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.

Assessment of heavy metal pollution in Laizhou Bay(China)using the ecological risk index and the integrated biomarker response of the goby Acanthogobius ommaturus

We used the Integrated Biological Responses version 2(IBRv2)method to evaluate the biological eff ects of heavy metals in the sediments in Laizhou Bay,China on the benthic goby Acanthogobius ommaturus.In December 2018,gobies and sediments were collected from 15 stations.We measured the activities of defense enzymes and the contents of malondialdehyde(MDA)and metallothionein(MT)in the goby liver as well as the levels of heavy metals in the sediments and goby muscle tissue.Most of the heavy metal concentrations in sediment at each station were below the Class I criteria set by Chinese Standards for Marine Sediment Quality,and the Håkanson ecological risk index suggested low risk for the heavy metals.We found that A.ommaturus could eff ectively accumulate mercury,cadmium,arsenic,and zinc and that the contents of MT and MDA and the activities of glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase were suitable biomarkers of heavy metal pollution in this species.The IBRv2 method integrated these four biomarkers and discriminated stations according to heavy metal pollution.Higher IBRv2 values suggested more adverse eff ects in gobies,corroborating more serious heavy metal contamination.The stations with high IBRv2 values and high contents of heavy metals were mainly distributed in the west and northeast parts of the bay.These results show that the IBRv2 approach is a feasible strategy for assessing heavy metal pollution through biological response and biological status and that it can be implemented for environmental monitoring in Laizhou Bay.

Sedimentary record of a late Holocene storm event in Laizhou Bay,Bohai Sea,China

The Bohai Sea is influenced by numerous extreme oceanic wave events in history.However,it is often difficult to determine the types of these events due to the lack of detailed historical records,causing uncertainty in the reconstruction of historical coastal disasters.We investigated an anomalous sand layer in the Xiliyu Village by the coast of Laizhou Bay,Shandong,from which an extreme event deposit was identified using a multi-proxy approach including grain size distribution,geochemistry,and magnetic susceptibility.This event was dated 2700–3100 a bp,and caused inundation of a large coastal area of Laizhou Bay.By comparing historical records with instrumental data,we believe that the event deposit was generated by a severe storm surge with wind speed of>34.9 m/s.

Simulation of transport mechanism of radium isotopes in aquifer on the southern coast of Laizhou Bay

Naturally occurring radium(^(223)Ra,^(224)Ra,^(226)Ra,and^(228)Ra)isotopes have been widely applied as geochemical tracers in marine environments,especially when estimating the submarine groundwater discharge(SGD).In this sense,the influencing factors and transport mechanism of radium isotope activity in aquifers can be key information for SGD estimation.This work evaluates the adsorption/desorption behavior of^(224)Ra and^(226)Ra in the solid-liquid phase through a leaching experiment and analysis of field data.The results suggested that radium isotope activity was positively correlated with salinity and grain size,in the case of abundant sediments.Through ion analysis,we found that the ions(Na^(+),Ca^(2+),Mg^(2+),and Ba^(2+))exchanged with radium isotopes in the process of transport.A 1-D reactive transport model was established to simulate the transport process of radium isotope in aquifers.The model successfully simulated the variation of radium isotope desorption activity with salinity and was subsequently verified in the field.This study contributes to the understanding of the geochemical behavior of radium isotopes in aquifers and provides guidance for selecting a suitable groundwater endmember in SGD estimation.

Research and Application of High-Density Resistivity Method in Seawater Intrusion Investigation in Laizhou Bay

The disaster of seawater intrusion seriously affects people's lives and restricts economic development,so the detection and treatment of seawater intrusion is a long-term task.On the basis of field investigation and water quality analysis,according to the change characteristics of apparent resistivity of groundwater after Cl-reaches 250 mg/L,the theoretical basis for the application of high-density resistivity method was determined,and the characteristic values of apparent resistivity for seawater intrusion interfaces in different geological characteristic regions in Laizhou Bay area were determined by typical profile tests.Combined with water quality investigation and other means,profiles for the high-density resistivity method were arranged,and the interfaces between saline and fresh water were accurately divided.

