Turbidity maximum formation and its seasonal variations in the Zhujiang(Pearl River)Estuary,southern China

Real-time observations in the field and numerical simulations（with Delft3D） were combined to study the formation, distribution and the relevant influencing factors of turbidity maximum（TM） in the Zhujiang（Pearl River） Estuary（ZE）. The spatial distribution pattern of the TM varies with the longitudinal distributions of salinity and suspended sediment concentration（SSC）. The SSC is enhanced and the TM is intensified during dry seasons,whereas the center of the TM moves upstream by a distance of 10 km during wet seasons. The formation of the TM is influenced by a complex combination of numerous factors, including tides, river discharges and topography, wherein sediment resuspension and vertical circulation dominate the formations and variability of the TM.

Distribution Characteristics of COD in the Waters of Pearl River Estuary

The surveys on the COD in the Lingdingyang waters of Pearl River estuary were carried out in May and August of 2002. The results showed that the concentrations of COD in the waters ranged from 0,41 to 2.72 mg·L^-1 with an average of 1.21 mg·L^-1.The spatial distributions showed that COD concentration decreased gradually from the north to south of Pearl River estuary, and the concentration near coastal waters was higher than that in offshore waters. The concentration of COD in summer was higher than in spring. Evaluated by the first class （COD ≤ 2 mg·L^-1） of sea water quality standard （Chinese standard）, there were about 15 % of COD concentrations over the standard. The concentration of COD showed a positive correlation with the concentration of suspend substances in spring and summer, but in summer it showed a negative correlation with the concentrations of inorganic nitrate and phosphate.

Study on Dynamic Changes of Land Utilization and Landscape Layout in Pearl River Estuary

Taking advantage of remote sensing(RS) technology and geographic information system(GIS) technology to interpret the four periods' data of remote sensing images of Pearl River Estuary in the years of 1990,1995,2000,and 2005,the changes in land utilization and landscape layout of Pearl River Estuary have been analyzed with reference to land utilization dynamic model and quantitative method in landscape ecology.Results indicate several points as followings.①Located in the region typical of high-speed economic development,Pearl River Estuary shows noticeable changes in land types and evident spatial temporal difference.During these 15 years,the areas of cultivated land and forests have experienced dramatic decline while the land for construction purposes shows the trend of powerful increase.②On the prospect of variation,landscape metrics have indicated great differences among other landscape pattern indices except for Area-Weighted Mean Patch Fractal Dimension(AWMPFD) especially during the period from 1990 to 1995 which experiences the most obvious changes.③On the prospect of landscape,landscape pattern indices also indicate great changes in the landscape layout of Pearl River Estuary from 1990 to 2005 as well as noticeable increase in the number of patches,and various landscape pattern indices show the increase in the degree of regional landscape fragmentation and increase in diversity.

An Optimal Algorithm for the Retrieval of Chlorophyll,Suspended Sediments and Gelbstoff of Case Ⅱ Waters in the Pearl River Estuary

An optimal algorithm for the retrieval of chlorophyll, suspended sediments and gelbstoff of case Ⅱ waters in the Pearl River estuary was established with the optical parameters derived from the in-situ data obtained in Jan. 2003 in the same area. And then, the chlorophyll, suspended sediments and gelbstoff of the SeaWiFS pixels on Jan. 29, 2003 corresponding to the in-situ sites of Jan. 25 and 26, 2003 were synchronously retrieved, with average relative errors of 14.9%, 12.1% and 13.6% for chlorophyll, suspended sediments and gelbstoff, respectively. The research results indicated that the optimal retrieval algorithm established here was relatively fit for the retrieval of the chlorophyll, suspended sediments and gelbstoff of case Ⅱ waters in the Pearl River estuary, and had quite good retrieval accuracy.

