Potential Impacts of Exogenous Nitrogen Enrichment on Distribution and Transfer of Nitrogen in Plant-Soil System of Suaeda salsa Marsh in the Yellow River Estuary, China

To determine the potential impacts of exogenous nitrogen(N)enrichment on distribution and transfer of N in Suaeda salsa marsh in the Yellow River Estuary,the variations of N in plant-soil system during the growing season were investigated by field N addition experiment.The experiment included four treatments:NN(no N input treatment,0gNm^(−2) yr^(−1)),LN(low N input treatment,3.0 gNm^(−2) yr^(−1)),MN(medium N input treatment,6 gNm^(−2) yr^(−1))and HN(high N input treatment,12 gNm^(−2) yr^(−1)).Results showed that N additions generally increased the contents of total nitrogen(TN),ammonia nitrogen(NH_(4)^(+)-N)and nitrate nitrogen(NO_(3)^(−)-N)in different soil layers and the increasing trend was particularly evident in topsoil.Compared with the NN treatment,the average contents of TN in topsoil in the LN,MN and HN treatments during the growing season increased by 10.85%,30.14%and 43.98%,the mean contents of NH_(4)^(+)-N increased by 8.56%,6.96%and 14.34%,and the average contents of NO_(3)^(−)-N increased by 35.73%,45.99%and 46.66%,respectively.Although exogenous N import did not alter the temporal variation patterns of TN contents in organs,the N transfer and accumulation differed among tissues in different treatments.With increasing N import,both the N stocks in soil and plant showed increasing trend and the values in N addition treatments increased by 9.43%–38.22%and 13.40%–62.20%,respectively.It was worth noting that,compared with other treatments,the S.salsa in the MN treatments was very likely to have special response to N enrichment since not only the period of peak growth was prolonged by about 20 days but also the maximum of TN content in leaves was advanced by approximately one month.This paper found that,as N loading reached MN level in future,the growth rhythm of S.salsa and the accumulation and transference of N in its tissues would be altered significantly,which might generate great impact on the stability and health of S.salsa marsh ecosystem.

Pollution status and potential ecological risk assessment in the surface sediments of the Yellow River estuary

Based on the ＂Project 908＂ survey data in 2006--2007 on surface sediments of the sea area adjacent to the Yellow River estuary, the research was conducted on the concentration distribution characteristics of heavy metals in surface sediments of the estuary, which show that the mean contents of seven heavy metals （Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, Cr, Hg, As） in the Yellow River estuary and its surrounding areas all comply with the Level-I of National Marine Sediments Quality Standard of China. Statistically significant correlation between the elements Cu-Cd, Pb-Cr and Cr-As in sediments indicates that the two heavy metals in each group may respectively have similar geochemical properties and sources. By using the Potential Ecological Risk Index （PERI） proposed by Hakanson, the assessment shows that the potential ecological risks in the estuary surface sediments are mainly attributed to Cd and Hg. The biological toxicity effects are assessed with the biological effects of concentration method, resulting in a conclusion that the adverse effects of As on organisms in the estuary marine environment occasionally occur, in contrast, Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, Cr and Hg will not generate adverse biological effects on a short and medium time scale.

Spatiotemporal distribution of fish eggs and larvae in the Huanghe(Yellow) River estuary, China in 2005–2016

