids in Bohai sea.

Recent tectonic stress field and major earthquakes of the Bohai Sea basin

渤海位于北华北新生代裂陷盆地的东部，是一个晚第四纪形成的内陆海盆．渤海盆地活动断裂发育，地震活动强烈，交会于渤海中部的NE向营口潍坊断裂带北段、庙西北一黄河口一临邑断裂带及NW向北京一蓬莱断裂带是主要的活动构造带，将海区分成4个次级新构造区，成为现代应力场作用的构造基础．综合研究38个震源机制解和75个井区应力场等资料，以及构造应力场二维数值模拟计算结果表明，渤海及其邻区现代构造应力场的压应力方向为NE60°～90°，张应力为SN—NW30°；以水平和近水平应力作用为主；不同构造区主应力方向存在一定的差异．现今渤海地区地壳发育以NNE-NE和NW-WNW走向的共轭剪切破裂为特征，是控制地震活动的主要构造．

Spatial distribution of dissolved Pb,Hg,Cd,Cu and As in the Bohai Sea

Characteristics of the spatial distribution of selected dissolved heavy metals were analyzed during large scale surveys from August t2 to 25, 2003 in the Bohai Sea. Dissolved Pb was the only element with average concentrations higher than the grade-one sea water quality standard of China. The spatial distribution of dissolved Pb in surface water was similar to those of Cd, Cu and As, where the isopleths generally indicated decreasing values from the bays to the central areas. Only for Hg did the high concentrations not only appear in Liaodong Bay, Bohai Bay and Laizhou Bay, but also in the Central Area, viz. not only in inshore but also in offshore areas. Vertical distributions of dissolved Pb, Cd, Cu and As were largely uniform, while that of dissolved Hg increased with depth. We infer that the input of pollutants from land was the main influencing factor for the detected distribution patterns of dissolved heavy metals, followed by the dynamics of sea water, release from bottom sediments and biochemical processes. Comparing with historical data, average concentrations of dissolved heavy metals appear to decline in recent years.

Preliminary study on seasonal succession and development pathway of phytoplankton community in the Bohai Sea

Phytoplankton species composition and species succession were determined in 1998-1999 based on 2 nestle investigation cruises in the Bohai Sea and two monthly monitoring stations at Penglai and Changdao for 15 months. The seasonal succession and pathway of phytoplankton community in the Bohai Sea were discussed complementarily with history data. The main process of Phytoplankton community development in the Bohai Sea was controlled by temperature and nutrient replenishes. There were two cell abundance peaks in an annual variation, the main peak in April and the secondary peak in September. In winter, the cell abundance was low due to the low temperature, the phytoplankton community was mainly made up of small-celled diataoms. In spring, the phytoplankton community was developed very quickly by small-celled diatom in suitable conditions of temperature and nutrients. In summer, the cell abundance decreased and big-celled diatoms became predominated. In autumn, because of the replenish of nutrient, big-celled diatoms and dinoflagellates formed another cell abundance peak. during the annual variation of phytoplankton community in the Bohai Sea, species succession was the main process of community development, the species sequence just occur at special areas and special periods. The evolution of phytoplankton community in the Bohai Sea accords with the hypothesis of Margalef's phytoplankton community of four stages. But the size feature is contrary to the hypothesis, which may be caused by nutrient replenish in autumn in Bohai Sea and the top to down control.