Communities and Quantitative Analysis of Ammonia-oxidizing Organisms in Pearl River Estuary Sediments

[Objective] This study aimed to investigate the abundance and composition of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and ammonia-oxidizing archaea in Pearl River Estuary sediment.[Method] Firstly,the amoA gene library was constructed;then based on that,the content and diversity of amoA genes of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and ammonia-oxidizing archaea in Pearl River Estuary sediment were detected by using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction（Q-PCR）.[Result] The results of Q-PCR presented that ammonia-oxidizing archaea（AOA） were more abundant than ammonia-oxidizing bacteria（AOB） in the top of sediment cores,with ratios of AOA to AOB of 22 and 9 at the two sites.It suggested that ammonia-oxidizing archaea may play more important roles than ammonia-oxidizing bacteria in the process of ammonia oxidation in the Pearl River Estuary sediment.The phylogenetic tree based on amoA gene sequences revealed that the amoA sequences of both AOA and AOB shared high similarity with the clones from uncultured environment.In the top sediment layer at site Q7,AOB amoA-like gene sequences were dominated by Nitrosomonas-like sequence types,which could be classified into five groups（clusters A,B,C,D and E）.Cluster A accounted for 72.1% of the library.In the top sediment layer,the AOA amoA gene fell into two groups ＂water column/sediment＂ cluster（52.2%） and ＂soil/sediment＂ cluster（47.8%）.But in the bottom sediment layer of Q7,most of the AOA amoA sequences（93.3%） fell into ＂soil/sediment＂ cluster,and a little part（6.7%） fell into the ＂water/sediment＂ cluster.In addition,the total amount of amoA genes in the bottom sediment was higher than that in top sediment.[Conclusion] This study helps to realize the cycle of nitrogen in Pearl River Estuary Region,and thus to provide theoretical support for the treatment of nitrogen eutrophication.

Difference Analysis of Urban Landscape Pattern Change at Both Banks of Pearl River Estuary in China

By using remote sensing image data of Landsat-5 TM (1988, 1995 and 1998) and Landsat-7 ETM (2002), remote sensing image data, land-use map and DEM had been put in the same coordinate system and projection. In ArcView, all data had been rasterized as grid data of 30 m×30 m. By Fragstats, landscape pattern indexes had been calculated. Based on the average area, patch density, landscape isolation, boundary density, shape index, fractal dimension, aggregation degree, diversity and evenness index, landscape pattern at different periods and its evolution had been analyzed, revealing the differentiation of spatio-temporal change of landscape pattern at both banks of Pearl River Estuary.

Offshore Fault Geometrics in the Pearl River Estuary,Southeastern China:Evidence from Seismic Reflection Data

The Pearl River Estuary(PRE) is located at the onshore-offshore transition zone between South China and South China Sea Basin, and it is of great significant value in discussing tectonic relationships between South China block and South China Sea block and seismic activities along the offshore active faults in PRE. However, the researches on geometric characteristics of offshore faults in this area are extremely lacking. To investigate the offshore fault distribution and their geometric features in the PRE in greater detail, we acquired thirteen seismic reflection profiles in 2015. Combining the analysis of the seismic reflection and free-air gravity anomaly data, this paper revealed the location, continuity, and geometry of the littoral fault zone and other offshore faults in PRE. The littoral fault zone is composed of the major Dangan Islands fault and several parallel, high-angle, normal faults, which mainly trend northeast to northeast-to-east and dip to the southeast with large displacements. The fault zone is divided into three different segments by the northwest-trending faults. Moreover, the basement depth around Dangan Islands is very shallow, while it suddenly increases along the islands westward and southward. These has resulted in the islands and neighboring areas becoming the places where the stress accumulates easily. The seismogenic pattern of this area is closely related to the comprehensive effect of intersecting faults together with the low velocity layer.