Decreasing fish resources in estuaries is a subject of anthropogenic activities. Studies of the spatiotemporal distribution of fish eggs and larvae can help identify the status and processes underlying recruitment in a fishery. As the fifth largest river estuary in the world, the Huanghe (Yellow) River estuary (HRE) is a typical estuary that has been seriously aff ected by human activities. Annual surveys on ichthyoplankton and environmental factors were conducted in the months of May of 2005 and 2009-2016 in the HRE to investigate the spatiotemporal distribution of fish eggs and larvae and the associated infl uencing factors. A total of 23 and 20 species of eggs and larvae, respectively, were collected. The dominant orders were Perciformes (51.2%) and Clupeiformes (25.6%). The average number of fish species eggs and larvae were 6.0 and 4.1 in average abundance of 0.91 and 0.13 ind./m^3 , respectively. The dominant species were mainly low-commercial-value small-sized fishes, such as Clupanodon punctatus , Harengula zunasi, and Acanthogobius, whereas certain traditional commercial fishes, such as Trichiurus lepturus , and Clupea pallasii, were not seen. Analysis of the fish egg and larval community revealed four temporal assemblages and two spatial assemblages. Salinity was the main factor on the spatial distribution of ichthyoplankton communities, the species number and Shannon-Weiner diversity index (H′) of the fish egg and larval community near the river mouth with lower salinity were signifi cantly lower than the community far away from the river mouth with higher salinity. In addition, increases of water temperature promoted the number and abundance of fish species eggs, and the areas of abundant prey tended to have a more diversified and abundant of ichthyoplankton species. In overall, overfishing, dam construction, and other human activities were the main drivers that led to the substantial decline in fishery resources in the HRE.

Remote Sensing Retrieval of Surface Suspended Sediment Concentration in the Yellow River Estuary

Accurate assessment of surface suspended sediment concentration （SSSC） in estuary is essential to address several important issues： erosion, water pollution, human health risks, etc. In this study, an empirical cubic retrieval model was developed for the retrieval of SSSC from Yellow River Estuary. Based on sediments and seawater collected from the Yellow River and southeastern Laizhou Bay, SSSC conditions were reproduced in the laboratory at increasing concentrations within a range common to field observations. Continu- ous spectrum measurements of the various SSSCs ranging from 1 to 5700 mg/1 were carried out using an AvaField-3 spectrometer. The results indicated the good correlation between water SSSC and spectral reflectance （Rrs） was obtained in the spectral range of 726-900 nm. At SSSC greater than 2700 mg/L, the 740-900 nm spectral range was less susceptible to the effects of spectral reflectance saturation and more suitable for retrieval of high sediment concentrations. The best correlations were obtained for the reflectance ratio of 820 nm to 490 nm. Informed by the correlation between Rrs and SSSC, a retrieval model was developed （R2 = 0.992）. The novel cubic model, which used the ratio of a near-infrared （NIR） band （740-900 nm） to a visible band （400-600 nm） as factors, provided robust quantifica- tion of high SSSC water samples. Two high SSSC centers, with an order of 103 mg/1, were found in the inversion results around the abandoned Diaokou River mouth, the present Yellow River mouth to the abandoned Qingshuigou River mouth. There was little sedi- ment exchange between the two high SSSC centers due to the directions of the residual currents and vertical mixing.

The Effects of Estuarine Processes on the Fluxes of Inorganic and Organic Carbon in the Yellow River Estuary

Riverine carbon flux is an important component of the global carbon cycle. The spatial and temporal variations of organic and inorganic carbon were examined during both dry and wet seasons in the Yellow River estuary. Concentrations of dissolved organic carbon （DOC） and dissolved inorganic carbon （DIC） in the Yellow River during dry seasons were higher than those during wet seasons. The effective concentrations of DOC （CDOC＊） were higher than the observed DOC at zero salinity. This input of DOC in the Yellow River estuary was due to sediment desorption processes in low salinity regions. In contrast to DOC, the effective concen- trations of DIC were 10% lower than the DIC measured at freshwater end, and the loss of DIC was caused by CaCO3 precipitation in low salinity region, Particulate organic carbon （POC） and particulate inorganic carbon （PIC） contents of the particles stabilized to constant values （0.5%：t：0.05% and 1.8%--0.2%, respectively） within the turbidity maximum zone （TMZ） and showed no noticeable seasonal variations. A rapid drop of PIC and rise of POC occurred simultaneously outside the TMZ due to an intense dilution of riv- erine inorganic-rich particles being transported into a pool of aquatic organic-poor particles outside the TMZ. Annually, the Yellow River transported 6.95× 10^5 t of DIC, 0.64× 10^5 t of DOC, 78.58× 10^5 t of PIC and 2.29× 10^5 t of POC to the sea.

