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.

Distribution and controlling factors of phytoplankton assemblages associated with mariculture in an eutrophic enclosed bay in the East China Sea

The distribution of phytoplankton and its correlation with environmental factors were studied monthly during August 2012 to July 2013 in the Yantian Bay. A total of 147 taxa of phytoplankton were identified, and the average abundance was in the range of 0.57×10~4 to 7.73×10~4 cell/L. A total of 19 species dominated the phytoplankton assemblages, and several species that are widely reported to be responsible for microalgae blooms were the absolutely dominant species, such as Skeletonema costatum, Navicula sp., Thalassionema nitzschioides,Pleurosigma sp., and Licmophora abbreviata. The monthly variabilities in phytoplankton abundance could be explained by water temperature, dissolved oxygen, salinity, dissolved inorganic nitrogen（DIN）, and suspended solids. The results of a redundancy analysis showed that p H and nutrients, including DIN and silicate（SiO_4）, were the most important environmental factors controlling phytoplankton assemblages in specific months. It was found that nutrients and pH levels that were mainly influenced by mariculture played a vital role in influencing the variation of phytoplankton assemblages in the Yantian Bay. Thus, a reduction of mariculture activities would be an effective way to control microalgae blooms in an enclosed and intensively eutrophic bay.

Late Quaternary sedimentary environmental evolution offshore of the Hangzhou Bay,East China——implications for sea level change and formation of Changjiang alongshore current

This study focuses on sedimentary environmental changes offshore of Hangzhou Bay, East China, since the Late Quaternary. AMS ^14C ages from core CJK10, lithologies, distribution of foraminifera, heavy minerals, and S and C1 elements show a fluvial terrace environment during -23.2-11.0 cal ka BP; a littoral to tidal-flat environment during 11.0-10.2 cal ka BP; and a shallow marine environment with a relatively low sedimentation rate （0.1-0.22 cm/a） since 4.3 cal ka BP. High depositional rates （-1.6 cm/a） from 10.9 to 10.2 cal ka BP resulted from sufficient accommodation space created by rapid sea level rise from -44 m to -33 m, from high sediment delivery by local rivers, and effective trapping of sediments by tidal-flat vegetation. The rate of sea level rise was variable; relatively high from 10.9 to 10.6 cal ka BP （2.1 cm/a）, and lower since 10.6 cal ka BP （1.2 cm/a）. The Changjiang alongshore current crossed the Hangzhou Bay to form the mud wedge on the inner shelf of the East China Sea later than 9.4 cal ka BP. The CJK10 site was a tide-dominated shelf environment and experienced erosion from approximately 9.4-9.2 cal ka BP to 4.3 cal ka BP. The depositional hiatus was caused by the Changjiang alongshore current, which was relatively weak during 9.4-7.5 cal ka BP and increased in strength during -7.5-4 cal ka BP. From -4.3 cal ka BP, a large amount of sediment from the Changjiang River was partly deposited on the continental shelf of Hangzhou Bay with some transported southward. Therefore, this study clarifies the history of Changjiang-derived sediment dispersal and deposition, although a detailed record of the changes in the Chang3iang alongshore current since 4.3 cal ka BP is difficult to obtain because of the scarcity of evidence.

Effects of an artificial oyster shell reef on macrobenthic communities in Rongcheng Bay, East China