Paleoenvironmental changes during the late Quaternary as inferred from foraminifera assemblages in the Laizhou Bay

Controlled by climate changes, there were three large-scale transgressions and regressions around the Bohai Sea during the late Quaternary, which were accepted by most geologists. However, a big controversy still exists about the time when the transgressions occurred separately. In order to find out the process of the paleoenvironmental changes around the Bohai Sea in the late Quaternary, the foraminifera assemblages from a new borehole Lz908 in the southern coast of the Laizhou Bay were studied, and then the transgressive strata were indentified. Combined with accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon 14C（AMS14C） and optically stimulated luminescence（OSL） ages, the occurrence time of these transgressions were re-determined. The result showed that three major large-scale transgressions occurred separately at the beginning of marine isotopic stage 7（MIS7）, the last interglacial period（MIS5） and the Holocene. In addition, a small-scale transgression occurred in the mid-MIS6, and the corresponding transgressive stratum was deposited. The transgressive deposition of MIS3 was also discovered in this study. However, the characteristics of the foraminifera indicated the environment during this period was colder than that in the MIS5. By comparison with the global sea-level changes, the paleoenvironmental changes around the Bohai Sea in the late Quaternary can be consistent with the global climate changes.

Partitioning of grain-size components of estuarine sediments and implications for sediment transport in southwestern Laizhou Bay, China

Sediment transport in estuarine systems has been of increasing interest for scientists during the past few decades. However, the mechanisms for sediment redistribution remain unclear. We characterized in detail sediment transport in the Xiaoqing River estuary using the mathematical Weibull function to partition grain-size components of surface sediments in the southwestern Laizhou Bay, Northeast China. Four partitioned components: finer than 4,4.6-12.5, 23.4-63.3, and 67.1-132.6 μm were interpreted in terms of hydrodynamic conditions. During sediment transport, silt grains were suspended and moved seaward from three depositional centers, whereas fine-grained sands moved generally landward. Overall, sediments are transported clockwise in a generally NNE direction near shore and then turn eastward offshore. The mathematical partitioning method showed a great potential for future estuarine environmental studies.

Macrobenthic Community in the Xiaoqing River Estuary in Laizhou Bay,China

The macrobenthic community of the Xiaoqing River Estuary and the adjacent sea waters was investigated in May and November 2008,August 2009,and May and September 2010,respectively.A total of 95 species of macrobenthos were identified in the five cruises and most of them were polychaetes(46.39%),mollusks(28.86%) and crustaceans(20.62%).The Shannon-Wiener index of macrobenthos was lower than 2 in 67% sites.Along the stream channel,estuary and the coastal waters,the species of polychaetes reduced gradually,while the abundance increased at first and then decreased.The abundance was the biggest at regions with salinity of 5 20 in the estuary.The species and abundance of mollusks and crustaceans increased gradually.As for seasonal distribution,the species,abundance and biomass were higher in spring and lower in summer and autumn.Contemporaneously compared with Laizhou Bay and Yellow River Estuary,the species of macrobenthos appeared in the Xiaoqing River Estuary were much less,while the percentage of polychaetes was higher.Abundance and biomass were higher in Xiaoqing River estuary,then consequently followed by Laizhou Bay and Yellow River Estuary.The dominant species in Xiaoqing River Estuary was polychaete,and Layzhou Bay mollusk.The community structure characteristics of macrobenthos in the Xiaoqing River Estuary revealed a significant pollution status in this region.