Relocation of the Yellow River Estuary in 1855 AD Recorded in the Sediment Core from the Northern Yellow Sea

Relocation of the Yellow River estuary has significant impacts on not only terrestrial environment and human activities, but also sedimentary and ecological environments in coastal seas. The responses of regional geochemical characteristics to the relocation event, however, have not been well studied. In the present study, we performed detailed geochemical elemental analyses of a sediment core from the northern Yellow Sea and studied their geochemical responses to the 1855AD relocation of the Yellow River estuary. The results show that TOC/TN, Co/A1203, Cr/A1203, Ni/A1203 and Se/A1203 ratios all decreased abruptly after 1855 AD, and similar decreases are observed in the sediments of the mud area southwest off the Cheju Island. These abrupt changes are very likely caused by the changes in source materials due to the relocation of the Yellow River estuary from the southern Yellow Sea to the Bohai Sea, which the corresponding decreasing trends caused by the changes in main source materials from those transported by the Liaohe River, the Haihe River and the Luanhe River to those by the Yellow River. Because the events have precise ages recorded in historical archives, these obvious changes in elemental geochemistry of sediments can be used to calibrate age models of related coastal sea sediments.

Change in Sediment Provenance Near the Current Estuary of Yellow River Since the Holocene Transgression

Sedimentary sequence and sediment provenance are important factors when it comes to the studies on marine sedimentation. This paper studies grain size distribution, lithological characteristics, major and rare earth elemental compositions, micropaleontological features and ^(14)C ages in order to examine sedimentary sequence and sediment provenance of the core BH6 drilled at the mouth of the Yellow River in Bohai Sea. According to the grain size and the micropaleontological compositions, 4 sedimentary units have been identified. Unit 1(0–8.08 mbsf) is of the delta sedimentary facies, Unit 2(8.08–12.08 mbsf) is of the neritic shelf facies, Unit 3(12.08–23.85 mbsf) is of near-estuary beach-tidal facies, and Unit 4(23.85 mbsf–) is of the continental lake facies. The deposits from Unit 1 to Unit 3 have been found to be marine strata formed after the Holocene transgression at about 10 ka BP, while Unit 4 is continental lacustrine deposit formed before 10 ka BP. The provenances of core BH6 sediments show properties of the continental crust and vary in different sedimentary periods. For Unit 4 sediments, the source regions are dispersed while the main provenance is not clear, although the parent rock characteristics of a few samples are similar to the Luanhe River sediments. For Unit 3, sediments at 21.1–23.85 mbsf have been mainly transported from the Liaohe River, while sediments above 21.1 mbsf are mainly from the Yellow River and partially from the Liaohe River. For Unit 2, the sediments have been mainly transported from the Yellow River, with a small amount from other rivers. For Unit 1, the provenance is mainly the Yellow River catchment. These results help in better understanding the evolution of the Yellow River Delta.

Emissions of Biogenic Sulfur Gases(H2S,COS)from Phragmites australis Coastal Marsh in the Yellow River Estuary of China

Emissions of biogenic sulfur gases(hydrogen sulfide(H_2S) and carbonyl sulfide(COS)) from Phragmites australis coastal marsh in the Yellow River estuary of China were determined during April to December in 2014 using static chamber-gas chromatography technique with monthly sampling. The results showed that the fluxes of H_2S and COS both had distinct seasonal and diurnal variations. The H_2S fluxes ranged from 0.09 μg/(m^2·h) to 7.65 μg/(m^2·h), and the COS fluxes ranged from –1.10 μg/(m^2·h) to 3.32 μg/(m^2·h). The mean fluxes of H_2S and COS from the P. australis coastal marsh were 2.28 μg/(m^2·h), and 1.05 μg/(m^2·h), respectively. The P. australis coastal marsh was the emission source of both H_2S and COS over the whole year. Fluxes of H_2S and COS were both higher in plant growing season than in the non-growing season. Temperature had a dramatic effect on the H_2S emission flux, while the correlations between COS flux and the environmental factors were not found during sampling periods. More in-depth and comprehensive research on other related factors, such as vegetation, sediment substrates, and tidal action is needed to discover and further understand the key factors and the release mechanism of sulfur gases.