Distribution of nutrients and eutrophication assessment in the Bohai Sea of China

Water samples were collected in 120 stations in the Bohai Sea of China to analyze the distribution of dissolved nutrients and assess the degree of eutrophication in August 2002. The result shows that the average concentration of DIN increased and the PO4-P concentration sharply decreased compared to the previous data of corresponding period. The high concentrations of DIN and PO4-P occurred in coastal waters, especially in the bays and some river estuaries, while the high concentrations of SiO3-Si in the surface and middle depth occurred in the central area of the Bohai Sea. The average ratio of DIN/PO4-P was much higher than the Redfield Ratio （16：1）. Apparently, PO4-P was one of the limiting nutrient for phytoplankton growing in the sea. The average concentrations of DON and DOP were higher than their inorganic forms. The results of eutrophication assessment show that 22.1% of all stations were classified as violating the concentration levels of the National Seawater Quality Standard （GB 3097-1997） for DIN and only 3.9% for PO4-R The average eutrophication index in the overall area was 0.21±0.22 and the high values occurred in Bohai Bay, Liaodong Bay and near the Yellow River estuary. This means that the state of eutrophication was generally mesotrophic in the Bohai Sea, but relatively worse in the bays, especially some river estuaries.

Joint land-sea seismic survey and research on the deep structures of the Bohai Sea areas

This paper presents the survey and research work of two land-sea profiles in the Bohai Sea, China, carried out in 2010-2011, including the seismic sources on land and in the sea, the ocean bottom seismographs （OBS） and their recovery, the coupling of OBS and the environment noise in sea area, the data quality of OBSs, and the result of data analysis. We focused on the investigation of crustal structures revealed by the two NE／EW-trending joint land-sea profiles. In combination with the Pn-velocity distribution and gravity- magnetic inversion results in the North China Craton, we propose that the undulation of the Moho interface in the Bohai and surrounding areas is not strong, and the lithospheric thinning is mainly caused by the thinning of its mantle part. The research result indicates that obvious lateral variations of Moho depth and seismic velocity appear nearby all the large-scale faults in Bohai Sea, and there is evidence of underplating and reforming of the lower crust by mantle material in the Bohai area. However, geophysical evidence does not appear to support the ＂mantle plume＂ or ＂delamination＂ model for the North China Craton destruction. The crustal structure of the Bohai Sea revealed ＂a relatively normal crust and obviously thinned mantle lid＂, local velocity anomalies and instability phenomena in the crust. These features may represent a combined effect of North China-Yangtze collision at an early stage and the remote action of Pacific plate subduction at a late stage.

RAPD analysis of wild stock of penaeid shrimp (Penaeus chinensis )in Chinese coastal waters of the Huanghai Sea and coastal waters of the Bohai Sea

Genetic diversity of 32 individuals of P. chinensis in the Chinese coastal waters of the Huanghai and Bobal Seas was detected by RAPD technique. Twenty decamer primers of OPI were used for DNA amplification for each individual. The results showed that: Seventeen primers obtained reproducible fingerprints, and the bands were clear. Thirty--nine of 106 loci detected were polymorphic, amounting to 36. 8 %. Mean genetic distance was 0. 094 1 0. 020 6; 68 markers (63. 2 % of the total) showed stable homogeneity in all of the 32 individuals.

An Analysis and Modeling Study of a Sea Fog Event over the Yellow and Bohai Seas

In this study, a sea fog event which occurred on 27 March 2005 over the Yellow and Bohai Seas was investigated observationally and numerically. Almost all available observational data were used, including satellite imagery of Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite （GOES）-9, three data sets from station observations at Dandong, Dalian and Qingdao, objectively reanalyzed data of final run analysis （FNL） issued by the National Center for Environmental Prediction （NCEP） and Regional Atmospheric Modeling System （RANIS） results. Synoptic conditions and fog characteristics were analyzed. The fog formed when warm, moist air was advected northwards over the cool water of the Yellow and Bohai Seas, and dissipated when a cold front brought northerly winds and cool, dry air. In order to better understand the fog formation mechanism, a high-resolution RAMS modeling with a 6km×6km grid, initialized and validated by FNL data, was designed. A 48h modeling that started from 12 UTC 26 March 2005 reproduced the main characteristics of this sea fog event. The simulated lower visibility area agreed reasonably well with the sea fog region identified from the satellite imagery. Advection cooling effect seemed to play a significant role in the fog formation.