Taxonomic Distinctness of Macrofauna as an Ecological Indicator in Laizhou Bay and Adjacent Waters

In this paper, we assessed the ecological and biodiversity status in the Bohai Sea through a quantitative survey on mac-rofaunal community at 25 stations in Laizhou Bay and adjacent waters in the autumn of 2006.We tested the robustness and effectiveness of taxonomic distinctness as an ecological indictor by analyzing its correlation with species richness and natural environmental variables and by analyzing other ecological indicators (Shannon-Wiener H' and W statistics from Abundance Biomass Comparison curve).Results so obtained indicated that the benthic environment of the study waters in general is not under major impact of anthropogenic disturbance, but some stations in Laizhou Bay and along the coast of the Shandong Peninsula and even in the central Bohai Sea might be moderately disturbed and showed signs of ecological degradation.The taxonomic distinctness measures △+ and Λ+ were independent of sampling effort and natural environment factors and were compliant to other ecological indicators.Further application of the taxonomic distinctness indicator to assess marine biodiversity and ecosystem health on a larger regional scale with historical data seems promising.

Variation of Yellow River Runoff and Its Influence on Salinity in Laizhou Bay

Salinity in estuaries has an important influence on sediment deposition,delta formation,and fishery economy.The change of runoff in Yellow River(YR),which is the largest river along the Bohai Sea,has an important effect on the salinity of the sea,particularly in Laizhou Bay.In this study,measured runoff data in Lijin hydrological station from 1950 to 2018 are adopted to examine the change of YR runoff into the sea.The study concludes that the runoff of YR is distributed unevenly throughout the year and the amount of runoff mainly concentrates during the flood season.Results show a decreasing trend at a significant level ofα=0.95,with a range of−6.17×10^9 m^3 yr−1.Three groups of runoff are set by using the Finite-Volume Coastal Ocean Model numerical model to analyze the change of salinity in Laizhou Bay.These modeled effects were compared with water level observations made by Bayuquan,Tanggu,and Penglai gauge stations and salinity surveys conducted by Longkou gauge station.Model results and observations of salinity distributions and coastal water level showed good agreement.We can conclude that the distribution of salinity in Laizhou Bay is high in the east and low in the west.Furthermore,it responded quickly to the change of the runoff from YR.Under conditions of high river discharge,the low-salinity zone increased in horizontal direction and reached the bottom in vertical direction.

SALINE WATER INTRUSION AND ITS INFLUENCE IN THE LAIZHOU AREA

The current salinization of groundwater in the Laizhou area is controlled by three main factors:surge of the sea and inland residual seaweter seepage, original saline water deposited in marine sediment and excessive extraction of the coastal area groundwater. The saliniation of groundwater have obviously affected the local economy and human health.

Environmental evolution in the salt-water intrusion area south of Laizhou Bay since late Pleistocene

The south coastal plain of Laizhou Bay is one of the typical salt-water intrusion areas in China, the occurrence and development of which was closely related with the palaeoenvironment evolution. Systematic analyses of pollen, foraminifera and grain size composition based on ^14C and luminescence dating from two sediment cores were performed for the purpose of understanding the salt-water intrusion in the coastal plain of Laizhou Bay from the perspective of environmental evolution since late Pleistocene. It could be classified into seven evolution stages since 120 kaBP： 120-85 kaBP was a transition period from cold to warm; 85-76 kaBP was a period with warm and wet climate having swamp lakes developed in the lower reaches of the Weihe River, south coastal plain of Laizhou Bay; 76-50 kaBP was characterized by grassland vegetation and coarse sediments in terrestrial environment, which was the early stage of Dali Ice-Age; 50-24 kaBP was a period with alternate sea deposition in the south coastal plain of Laizhou Bay; 24-10 kaBP was the late stage of Dali Ice-Age with coldest period of Quaternary, the south coastal plain of Laizhou Bay was dry grassland and loess deposition environment; 10-4 kaBP was another warm and wet climate period, sea level was high and regressed at 4 kaBP; and has been the modern sedimentary environment since 4 kaBP. Among the three warm stages, including 85-76 kaBP, 50-24 kaBP and 10-4 kaBP, corresponded to late Yangkou, Guangrao and Kenli seawater transgression respectively. The duration of the latter one in south coastal plain of Laizhou Bay was longer than that in west coast of Bohai Sea and east coast of Laizhou Bay. The three periods of seawater transgression formed the foundation of salt-water intrusion in this area.