Experimental Research on the Marine Hydrodynamic Action on the Consolidation Process of the Sediments in the Yellow River Estuary

Based on the in-situ measurements, the impact of the marine hydrodynamics, such as wave and tide, in the rapidly deposited sediments consolidation process was studied. In the tide flat of Diaokou delta-lobe, one 2 m × 1 m × 1 m test pit was excavated. The seabed soils were dug and dehydrated, and then the powder of the soil was mixed with seawater to be fluid sediments. And an iron plate covered part of the test pit to cut off the effect of the marine hydrodynamics, By field-testing methods, like static cone penetration test （SPT） and vane shear test （VST）, the variation of strength is measured as a function of time, and the marine hydrodynamics impact on the consolidation process of the sediments in the Yellow River estuary was studied. It is shown that the self-consolidated sediments＇ strength linearly increases with the depth. In the consolidation process, in the initial, marine hydrodynamics play a decisive role, about 1.5 times as much as self-consolidated in raising the strength of the sea-bed soils, and with the extension of the depth the role of the hydrodynamics is reduced. In the continuation of the consolidation process, the trend of the surface sediments increased-strength gradually slows down under the water dynamics, while the sediments below 50 cm are in opposite ways. As a result, the rapidly deposited silt presents a nonuniform consolidation state, and the crust gradually forms. The results have been referenced in studying the role of the hydrodynamics in the soil consolidation process.

Potential Effects of Episodic Deposition on Nutrients and Heavy Metals in Decomposing Litters of Suaeda glauca in Salt Marsh of the Yellow River Estuary, China

Episodic deposition has been recognized as a major factor affecting the decomposition rate of detrital material in salt marshes. In this paper, three one-off burial treatments, no burial treatment(0 cm, NBT), current burial treatment(10 cm, CBT) and strong burial treatment(20 cm, SBT), were designed in intertidal zone of the Yellow River Estuary to determine the potential influences of episodic deposition on nutrient(C, N) and heavy metal(Pb, Cr, Cu, Zn, Ni, Mn, Cd, V and Co) variations in decomposing litters of Suaeda glauca. Results showed that although various burial treatments showed no statistical difference in decomposition rate of S. glauca, the values generally followed the sequence of CBT(0.002 403/d) > SBT(0.002 195/d) > NBT(0.002 060/d). The nutrients and heavy metals in decomposing litters of the three burial treatments exhibited different variations except for N, Cu, Cr, Ni and Co. Except for Mn, no significant differences in C, N, Pb, Cr, Cu, Zn, Ni, V and Co concentrations occurred among the three treatments(P > 0.05). With increasing burial depth, Cr and Cd levels generally increased while Cu, Ni and Mn concentrations decreased. Although episodic deposition was generally favorable for C and N release from S. glauca, its influence on release was insignificant. In the three burial treatments, Pb, Cr, Zn, Ni, Mn, V and Co stocks in S. glauca generally evidenced the export of metals from litter to environment, and, with increasing burial depth, the export amounts increased greatly. The S. glauca were particular efficient in binding Cd and releasing Pb, Cr, Zn, Ni, Mn, V and Co, and, with increasing burial depth, stocks of Cu in decomposing litters generally shifted from release to accumulation. The experiment indicated that the potential eco-toxic risk of Pb, Cr, Zn, Ni, Mn, V and Co exposure would be serious as the strong burial episodes occurred in S. glauca marsh.

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.