Phytoplankton Assemblage Structure Shaped by Key Environmental Variables in the Pearl River Estuary, South China

Spatial distribution and temporal dynamics of phytoplankton community and their relationships with environmental factors were studied in the Pearl River Estuary(PRE), South China, in three seasons. Salinity was considered as the key environmental variable controlling horizontal distributions of phytoplankton community composition. A transition from dominance of freshwater diatoms(Aulacoseira granulata and A. granulata v. angustissima) to estuarine species(Skeletonema costatum and Pseudonitzschia delicatissima) was observed in the high flow season(summer) along the estuary gradient; in the low flow season(spring), the inner estuary was relatively homogeneous and some typical estuarine species could be found near the river mouth. In the normal flow season(autumn), a potentially toxic bluegreen species, Microcystis spp. was predominant in the middle reaches of the estuary, which should be seeded from upstream and transported downstream by river discharges. Phytoplankton abundance was negatively correlated with suspended solid content and nutrient concentration in the PRE, suggesting that turbidity and nutrient availability were the crucial factors regulating the algal biomass. Phytoplankton abundance in the outer estuary was enhanced by increasing irradiance and continued to be enhanced until phosphorus-limitation.

Chemometric study of spatial variations of environmental and ecological characteristics in the Zhujiang River (Pearl River) Estuary and adjacent waters

Chemometric approach based on principal component analysis（PCA） was utilized to examine the spatial variances of environmental and ecological characteristics in the Zhujiang River（Pearl River） Estuary and adjacent waters（ZREAW） in the South China Sea. The PCA result shows that the ZREAW can be divided into different zones according to the principal components and geographical locations of the study stations,and indicates that there are distinct regional variances on environmental features and the corresponding phytoplankton biomass and community structures among different areas. The spatial distribution of ecological features was implied to be influenced by various degrees of the different water resources,such as the Pearl River discharges,the coastal current and the oceanic water from the South China Sea. The variation of the biomass maximum zone and the complex impacts on the spatial distributions of phytoplankton biomass and production were also evaluated.

Effects of Nitrogen and Phosphorus on the Growth of Levanderina fissa:How It Blooms in Pearl River Estuary

Effects of nitrogen(N) and phosphorus(P) from different sources and at different concentrations on the growth of Levanderina fissa(= Gyrodinium instriatum) were studied in laboratory conditions. The findings might explain the recurrent blooms of this species in Pearl River Estuary, China. Results showed that nutrient limitation significantly inhibited the growth of L. fissa. The values of specific growth rate(μmax) and half-saturation nutrient concentration(KS) were 0.37 divisions/d and 8.49 μmol L^(-1) for N, and 0.39 divisions/d and 1.99 μmol L^(-1) for P, respectively. Based on KS values, dissolved inorganic N level in PRE was sufficient to support the high proliferation of L. fissa, while dissolved inorganic P concentration was far lower than the minimum requirement for its effective growth. L. fissa was not able to utilize dissolved organic N(DON) compounds such as urea, amino acids, and uric acid. However, it grew well by using a wide variety of dissolved organic P(DOP) sources like nucleotides, glycerophosphate, and 4-nitrophenylphosphate. The results from this study suggested that the ability in DOP utilization of L. fissa offers this species a competitive advantage in phytoplankton communities. The high level and continuous supply of DIN, enrichment of DOP, together with warm climate and low salinity in the Pearl River Estuary provided a suitable nutrient niche for the growth of L. fissa, and resulted in the recurrent blooms in the estuary.

Investigation of seasonal variability of CDOM fluorescence in the southern Changjiang River Estuary by EEM-PARAFAC

The southern Changjiang River Estuary has attracted considerable attention from marine scientists because it is a highly biologically active area and is biogeochemically significant. Moreover, land-ocean interactions strongly impact the estuary, and harmful algal blooms （HABs） frequently occur in the area. In October 2010 and May 2011, water samples of chromophoric dissolved organic matter （CDOM） were collected from the southern Changjiang River Estuary. Parallel factor analysis （PARAFAC） was used to assess the samples＇ CDOM composition using excitation-emission matrix （EEM） spectroscopy. Four components were identified： three were humic-like （C1, C2 and C3） and one was protein-like （C4）. Analysis based on spatial and seasonal distributions, as well as relationships with salinity, Chl a and apparent oxygen utilization （AOU）, revealed that terrestrial inputs had the most significant effect on the three humic-like Components C1, C2 and C3 in autumn. In spring, microbial processes and phytoplankton blooms were also important factors that impacted the three components. The protein-like Component C4 had autochthonous and allochthonous origins and likely represented a biologically labile component. CDOM in the southern Changjiang River Estuary was mostly affected by terrestrial inputs. Microbial processes and phytoplankton blooms were also important sources of CDOM, especially in spring. The fluorescence intensities of the four components were significantly higher in spring than in autumn. On average, C1, C2, C3, C4 and the total fluorescence intensity （TFI） in the surface, middle and bottom layers increased by 123%-242%, 105%-195%, 167%-665%, 483%-567% and 184%-245% in spring than in autumn, respectively. This finding corresponded with a Chl a concentration that was 16-20 times higher in spring than in autumn and an AOU that was two to four times lower in spring than in autumn. The humification index （HIX） was lower in spring that in autumn, and the fluorescence index （FI） was higher in spring than in autumn. This result indicated that the CDOM was labile and the biological activity was intense in spring.