Distribution and pollution assessment of trace metals in seawater and sediment in Laizhou Bay

Selected trace metals （Pb, Cd, Cu, Hg） and arsenic in seawater and surface sediments of Laizhou Bay were determined, to evaluate their spatial distribution, pollution risk and potential ecological risk. Concentrations of the elements were 0.56-2.07, 0.14-0.38, 12.70-18.40, 0.014-0.094, and 1.13- 2.37 μg/L in the seawater and 8.94-32.2, 0.18-0.67, 4.51-30.5, 0.006-0.058, and 5.75-15.3 mg/kg in sediments for Pb, Cd, Cu, Hg and As, respectively. High concentrations of the trace metals and arsenic in seawater and surface sediments were generally observed near the fiver estuary. The pollution risk result of the elements showed that Cu was the prominent trace metal pollutant in seawater, followed by Hg, Pb, Cd and As. The metal complex pollution index in seawater was at a medium level. The most important trace metal pollutant in sediments was Cd, followed by As, Cu, Pb, and Hg. Our pollution assessment suggests that trace metal pollution in Laizhou Bay sediments was at a low level. The potential ecological risk was also low in surface sediment.

Monthly Variation in Crustacean Assemblage(Decapod and Stomatopod) and Its Relationships with Environmental Variables in Laizhou Bay,China

In this study,we investigated the community structure of crustaceans(decapod and stomatopod) inhabiting the sandy mud bottoms of Laizhou Bay(northeastern China) monthly from May 2011 to April 2012.Investigation was stopped from December 2011 to February 2012 because of the extreme weather and sea ice.A total of 205,057 specimens belonging to 31 species(shrimp,15;crab,15;and stomatopod,1) were collected in 148 hauls.From 2011 to 2012,Oratosquilla oratoria was the dominant biomass species(47.80%),followed by Charybdis japonica(15.49%),Alpheus japonicas(12.61%),Portunus trituberculatus(6.46%),and Crangon spp.(4.19%).Crangon spp.was the most dominant species by individual(32.55%).O.oratoria was the most-frequently encountered species(81.76%),followed by Palaemon gravieri(70.95%),C.japonica(65.54%),A.japonicas(62.16%),and P.trituberculatus(54.73%).The biomass density increased from August to September 2011 and decreased from March 2012 to April 2012.The dynamics of the ecological indices evolve in a similar manner,with high values of diversity and evenness and rich species from May to June 2011 and low values from September to October 2011.O.oratoria,C.japonica,and P.trituberculatus differed by biomass data between groups I(samples obtained from September to October 2011) and II(samples in other months).These species contributed more than 70% to the similarity of the crustacean community structure.Furthermore,the subsets of environmental variables that best matched the crustacean-assemblage structure were as follows:water depth(WD) in summer(June to August);sea surface temperature(SST),dissolved oxygen(DO),and WD in autumn(September to November);and DO,salinity,and WD in spring(March to May).The calculated correlation coefficients and significance level were higher in the period of July to August 2011 than in other months.Comparing 2011 to 2012 with 1982 to 1983,the species composition remained stable.However,the dominant species changed significantly.High value and large species,such as F.chinensis,P.trituberculatus,and T.curvirostris,have been replaced by low value and small species(i.e.,Crangon spp.,P.gravieri,and C.japonica).