The Derivation of Nutrient Criteria for the Adjacent Waters of Yellow River Estuary in China

Ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River basin are becoming part of the national strategy in recent years.The Yellow River Estuary has been seriously affected by human activities.Especially,it has been severely polluted by the nitrogen and phosphorus from land sources,which have caused serious eutrophication and harmful algal blooms.Nutrient criteria,however,was not developed for the Yellow River Estuary,which hindered nutrient management measures and eutrophication risk assessment in this key ecological function zone of China.Based on field data during 2004-2019,we adopted the frequency distribution method,correlation analysis,Linear Regression Model(LRM),Classification and Regression Tree(CART)and Nonparametric Changepoint Analysis(nCPA)methods to establish the nutrient criteria for the adjacent waters of Yellow River Estuary.The water quality criteria of dissolved inorganic nitrogen(DIN)and soluble reactive phosphorus(SRP)are recommended as 244.0μg L^(−1) and 22.4μg L^(−1),respectively.It is hoped that the results will provide scientific basis for the formulation of nutrient standards in this important estuary of China.

Protection and Utilization of Ecotourism Resources at the Estuary of the Yellow River

There are plentiful ecotourism resources at the estuary of the Yellow Rive. The characteristic of the resources are vast, wild. rare, peculiar and fresh. Some natural resources, ecotourism resources on the wetland nature reserve of the estuary, and the special landscape ecology resources are introduced in this paper. The author also suggests that the sustainable development of the travel industry at the estuary should be based on the protection and reasonable utilization of the ecosystem.

The Distribution Characteristics of Nitrogen in the Yellow River Estuary in Summer

Nitrogen is the main elements causing eutrophication, in order to study its distribution characteristics in the surface water of Yellow River Estuary in summer, samples were collected in August 2013 for analyzing. The result shows that: the concentration of NH4+-N and NO2--N is164.30ug/L and 6.14ug/L respectively. The highest concentration of NO3--N is 2.1mg/L. the concentration of NH4+-N and NO2--N decreases with the increase in salinity, which is mainly affected by physical mixing process of dilution. NO3--N is low in freshwater side and high in sea side, mainly affected by phytoplankton.

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＂.

Stable Carbon Isotope and Long-Chain Alkane Compositions of the Major Plants and Sediment Organic Matter in the Yellow River Estuarine Wetlands

Elemental(TOC,TN,C/N)and stable carbon isotopic(δ^13C)compositions and long-chain alkane(n C16-38)concentrations were measured for eight major plants and a sediment core collected from the Yellow River estuarine wetlands.Our results indicate that both C3(-25.4‰to-29.6‰)and C4(-14.2‰to-15.0‰)plants are growing in the wetlands and C3 plants are the predominant species.The biomass of the wetland plants had similar organic carbon(35.5-45.8%)but very different organic nitrogen(0.35-4.15%)contents.Both C3 and C4 plants all contained long-chain alkanes with strong odd-to-even carbon numbered chain predominance.Phragmites australis,a dominant C3 plant contained mainly n C29 and n C31 homologues.Aeluropus littoralis,an abundant C4 plant were concentrated with n C27 and n C29 homologues.Organic matter preserved in the Yellow River estuarine sediments showed strong terrestrial signals(C/N=11-16,δ^13C=-22.0‰to-24.3‰).The distribution of long-chain n-alkanes in sediments also showed strong odd-to-even carbon chain predominance with n C29 and n C31 being the most abundant homologues.These results suggest that organic matter preserved in the Yellow River estuarine sediments were influenced by the wetland-derived organic matter,mainly C3 plants.The Yellow River estuarine wetland plants could play important role affecting both the carbon and nutrient cycling in the estuary and adjacent coastal waters.

