Using radium isotopes to quantify submarine groundwater discharge at different scales in the Huanghe River Estuary,China

As an important land-ocean interaction process,submarine groundwater discharge(SGD)is composed of multiple dynamical processes at different scales and plays an important role in the study of coastal ocean geochemical budgets.However,most of the existing studies focus on the quantification of the total groundwater discharge,few studies are about the differentiation and quantification of groundwater discharge processes at different scales(i.e.,short-scale SGD and long-scale SGD).As a world-class river,the Huanghe River is highly turbid and heavily regulated by humans.These natural and anthropogenic factors have a significant impact on groundwater discharge processes in the Huanghe River Estuary(HRE).In this study,the distribution patterns of the natural geochemical tracer radium isotopes(^(224)Ra and^(223)Ra)and other hydrological parameters in the HRE were investigated during four cruises.By solving the mass balance of^(224)Ra and^(223)Ra in the HRE,the long-scale SGD flux was quantified as 0.01−0.19 m/d,and the short-scale SGD flux was 0.03−0.04 m/d.The rate of short-scale SGD remained essentially constant among seasons,while the rate of long-scale SGD varied considerably at different periods and showed a synchronous trend with the variation of river discharge.The results of this study are significant for understanding the SGD dynamics in the HRE and the contribution of SGD to the ocean geochemical budgets.

Distribution characteristics and controlling factors of typical heavy metals in Huanghe River estuary,China

The geochemical characteristics and potential controlling factors of colloidal Zn,Cd,and Pb in Huanghe(Yellow)River estuary(HRE),China were investigated.The three metals were highly variable over a range of spatiotemporal scales,comprehensively forced by various physical and biological processes.Total dissolved Zn,Cd,and Pb varied from 200.1 to 321.7,2.6 to 4.1,and 0.5 to 1.0 nmol/L,respectively.Only one near-estuarine station of Zn had contamination factor values>1,which indicate the lower contaminant levels.Five dissolved species of Zn,Cd and Pb were fractionated,namely<1 kDa,1-3 kDa,3-10 kDa,10-100 kDa,and 100 kDa-0.45μm.The<1 kDa truly dissolved phase was the main fraction of the three dissolved metals(50%-62%),while the 100-kDa-0.45-μm high molecular weight colloidal fraction was dominant in their respective colloidal phase.Territorial input and sediment acted as important sources of strong ligands and natural colloids for the HRE water system.<3-kDa Zn and Pb were susceptible to the dissolved oxygen,the behaviors of colloidal Zn and 3-10-kDa Pb were related to dissolved organic carbon(DOC).However,no significant correlation between each dissolved fraction of Cd and salinity,pH,temperature,colloidal organic carbon,and DOC was found in this study.Overall,these findings,completed by the evaluation of the dissolved species of Zn,Cd,and Pb at 10 sites over the river-sea mixing zone,provided new insights into the colloidal heterogeneity that affect metals geochemical features,migration and fate in estuaries.

The fractal characteristic change in the Huanghe River Estuary due to the hydrodynamic conditions’variation

The study area lies in the subaqueous delta, which came into being in 1964 - 1976. Oneoil-field road has been built for exploring petroleum to form a wave barrier. The hydrodynarnic conditions on the north side of the road are relatively violent, on the contrary the hydrodynarnic conditions on the south side of the road are nearly placid. This makes the study area a natural laboratory for studying the influence of the hydrodynarnic conditions on the fractal characteristics of the tidal flat. Selecting an area is named Case Ⅰ on the side of stronger hydrodynarnic activities and an area is named Case Ⅱ on the other side. Measuring the topography and sampling and analyzing the granulometrical composition, it is found that the hydrodynarnic conditions have fatal influence on the surface fractal dimensions and the granulometrical fractal dimensions of the area. In Case Ⅰ , which has strong hydrodynarnic conditions, the surface fractal dimensions are obviously larger than those of Case Ⅱ , and the granulometrical fractal dimensions are relatively smaller than those of Case Ⅱ , the surface fractal dimensions of Case Ⅰ decrease quickly with the increase of grid size; the granulometrical fractal dimensions are disperse, while the hydrodynarnic conditions of Case Ⅱ are just reverse. A sampling line and a core sampling on each side of the road are selected. It is found that on the south side of the road the granulometrical fractal dimensions vary regularly in the line and with the depth, the farther apart from the road, the smaller the fractal dimensions, and the deeper the sampling position the larger the fractal dimensions, while granulometrical fractal dimensions on the north side of the road have no such regularity pattern. The mechanism of the influence of the hydrodynarnic conditions on the fractal characteristics is discussed.