The estimate of sea ice resources quantity in the Bohai Sea based on NOAA/AVHRR data

The research on sea ice resources is the academic base of sea ice exploitation in the Bohai Sea. According to the ice-water spectrum differences and the correlation between ice thickness and albedo, this paper comes up with a sea ice thickness inversion model based on the NOAA/AVHRR data. And then a sea ice resources quantity （SIQ） time series of Bohai Sea is established from 1987 to 2009. The results indicate that the average error of inversion sea ice thickness is below 30%. The maximum sea ice resources quantity is about 6×109 m3 and the minimum is 1.3×109 m3. And a preliminary analysis has been made on the errors of the estimate of sea ice resources quantity （SIQ）.

Nutrients concentration and changes in decade-scale in the central Bohai Sea

The nutrients contents and distributions are discussed briefly, based on the data obtained in 1998～1999. Besides explanation of the results,a 20 a time series data of nutrients and biological parameters for central Bohai Sea are reviewed. It is found that both concentration and relative content of nutrients have been changed dramatically. The increase of nitrogen and decrease of phosphate and silicate led to the dramatically increase of N/P ratio and the decrease of Si/N ratio. The situation of nitrogen limiting in central Bohai Sea is gradually changing to that of relative lack of phosphate and silicate. The decrease of the Huanghe River input to the Bohai Sea may be responsible for this change. These in turn may limit the growth of diatom and thus promote the development of pyrrophyta if other conditions (e.g. temperature and hydrodynamics) are suitable. We conclude that this may be the major inducement factor of pyrrophyta red tide in the Bohai Sea.

Carbon distribution and fluxes of 16 rivers discharging into the Bohai Sea in summer

Riverine carbon input is closely related to the inshore aquatic environment, the marine carbon pool and climate change. Samples were synchronously obtained from 16 rivers discharging into the Bohai Sea （China） in 1-5 July 2005. The dissolved organic carbon （DOC） concentrations of the 16 rivers were mainly controlled by anthropogenic activities. The particulate organic carbon （POC） of the Haihe, Luanhe, Ziyaxinhe, Chaobaixinhe, Xiaoqinghe, Xiaolinghe, Duliujianhe, Jiyunhe, and Majiahe Rivers mainly originated from pollutants discharged by human, while that of the Huanghe River （Yellow River）, Daliaohe, Shuangtaizihe, Tuhaihe, Dalinghe, Daqinghe, and Liuguhe Rivers were generated mainly by soil erosion. Higher dissolved inorganic carbon （DIC） concentrations in the 16 rivers were detected, which were influenced by the large amounts of carbonate and industrial pollution. The estimated DOC, POC and DIC fluxes from the 16 rivers discharging into the Bohai Sea in summer, 2005 were 0.91×10^5, 1.23×10^5 and 6.31×10^5t, respectively.

A coupled ice-ocean model for the Bohai SeaⅡ.Case study

The coupled ice- ocean model for the Bohai Sea is used for simulating the freezing, melting, and variation of ice cover and the heat bal- ance at the sea- ice, air- ice, and air- sea interfaces of the Bohai Sea during the entire winter in 1998￣1999 and 2000￣2001. The cou- pled model is forced by real time numerical weather prediction fields. The results show that the thermodynamic effects of atmosphere and ocean are very important for the evolvement of ice in the Bohai Sea, especially in the period of ice freezing and melting. Ocean heat flux plays a key role in the thermodynamic coupling. The simulation also presents the different thermodynamic features in the ice covered region and the marginal ice zone. Ice thickness, heat budget at the interface, and surface sea temperature, etc. between the two representative points are discussed.