Estimation of total suspended matter in the Zhujiang (Pearl) River estuary from Hyperion imagery

Although remote sensing data have been used to estimate total suspended matter （TSM） in coastal waters, it has limitations when applied to estuary waters in low spatial resolution situations. The spatial resolution of ocean color satellites such as SeaWiFS and MODIS is usually -1 km, and therefore is not adequate for small, local-scale areas such as the Zhujiang （Pearl） River estuary. In contrast, 30 m-resolution EO-1 Hyperion imagery has potential for studying TSM in localized areas. We measured the surface spectral radiance reflectance of the river estuary water in the visible and near infra-red spectral range. Sensitivity analysis indicated that the ratio of remote sensing reflectance at 813 nm （Rrs（813）） to reflectance at 559 nm （Rrs（559）） could be used to estimate TSM concentration, and a linear relationship was established between the ratio and in-situ TSM concentration. We applied the linear relationship to Hyperion imagery to map TSM concentration in the estuary. The Hyperion imagery provided sufficient spatial resolution to detect spatiotemporal changes in TSM concentrations in the estuary small estuary area. This study demonstrated the usefulness of Hyperion imagery for mapping the distribution of TSM in estuary waters. Keyword： Hyperion; total suspended matter （TSM）; Zhujiang （Pearl） River estuary

The influence of runoff and wind on the dispersion patterns of suspended sediment in the Zhujiang(Pearl) River Estuary based on MODIS data

Cloud-free moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer(MODIS) images of the Zhujiang(Pearl) River Estuary(ZRE) taken between 2002 and 2012 are retrieved and used to study the spatial and temporal patterns of suspended sediment concentrations(SSCs) across the estuary under runoff, wind, and tropical storm conditions.Five typical dispersal patterns of suspended sediments in the estuary are defined: Case I shows generally low SSCs under low dynamics; Case Ⅱ shows a river-dominant dispersal pattern of suspended sediments from the outlets,particularly from Modaomen, Jiaomen, Hengmen, and others; Case Ⅲ shows wind-dominant dispersal of high SSCs derived from the west shoal and southwesterly transport under a strong NE wind; Case IV is the combination of relatively large runoff and wind; and Case V is caused by a strong tropical storm with high river discharge and wind, which is characterized by the high SSCs across the entire estuary that are transported eastward by winddriven and buoyancy currents outside the estuary. Runoff is a dominant factor that controls seasonal and annual SSC variations in the ZRE, with the area of high SSCs being largest in the summer and smallest in the spring. The correlation coefficients between the monthly averaged river-suspended sediment discharge and the area of the high SSCs are approximately 0.6. The wind power over the west shoal increases with a wind speed, which induces more sediment resuspension and shows a close relationship between the wind speed and high SSC area.