Studies on the regional feature of organic carbon in sediments off the Huanghe River Estuary waters

Organic carbon (OC) in definitely small area sediments(according to marine dimension)off the Huanghe River Estuary is investigated in order to evaluate the feature of regional difference of physical and chemical properties in marginal sea sediments.The distributions of OC in sediments with natural grain size and the relationship with the pH,Eh ,Es and Fe3+/Fe2+ are discussed.In addition,OC decomposition rates in surfacial/subsurfacial sediments are estimated.OC concentrations range from 0.26% to 1.8%(wt)in the study area. Significant differences in OC content and in horizontal distribution as well as various trends in surfacial /subsurfacial sediments exhibit the feature of regional difference remarkably in marginal sea sediments. The complicated distribution of OC in surface sediments is due to the influence of bacterial activity and abundance, bioturbation of benthos and physical disturbance. The OC decomposition rate constant in surfacial /subsurfacial sediments ranges from 0.009 7 to 0.076 a-1 and the relatively high values may be mainly related to bacteria that are mainly responsible for OC mineralization;meio-and macrofauna affect OC degradation both directly, through feeding on it, and indirectly through bioturbation and at the same time coarse sediments are also disadvantageous to OC preservation.In almost all the middle and bottom sediments the contents of OC decrease with the increase of deposition depth, which indicates that mineralization of OC in the middle and bottom sediments has occurred via processes like SO reduction and Fe-oxide reduction.

Submarine groundwater discharge and benthic biogeochemical zonation in the Huanghe River Estuary

Submarine groundwater discharge(SGD)has received increasing attention by studies on coastal areas;however,its effects on biogeochemical zonation have not been investigated to date.The Huanghe River Estuary(HRE)is a world class river estuary with high turbidity,and heavy human regulation.This study investigated how SGD is related to the benthic biogeochemistry of the HRE.Based on the distribution of several parameters(e.g.,salinity,temperature,dissolved oxygen(DO)levels,p H,radium isotopes,and nutrients),the HRE was subdivided into six different zones,and the SGD fluxes within each zone were quantified and compared.The highest SGD flux was found in the northwest nearshore zone,where it was more than one order of magnitude higher than in the offshore zone.High SGD resulted in low DO and p H,but high nutrient levels in the benthic boundary layer.The southeast nearshore zone was also characterized by high SGD flux,but benthic waters were more oxic because of the dominating inputs by the Huanghe River.These data suggest that such a zonation would help to understand benthic biogeochemical processes.High SGD may not only contribute to the estuarine nutrient budget,but may also contribute to the formation of hypoxia and acidification.

The influence of water-sediment regulation on macrobenthic community structures in the Huanghe River(Yellow River)Estuary during 2012–2016

To determine if water-sediment regulation has affected macrobenthic community structure in the Huanghe River Estuary,China,macrobenthic samples were collected following regulation events from 2012 to 2016.We identify seven phyla and 138 macrobenthic species from within samples throughout the survey area,over time.Species richness and abundance in 2012 were significantly higher than in 2016.Biomass did not differ significantly during 2012–2016.Dominant species were mostly small polychaetes,with mollusks,arthropods,and echinoderms all being relatively rare.In 2016,dominant species were small polychaetes.MDS reveals macrobenthic communities at all surveyed distances from the estuary to have become the same community structure over time.Shannon-Wiener diversity and Margalef richness indexes trended down over time.CCA reveals the most dominant sediment-dwelling species to prefer lower dissolved oxygen,sulfides,and pH,and sediments with high D50 and low clay content.We speculate that water-sediment regulation has affected seabed communities,particularly Region A in our survey area.

Assessing the benthic habitat quality in the Huanghe(Yellow River) Estuary and its adjacent areas using AMBI and M-AMBI