The Effects of Reclamation Activity and Yellow River Runoff on Coastline and Area of the Laizhou Bay,China

Study on morphological changes of a bay can help to identify the effects of anthropogenic activities on coastal environ-ment and guide the exploration of marine resources.In this paper,morphological data including coastline and water areas in five discrete years between 1968 and 2015 were selected and extracted from the remote sensing images and historical marine charts to study the morphological changes in Laizhou Bay(LZB),one of the bays in the southwest of the Bohai Sea.A systematic analysis on spatial variations of the coastline and the surface areas of different types of waters in LZB was conducted.The results showed that the surface area of LZB was decreased by 1253.2km^(2)in the last half century,which is 17.4%of the total in the 1970s.The areas of the natural wetland and the intertidal zone were decreased by 17.2%and 56.1%,respectively,and the average water depth varied from 9.05 m to 8.16m at low tide level from 1968 to 2015.The coastline and shape variations of the bay turned to be complex after the 1980s,and the shape index of LZB showed an increasing trend in more recent years.The centroid of the bay generally migrated to the northeast direction,i.e.,the direction of the center of the Bohai Sea,and the shrinking direction of the bay was consistent with the migration direction of the coastline.The reclamation area during 1968-2015 in LZB was 1201.7km^(2),and 94.1%was in the inter-tidal zone.The overall morphological change of the bay during the last half century was mainly controlled by the coastal reclamation activities,and the Yellow River runoff including the river course change and sediment load variation was also an important control-ling factor.

Sediment distribution and provenance since Late Pleistocene in Laizhou Bay,Bohai Sea,China

There are three transgression-regression events and evolutions of the sedimentary environment by sea level changes since the Pleistocene in the southern section of the Bohai Sea, China. It is obvious that a multi-source fluvial delta sedimentary system may be more dominant in a sedimentary environment. Based on previous research and survey or historical data, we carried out studies on the division of sedimentary units, sedimentary facies analysis and strata division and comparison, which aim to establish the sedimentary stratigraph of Laizhou Bay. We focus on the sedimentary procession of the Laizhou Bay since the early Late Pleistocene. It can be divided into two glacial periods and three interglacial periods, corresponding to two regression and three transgression events in Laizhou Bay since Late Pleistocene. In 124.6-72.0 ka BP, 60.0-24.4 ka BP and 10.2-4.0 ka BP, three times warm-wet periods occurred, respectively corresponding to the Cangzhou transgression, Xianxian transgression, and Huanghua transgression. In 72.0-60.0 ka BP and 24.4-10.2 ka BP, two dry and cold periods, it was the continental sedimentary environment, corresponding to Wurm early glacier and Wurm late glacier. The results show:(1) Sediments have the characteristics of phase and stage under the terrestrial input of the Yellow River and middle-small rivers in the southern section of the Bohai Sea.(2) PI moved towards coastal in Cangzhou transgression strata in early Late Pleistocene. PI moved northward from land in Xianxian transgression strata in the late Pleistocene. PI moved further north in the Huanghua transgression strata in Holocene.(3) During the regressive period, the land source input increased and the estuarine or lagoon sedimentation developed, which manifested as progradational superposition.(4) During the transgressive period, it mainly developed shallow coastal sediment and transitionally formed regressive deposition to the south in delta/tidal flat deposition.

Modelling Nitrogen and Phosphorus Dynamics in a Mesocosm Pelagic Ecosystem in Laizhou Bay in China

A model of nitrogen and phosphorus dynamics in mesocosm experiments was established on the basis of a summary and synthesis of the existing models. The established model comprised seven state variables(DIN,PO4-P,DON,DOP,phytoplankton,zooplankton and detritus) and five modules - phytoplankton,zooplankton,dissolved inorganic nutrients,dissolved organic nutrients and detritus. Comparison with the in situ experimental data in Laizhou Bay at the end of August 2002 showed that this model could properly simulate the variations of DIN,PO4-P,and phytoplankton biomass in a mesocosm pelagic ecosystem. It was found that not only the model structure but also the parameters adopted were fit for simulation. The sensitivity of the main state variables to the parameter change was assessed by sensitivity analysis. All these results are useful for studying the control mechanism of biogeochemical cycling of nutrients in Laizhou Bay and other Chinese coastal waters.