Estimation of Bed Shear Stresses in the Pearl River Estuary

Mean and fluctuating velocities were measured by use of a pulse coherent acoustic Doppler profiler （PC-ADP） and an acoustic Doppler velocimeter in the tidal bottom boundary layer of the Pearl River Estuary. The bed shear stresses were estimated by four different methods： log profile （LP）, eddy correlation （EC）, turbulent kinetic energy （TKE）, and inertial dissipation （ID）. The results show that （a） all four methods for estimating bed stresses have advantages and disadvantages, and they should be applied simultaneously to obtain reliable frictional velocity and to identify potential sources of errors; （b） the LP method was found to be the most suitable to estimate the bed stresses in non-stratified, quasi-steady, and homogeneous flows; and （c） in the estuary where the semi-diurnal tidal current is dominant, bed shear stresses exhibit a strong quarter-diurnal variation.

Statistical Modeling and Trend Detection of Extreme Sea Level Records in the Pearl River Estuary

Sea level rise has become an important issue in global climate change studies. This study investigates trends in sea level records, particularly extreme records, in the Pearl River Estuary, using measurements from two tide gauge stations in Macao and Hong Kong. Extremes in the original sea level records （daily higher high water heights） and in tidal residuals with and without the 18.6-year nodal modulation are investigated separately. Thresholds for defining extreme sea levels are calibrated based on extreme value theory. Extreme events are then modeled by peaks-over-threshold models. The model applied to extremes in original sea level records does not include modeling of their durations, while a geometric distribution is added to model the duration of extremes in tidal residuals. Realistic modeling results are recommended in all stationary models. Parametric trends of extreme sea level records are then introduced to nonstationary models through a generalized linear model framework. The result shows that, in recent decades, since the 1960s, no significant trends can be found in any type of extreme at any station, which may be related to a reduction in the influence of tropical cyclones in the region. For the longer-term record since the 1920s at Macao, a regime shift of tidal amplitudes around the 1970s may partially explain the diverse trend of extremes in original sea level records and tidal residuals.

A dinoflagellate Cochlodinium geminatum bloom in the Zhujiang (Pearl) River estuary in autumn 2009

A severe Cochlodinium geminatum red tide (>300 km2) was observed in the Zhujiang (Pearl) River estuary, South China Sea in autumn 2009. We evaluated the environmental conditions and phytoplankton community structure during the outbreak. The red tide water mass had significantly higher dissolved inorganic phosphate (DIP), ammonia, and temperature, but significantly lower nitrite, nitrate, dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), and DIN/DIP relative to the non-red-tide zones. The phytoplankton assemblage was dominated by dinoflagellates and diatoms during the red tide. C. geminatum was the most abundant species, with a peak density of 4.13×107 cell/L, accounting for >65% of the total phytoplankton density. The DIN/DIP ratio was the most important predictor of species, accounting for 12.45% of the total variation in the phytoplankton community. Heavy phosphorus loading, low precipitation, and severe saline intrusion were likely responsible for the bloom of C. geminatum.

Investigation on the Association of Soil Microbial Populations with Ecological and Environmental Factors in the Pearl River Estuary

An investigation on the soil microbe populations from an agricultural inning area at the Pearl River estuary in Guangdong province, China was conducted via high through-put sequencing. The results revealed abundant diversity in the soil bacterial and fungal populations. In total, 197103 sequence tags were obtained from soil samples, most of which represented bacterial genera Actinomycetes, Bacillus and Marinobacter, while a majority of 118378 tags obtained were derived from fungal genera Clostridium, Devosia, Bradyrhizobium, Bdellovibrio, Phenylobacterium, Penicillium, and Emericella. Furthermore, nine physiological indexes (pH, available phosphorous, basic-group nitrogen, available potassium, catalase, sucrose, urease, phosphatase, and organic matters) were measured in three soil samples, and the association between these physiological indexes and microbe population composition was examined. The results revealed obvious inter-sample differences associated with ten dominating microbial groups: genera Clostridium, Devosia, Bradyrhizobium, Bdellovibrio, Phenylobacterium, and Penicillium were mainly impacted by pH (with a positive correlation), genera Sphingomonas and Acinetobacter mainly by available phosphorous (positive correlation), and genera Gemmatimonas and Pseudomonas by both pH and available phosphorous (negative correlation). Our study suggested that regulation of microbial species/populations might help improve soil environment to facilitate the growth of crops’ above-ground parts, and this provides practical information for inning agriculture.