The protection of the biological diversity and the maintenance of the regional ecological integrity for the Huanghe （Yellow River） Estuary and its adjacent areas are practically significant and valuable. However, frequent human activities and natural climate changes have caused vigorous disturbances on the ecosystem in these sea areas. An objective assessment on the benthic habitat quality （BHQ） of the Huanghe Estuary and its adjacent areas is conducted, using AZTI＇s Marine Biotic Index （AMBI） and multivariate AMBI （M-AMBI） based on the data of macrobenthos in May and August 2011. The results show that both the indices do not correlate significantly, and their assessment results are greatly different. All of the samples assessed using the AMBI were ＂high＂ or ＂good＂, because the ecological group I （EGI） and the ecological group II （EGII） were dominant macrobenthic ecological groups in the research area. Owing to a low species＇ richness and a high individual abundance in some samples, the BHQ levels using the M-AMBI were worse than those of the AMBI. Significant correlations are observed between the M-AMBI, water depth, bottom water salinity and dissolved inorganic nitrogen, thus the M-AMBI could sensitively respond to environmental changes and distinguish influences from uninfluenced stations, but the AMBI could not. The consistent results between the AMBI and the M-AMBI mainly appeared in the uninfluenced （undisturbed or slightly disturbed） sta- tions. Therefore, the M-AMBI is more effective than the AMBI in assessing the benthic habitat quality in the Huanghe Estuary and its adjacent areas. Using the M-AMBI to assess the BHQ of the Huanghe Estuary and its adjacent areas, the results show that 3% of the stations are undisturbed and the BHQs are ＂high＂, and 61% of the stations are slightly disturbed and those of the BHQ are ＂good＂, and the rest are meanly disturbed and those of the BHQ are ＂moderate＂.

Community characteristics of macrobenthos in the Huanghe(Yellow River) Estuary during water and sediment discharge regulation

The community characteristics of macrobenthos in the Huanghe（Yellow River） Estuary is influenced by a combination of natural and anthropogenic factors. Here, we investigated short-term changes（1-month） in macrobenthic community structure in response to water and sediment discharge regulation（WSDR） in 2011.Specifically, we sampled the macrobenthos at 18 sampling stations situated at four distances（5, 10, 20, and 40 km）from the mouth of the Huanghe Estuary before（mid-June）, during（early-July）, and after（mid-July） WSDR. The results showed that a total of 73, 72, and 85 species were collected before, during, and after WSDR, respectively.Then, 13, 1, and 16 dominant species were detected at this three periods. Four phyla were primarily detected at all three periods（Annelida, Mollusca, Arthropoda, and Echinodermata）. However, while Mollusca and Annelida were the most important phyla in our study, Echinodermata and Annelida were the most important phyla in 1982,demonstrating major changes to community structure over a 3-decadal period. All stations were of high quality BOPA index before WSDR, whereas two and three stations were of reduced quality BOPA index during and after WSDR, respectively. The results of ABC curves showed that had incurred disturbed conditions after human activities WSDR. Most important of all, multivariate analyses and RDA analysis indicated that the structure of the macrobenthic community was closely linked to environment factors, including that organic content factor caused the distribution of macrobenthic community mostly during WSDR, while water depth after WSDR affected the macro benthos community structure seriously, and during WSDR, the environment factor influencing it was not single, including organic content, sulfide content, Hg and As. These differences may have been due to changes in water transparency negatively impacting the growth and development of macrobenthos, due to specific lifehistory requirements. Our results demonstrate that anthropogenic activity is having both long-term（3 decadal）and short term（1-month） impacts on the structure of the macrobenthic community of the Huanghe Estuary. In conclusion, human activities WSDR influence the habitat environment of macro benthos, including the water temperature, nutrients, bioturbation, and so on. Therefore, we suggest the necessity to strengthen regulations of land-derived organic pollutant input to maintain the ecological balance of the Huanghe Estuary.

Characterization of Nutrients,Heavy Metals,Petroleum and Their Impact on Phytoplankton in Laizhou Bay:Implications for Environmental Management and Monitoring

The Laizhou Bay(LB)represents a substantial ecological area that is vulnerable to human activities and confronts diverse environmental challenges.This study provides a comprehensive characterization of nutrients,petroleum,heavy metals,and phytoplankton community structure across seven distinct areas in LB.The results indicate relatively high concentrations of NO_(2)-N,SiO_(4)-Si,and NO_(3)-N in the Southwest Laizhou Bay(SWLB)and Huanghe River Estuary(HRE).In contrast,the East Laizhou bay(ELB)and the North of Huanghe River Estuary(NHRE)exhibit the highest concentrations of heavy metals(As,Cr and Hg).The areas with high phytoplankton density and community diversity are mainly located in the SWLB.After adjusting for basic environmental factors,phytoplankton density and Margalef richness index D are significantly associated with nutrients(NO_(3)-N,NO_(2)-N,NH_(4)-N,SiO_(4)-Si),and heavy metal(Cr)concentrations.We highlight that,in addition to Xiaoqinghe River,nutrients brought by the Mihe River in the SWLB and heavy metal(Cr)pollution in the ELB resulting from industrial and mining activities along the coast significantly influence phytoplankton growth and community structure.Therefore,it is recommended that more monitoring and management efforts be focused on these regions in the future.