An artifi cial oyster shell reef was deployed in Rongcheng Bay, East China. However, the effects of this reef on the surrounding macrobenthic communities were unknown. We compared sedimentary factors, macrobenthic biomass, abundance, and community composition and ecological indicators between the reef and non-reef areas over a one year period. The mean values for chlorophyll a(Chl a), total organic matter(TOM), total organic carbon(TOC), and total nitrogen(TN) content in surface sediments in the reef area were slightly higher than those in the non-reef area. The Chl a levels differed signifi cantly between the two areas, but the TOM, TOC, and TN were not signifi cantly different. The abundance of crustaceans was signifi cantly different between the two areas, but the abundance and biomass of polychaetes, echinoderms, mollusk did not differ signifi cantly. The permutational multivariate analysis of variance(PERMANOVA) revealed that the macrobenthic community differed signifi cantly through time and analysis of similarity multivariate analyses(ANOSIM) revealed that the macrobenthic community differed signifi cantly in some months. The ecological indicators revealed that the environmental quality of the reef area was slightly better than that of the non-reef area. Overall, our results suggest that the artifi cial oyster shell reef may change the macrobenthic community and the quality of the environment. Despite the lack of an effect in the short term, long-term monitoring is still needed to evaluate the effects of artifi cial oyster shell reefs on macrobenthic communities.

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.

Sediment distribution characteristics and environment evolution within 100 years in western Laizhou Bay,Bohai Sea,China

This study is about the reconstruction of fluvial origins based on the grain size distribution of sediment deposits in the western Laizhou Bay,Bohai Sea,China.Thirteen sediment cores were selected to research sediment characteristics using the Sahu discriminant formula,C-M diagram,and Folk method.The results showed:(1)Bounded by the Guangli River estuary,the north sediment was affected by the water and sand flowing from the Yellow River during different periods.The south sediment came from multi-source rivers under the influence of the Xiaoqing River,Mihe River,and other coastal rivers;(2)the deposited sediments were dated by a clear historical record of the branched channel oscillation combined with the characteristics of the diversion channel,erosion,and regression.The subaqueous delta overlapped during several Yellow River channel runs(1897–1904,1929–1934,1938–1947,1947–1953,1976–1996)and the deposited sediment facies changed(the north tidal flat-abandoned subaqueous delta-lateral delta-delta front);(3)the deposited sediment characteristics can be revealed by studying the branched diversions of the Yellow River and coastal multi-rivers of the past one hundred years.

Palynoflora and climatic dynamics of the Laizhou Bay of Bohai Sea,North China Plain,since the late middle Pleistocene

The coastal plain of Laizhou Bay in Bohai Sea is a transitional area of land-sea interaction.Sediments in this area can bear significant information of sea-level fluctuation,climate change,as well as regional geological setting.Here,in this study,new sporopollen data from three boreholes(GK138,GK111 and GK95)in the coastal plain of Laizhou Bay,Bohai Sea were investigated,and the pollen spectrum since the late middle Pleistocene was established as six sporopollen assemblage zones(Ⅰ-Ⅵ),i.e.,Pinus-Quercus-Artemisia,Gramineae-Artemisia-Chenopodiaceae,Picea-Pinus-QuercusArtemisia,Picea-Pinus-Betula-Gramineae-Artemisia,Picea-Pinus-Cupressaceae-Chenopodiaceae and Pinus-Quercus-Gramineae-Artemisia-Chenopodiaceae.Combining with existing sedimentary successions and detailed radiocarbon dating results of the sediments from the three boreholes,paleovegetation and climatic evolution since the late middle Pleistocene were reconstructed.The findings revealed that climatic changes in this area since the late middle Pleistocene were characterized by alternating cold-arid and warmhumid conditions,which were well correlated with marine isotopic stages(MIS).The present study offers specific insight into the climatic dynamics in the North China Plain since the late middle Pleistocene and provides evidence of a clear link among the palynoflora in the area,the glacial-interglacial period climatedriven sea-level changes,and the marineδ^(18)O records.

Application of the Static Headland-Bay Beach Concept to a Sandy Beach: A New Elliptical Model

The headland-bay beach is one of the most common coastal types in the world.Its morphology reflects the changes that occurred during long-term evolution of the sandy coast.Several headland-bay beach models have been proposed to simulate the coastline’s configuration in equilibrium.In this paper,a new elliptical model is proposed,described,and applied.On the east coast of Laizhou Bay in Shandong Province from Longkou Port to Diaolongzui,four typical headland-bay beaches have developed,and four headland-bay beach models are used in this paper to simulate the morphology of these beaches to assess the applicability of each model.The simulation results of the elliptical model verify that it is applicable to the study area.In addition,the elliptical model is easy to use.Through simulation and field investigations,we concluded that most of the coastal segments in this area will remain in an erosion state,and the human activity has a significant impact on the shoreline’s evolution.