Temporal and Spatial Variations of Abundance of Phycocyaninand Phycoerythrin-Rich Synechococcus in Pearl River Estuary and Adjacent Coastal Area

Three surveys were carried out in Pearl River Estuary and adjacent coastal area in May, August, and November, 2013, to investigate the temporal and spatial variations of abundance of phycoerythrin-rich Synechococcus(PE-rich SYN) and phycocyanin-rich Synechococcus(PC-rich SYN). The effects of environmental factors on the alternation of the different Synechococcus groups were also elucidated. PE-rich SYN was detected in three surveys, whereas PC-rich SYN was detected in May and August, but not in November. The highest abundances of PE-rich SYN and PC-rich SYN were recorded in August and May, with mean values of 74.17×103 and 189.92×103 cells m L-1, respectively. From May to November, the relative abundance of PE-rich SYN increased, whereas that of PC-rich SYN declined. PE-rich and PC-rich SYN presented similar horizontal distributions with high abundance in the southern estuary in May, and in the western estuary in August. The abundances of PE-rich and PC-rich SYN were high at 27–32℃and salinity of 10–20. PC-rich SYN was not detected at < 24℃, and PC:PE-rich SYN decreased in abundance with salinity increase. When less than 20 mg L-1, suspended particulate matter(SPM) was helpful for Synechococcus growth. PE-rich SYN decreased in abundance when the concentration of dissolved inorganic nitrogen increased in May and November, and the concentration of phosphate increased in November. However, PC-rich SYN abundance and nutrients showed no correlation. Principal component analysis and regression analysis indicated that PE-rich SYN significantly correlated with the principal components that were affected by environmental factors.

Analysis of Characteristics of Spatio-temporal Evolution of Land Use in Inhabited Islands of Pearl River Estuary

Under the support of the remote sensing and geographical information system(GIS) techniques,we acquire the land use data in 1990 and 2008 regarding 6 inhabited islands,namely Longxue Island,Hengmen Island,Weiyuan Island,Qi'ao Island,Hengqin Island and Gaolan Island in Pearl River Estuary.By using dynamic degree of land use,land use change intensity,relative change rate and other indicators,we conduct quantitative description,and thus quantitatively and qualitatively analyse characteristics of temporal evolution and law of spatial pattern change concerning land use of each island.The study indicates that in the period 1990-2008,the area of construction land and water in 6 islands increased,while the area of agricultural land and unused land increased in some islands and decreased in others.The land use change shows spatial disparity;the holistic land use change degree in Hengmen Island is higher than that of other islands;the dynamic degree of land use,intensity of land use,and relative change rate differ in different islands.

Sampling Surface Particle Size Distributions and Stability Analysis of Deep Channel in the Pearl River Estuary

Particle size distributions （PSDs） of bottom sediments in a coastal zone are generally multimodal due to the complexity of the dynamic environment. In this paper, bottom sediments along the deep channel of the Pearl River Estuary （PRE） are used to understand the multimodal PSDs＇ characteristics and the corresponding depositional environment. The results of curve-fitting analysis indicate that the near-bottom sediments in the deep channel generally have a bimodal distribution with a fine component and a relatively coarse component. The particle size distribution of bimodal sediment samples can be expressed as the sum of two lognormal functions and the parameters for each component can be determined. At each station of the PRE, the fine component makes up less volume of the sediments and is relatively poorly sorted. The relatively coarse component, which is the major component of the sediments, is even more poorly sorted. The interrelations between the dynamics and particle size of the bottom sediment in the deep channel of the PRE have also been investigated by the field measurement and simulated data. The critical shear velocity and the shear velocity are calculated to study the stability of the deep channel. The results indicate that the critical shear velocity has a similar distribution over large part of the deep channel due to the similar particle size distribution of sediments. Based on a comparison between the critical shear velocities derived from sedimentary parameters and the shear velocities obtained by tidal currents, it is likely that the depositional area is mainly distributed in the northern part of the channel, while the southern part of the deep channel has to face higher erosion risk.