CRITICAL ENVIRONMENTAL SITUATION IN THE MIDDLE REACHES OF THE YELLOW RIVER IN CHINA

This paper researches and analyses the critical envirormental situation in the Middle Reaches of the Yellow River and compiles the map of critical environmental situation of this area (1:2,000,000). Five types of environmental situation (ES) are divided, namely, conflict ES, critical ES, crisis ES, disastrous ES and accidental ES and 7 groups of main factors are used to identify and classify the critical environmental situation after considering the speciality of this region and the law of guiding factors. They are pollution, endemic disease, soil erosion, drought and water-shortage, forest degeration, wind-erosion and desertification, and soil salinization. Based on mapping and analysis, the paper also concludes the regional distribution law of critical environmental situation of this region and divides it into 8 small districts through combining the critical envirormental situation, regional distribution law and guiding factors. This can provide scientific basis and reference for preserving and renovating the environments with different fragile types and fragile levels.

Response of the distributary channel of the Huanghe River estuary to water and sediment discharge regulation in 2007

The water and sediment discharge regulation （WSDR） project, which has been performed since 2002 before flood season every year, is of great significance to the river management in China. Until 2007, six experiments have been fulfilled to evaluate the effect of the project on the natural environment. To fill the gap of investigations, a study on flood and suspended sediment transportation and channel changing along the distributary channel of the Huanghe （Yellow） River was conducted during the WSDR project period in 2007. The lower channel was scoured rapidly and the channel became unobstructed gradually several days after the flood peak water was discharged from the Xiaolangdi Reservoir. Within four days after the flood peak at 3 000 m3/s entered the distributary, the channel in the river mouth area was eroded quickly. Both the mean values of area and depth of the main channel were tripled, and the maximum flood carrying capacity increased to 5 500 m3/s or more. Then, the river channel was silted anew in a very short time after completion of the WSDR. Favored by the WSDR project, the fiver status in April 2008 became better than that of the year before. The adjustment ranges of main channel parameters were about 30%, 10%, and 10% at sections C2, Q4, and Q7, respectively. The process of rapid erosion-deposition was more active 15 km away in the channel from the fiver mouth due to the marine influence. It is reasonable for discharging sediment at concentration peak from Xiaolangdi Reservoir at the end of the flood peak. As a result, the sediment peak reached the river mouth about two days later than that of the water current. In addition, the WSDR project has improved the development of the estuarine wetland. Wetland vegetation planted along the river banks restrained the water flow as a strainer and improved the main channel stability. It is suggested to draw water at mean rate of 150 m3/s from the Huanghe River during flood periods, because at the rate the water in the wetland would be stored and replenished in balance. Moreover, we believe that cropland on the river shoal of the lower Huanghe River should be replaced by wetland. These activities should achieve the Huanghe River management strategy of ＂To concentrate flow to scour sediment, stabilize the main channel, and regulate water and sediment＂.

An Information Entropy-Based Methodology to Construct the Avulsion Threshold in the Tail Reach of the Estuarine Alluvial Plain

Channel avulsion is a natural phenomenon that occurs abruptly on alluvial river deltas,which can affect the channel stability.The causes for avulsion could be generally categorized as topography-and flood-driven factors.However,previous studies on avulsion thresholds usually focused on topography-driven factors due to the centurial or millennial avulsion timescales of the world’s most deltas,but neglected the impacts of flood-driven factors.In the current study,a novel demarcation equation including the two driven factors was proposed,with the decadal timescale of avulsion being considered in the Yellow River Estuary(YRE).In order to quantify the contributions of different factors in each category,an entropy-based methodology was used to calculate the contributing weights of these factors.The factor with the highest weight in each category was then used to construct the demarcation equation,based on avulsion datasets associated with the YRE.An avulsion threshold was deduced according to the demarcation equation.This avulsion threshold was then applied to conduct the risk assessment of avulsion in the YRE.The results show that:two dominant factors cover respectively geomorphic coefficient representing the topography-driven factor and fluvial erosion intensity representing the flood-driven factor,which were thus employed to define a two dimensional mathematical space in which the demarcation equation can be obtained;the avulsion threshold derived from the equation was also applied in the risk assessment of avulsion;and the avulsion threshold proposed in this study is more accurate,as compared with the existing thresholds.

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.