Ecosystem service valuation of bays in East China Sea and its response to sea reclamation activities

Ecosystem service values(ESVs)of bays and their response to sea reclamation are of great practical importance for forming bay eco-compensation policy and extension of blue economic space.Based on land use information of bays collected during the period of 1990–2015,the spatiotemporal evolution of ESVs of 12 main bays in East China Sea and their response to sea reclamation activities over the past 25 years were quantitatively analyzed.The analysis results indicate that ESVs of bays in East China Sea showed a continuous downward trend and the whole ecosystem was continuously degraded,in which the degradation degree of ESV in the southern bays was higher than that in the northern bays.Spatial zoning of ESVs of bays in East China Sea was remarkable,showing a continuous downward trend from low-value to high-value zone.Spatial variation of ESVs of each bay was also significant,expanding from a city and from inland to the coast,which suggests that human activities,mainly reclamation,have become main agents for ESV evolution of bays in East China Sea.ESVs of bays have a significant response to sea reclamation,manifested as a significant negative correlation between ESV and reclamation intensity.The correlation in the southern bays was stronger than that in the northern bays,which was caused by different effects of sea reclamation modes on ESV evolution of muddy and bedrock bays.A negative effect of sea reclamation activities on bay ecosystem was hysteretic.Therefore,an attention should be paid to dynamic monitoring and early warning of development status in offshore areas,ecosystem-level reclamation control policy,and coastal wetland reserves planning.Moreover,the spatial coupling mechanism study between bay ecosystem service demand and its service supply capacity should be strengthened to realize systematic regulation of bay ecological security pattern.

基于Bayes方法的东海小黄鱼资源评析

利用东海区渔业资源动态监测资料、采用基于Bayes方法的Pella-Tomlinson模型对东海区小黄鱼(Pseudosciaenapolyactis)渔业资源动态进行了科学评析,同时,在不同渔业政策选择下,对2004-2020年的资源量与渔获量进行了预测模拟研究。研究结果显示:东海区小黄鱼渔业资源的环境容纳量K为394 514 t;内禀增长率r为1.146;1991年的资源生物量为338 493 t、尔后持续上升到1994年的370 923 t。1994年以后又持续下降,到2003年下降到最低值111 253 t;最大持续产量(Maximum sustainable yield,MSY)为107 806 t左右;支持MSY所需的渔业资源生物量为197 503 t;支持MSY所需的捕捞努力量为441 097 6网次;当前资源量与环境容纳量K的比值为0.282,即当前资源量已不足原始资源量的30%;若2004年以后使用0.4的捕捞死亡系数,该渔业资源可以实现持续最优利用。

基于Ecopath模型的莱州湾中国对虾增殖生态容量

通过增殖放流,增加优质渔业资源、改善种群结构是渔业资源养护的重要手段,而增殖生态容量的研究是科学实施增殖放流的前提.本文根据2009—2010年的渔业资源与生态环境数据,构建了由26个功能群组成的莱州湾生态系统Ecopath模型,利用该模型分析了生态系统的总体特征、营养相互关系与关键种,计算了放流品种中国对虾的增殖生态容量.结果表明:系统的总初级生产量/总呼吸(TPP/TR)为1.53,总初级生产量/总生物量(TPP/B)为24.54,同时具有较低的循环指数(FCI=0.07)、较高的剩余生产量(434.41t·km-2·a-1)和较低的系统连接指数(CI=0.29),该系统目前处于发育的早期阶段.中国对虾目前不是莱州湾生态系统的关键种,当前中国对虾的生物量为0.1143t·km-2,有较大的增殖潜力;当生物量增长25.8倍时,仍不会超过增殖生态容量2.9489t·km-2.