Species- and tissue-specific mercury bioaccumulation in five fish species from Laizhou Bay in the Bohai Sea of China

Mercury (Hg) concentrations in the tissues (muscle, stomach, liver, gills, skin, and gonads) of five fish species (mullet Liza haematocheilus, flathead fish Platycephalus indicus, sea bass Lateolabrax japonicus, mackerel Scomberomorus niphonius and silver pomfret Pampus argenteus) collected from Laizhou Bay in the Bohai Sea of China were investigated. The results indicate that Hg bioaccumulation in the five fish was tissue- specific, with the highest levels in the muscle and liver, followed by the stomach and gonads. The lowest levels were found in the gills and skin. Fish at higher trophic levels (flathead fish and sea bass) exhibited higher Hg concentrations than consumers at lower trophic levels. Mercury bioaccumulation tended to be positively correlated with fish length in mullet, silver pomfret, mackerel, and flathead fish, but was negatively correlated with fish length in sea bass. The Hg concentrations in the muscles of all fish species in Laizhou Bay were within the permissible limits of food safety set by national and international criteria. However, the suggesting maximum consumption of sea bass is 263g per week for human health.

SEAWATER INTRUSION TYPES AND REGIONAL DIVISIONS IN THE SOUTHERN COAST OF LAIZHOU BAY

The southern coast of Laizhou Bay, Bohai Sea, is one of the areas in China most seriously impacted by seawater intrusion. Based on the sources of intruding waterbodies, seawater intrusion can be divided into two types: intrusion of saline water derived from modern seawater, and intrusion of subsurface brine and saline water derived from paleo seawater in shallow Quaternary sediments. There are some distinct differences in their formation, mechanism and damage. The subsurface brine intrusion is a special type, which can cause very serious disaster. The coastal landform and the Quaternary hydrogeological environment are predominant factors in the classification of seawater intrusion types. Various coastal environments in different coastal sections result in three types of intrusion: seawater intrusion, saline groundwater intrusion, and mixed seawater and saline water intrusion, in the southern coast of Laizhou Bay, which can be divided into four areas: the seawater intrusion area in the northern Laizhou City coast, the mixed seawater and saline groundwater intrusion area in the Baisha River Jiaolai River mouth plain area, the mixed seawater and saline groundwater intrusion area in the Weihe River mouth plain area northern Changyi county coast, and the saline groundwater intrusion area in the northern Shouguang plains.

Assessing benthic habitat quality using biotic indices in the Laizhou Bay, China

As an important part of the Bohai economic rim,the Laizhou Bay has been stressed by serious eco-environmental problems in recent years.In this study,the Shannon-Wiener index(H′),AZTI’s marine biotic index(AMBI)and the multivariate AMBI(M-AMBI)were used to assess the ecological quality status(EQS)of the Laizhou Bay according to macrobenthos data collected annually in August 2011–2014.The results showed that the overall benthic habitat quality in the Laizhou Bay was assessed as“Good”.However,25%of the samples were classified as“Moderate”,“Bad”or“Poor”status under degraded conditions.Ecological group III(EGIII)species which had a certain tolerance to environmental disturbances had a higher proportion in each station,and most of them had appeared the pollution indicator species Capitella capitata.This indicated that the benthic habitat in the Laizhou Bay had been disturbed and polluted to some extent.The comparison of the three indices evaluation result and the RDA analysis showed that the H′and M-AMBI were more suitable when the relative abundance of the single species was high and the macrobenthic community was significantly imbalanced;when the relative abundance of opportunistic species(EGIV and EGV)was high,the AMBI and M-AMBI could reflected the EQS objectively;in an undisturbed and polluted environment,all the three indices could indicate the benthic habitats quality.In summary,the better correlation between the three indices and environmental factors showed that they were well responsive to the tendency of the benthic habitats quality in the Laizhou Bay.