Distributions of dimethylsulfide in the Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea of China

Dimethylsulfide(DMS) measurements in the surface seawater of China eastern coastline were conducted during March 9—10, 1993 in Bohai Sea along the cruise from Dalian to Tianjin and during September 24—25, 1994 in Yellow Sea along the cruise from Shanghai to Qingdao. On the cruise in Bohai Sea DMS concentrations varied from 0.11 to 2.63 nmol/L with an average of 1.31 nmol/L, while DMS flux was estimated to be 0.85 μmol/(m 2·d) with the range of 0.04—3.12 μmol/(m 2·d). On the cruise in Yellow Sea DMS concentrations varied from 0.95 to 7.48 nmol/L with an average of 2.89 nmol/L, and DMS flux was estimated to be 7.94 μmol/(m 2·d) with the range of 0.11—18.88 μmol/(m 2·d). Variations in DMS concentrations along the latitude in Yellow Sea were observed larger than those along the longitude in Bohai Sea. DMS concentrations and fluxes had a similar spatial trend both in Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea with the correlation coefficients of 0.75 and 0.64, respectively.

Heavy metals in surficial sediments of the central Bohai Sea:their distribution,speciation and sources

The semi-enclosed Bohai Sea has received large amount of pollutants from surrounding rivers and sewage channels along the densely populated and industrializing Bohai coasts,as well as the offshore oil exploration in the sea.The concentrations of heavy metals copper,cobalt,nickel,zinc,lead,chromium and cadmium in 25 surface sediment samples from the central Bohai Sea are obtained by ICP-MS analysis.The speciation of these heavy metals is extracted and their distribution,fractionation,pollution status and sources are presented.High concentrations of copper,cobalt,nickel,zinc and chromium are found in the sediments off the coastal area of the Bohai Bay and the central Bohai Sea mud,while high concentrations of cadmium and lead are found in the sediments in the whole study area.The residual fraction is the dominant form of copper,cobalt,nickel,zinc and chromium in the surface sediments,while cadmium and lead have large proportions in the nonresidual fractions.The ecological risk assessment shows that the sediments in the study area are unpolluted with respect to the heavy metals of cobalt,nickel and chromium and unpolluted to moderately polluted with respect to copper,zinc,cadmium and lead.Cobalt,nickel and chromium mainly have natural origin and their concentrations significantly vary with the composition of the sediments.The contents of copper,zinc,lead and especially cadmium in sediments are suggested to be influenced by pollutants of human activities.The heavy metals in the surface sediments at most sampling stations are mainly come from the Huanghe River; the heavy metals in the sediments in the northernmost part of the study area are significantly affected by the sediment from the Luanhe River; while in the Bohai Bay and the central region they were affected by the sediment from the Haihe River and aerosol deposition.

Nitrogen forms and decomposition of organic carbon in the southern Bohai Sea core sediments

Study on form characteristics of nitrogen in marine sediments is the primary method to research its biogeochemical cycling and nitrogen form characteristics in core sediments can reflect the process and results of early diagenesis in a certain degree. In this paper, Sequential extraction process in natural grain size was used for studying the existent forms of nitrogen in five core sediments of the southern Bohai Sea for the first time. Nitrogen was divided into two parts - transferable and fixed based on whether it could be extracted by the reagent. Distributions and early diagenesis of transferable nitrogen forms in the southern Bohai Sea were researched integratedly. Results indicate that IEF - N and OSF-N are predominant forms in transferable part in the studied core sediments. Contents of different nitrogen forms vary differently with depth, and have different diagenesis process. Decomposition constant of organic nitrogen (ON) and OC are about 15.51 -× 10^(-3)a^(-3)and 4.79× 10^(-3)a^(-1) respectively, and the decomposition content of biogenic elements C, N, P, Si has the sequence N>P>CSi. OC/TN (simplified as C/N in the following) ratio is much lower than OC/ON, which indicates that sediment preserves plenty of inorganic nitrogen (IN) and/or fixed nitrogen, and the decrease of OC/ON ratio with depth is due to ON reservation in sediments. Generally, transferable nitrogen accounts for more proportion of TN in the surface layer than in the deep layer of core sediments, whereas, some stable forms of nitrogen can activate and become transferable under appropriate environment, which induces the proportion of transferable nitrogen in TN in the deep layer to be almost the same as that in the surface layer.