Diatom distribution and its relationship to sediment property in the Minjiang Estuary, southeast China

The distribution of diatoms in surface sediments in the Minjiang Estuary, southeast China, was investigated in2009. Total 56 species and other species belonging to 25 genera were identified, among them 11 species were dominant over 5%. Dominant species included Actinocyclus ehrenbergii, Coscinodiscus curvatulus, C. divisus, C.jonesianus, C. radiatus, C. rothii, C. subtilis, Cyclotella stylorum, Epithemia hyndmanii, Hydrosera whampoensis,and Trachyneis aspera. Diatom abundance varied spatially, with the absolute abundance of diatoms ranging from13 valves/g to 11×104 valves/g, and averaging 2.5×104 valves/g. A canonical correspondence analysis（CCA） was used to explain the relationships between diatom distribution and sediment properties in the Minjiang Estuary.CCA revealed that the major elements（Fe_2O_3, Na_2O, CaO, MgO, TiO_2, SiO_2, Al_2O_3, and K_2O） were closely related to diatom abundance. Four diatom assemblages were distinguished, representing different sediment properties,which may assist late Quaternary palaeoceanographic reconstructions of the Minjiang Estuary.

Terrestrial input and nutrient change reflected by sediment records of the Changjiang River Estuary in recent 80 years

A variety of environmental problems have been observed in the Changjiang River Estuary and adjacent coastal area, including eutrophication, harmful algal blooms（HABs）, and hypoxia in recent decades. Application of sedimentary biogenic element indicators on the study of paleoenvironment can reconstruct environmental evolution history of waters. Two 210Pb-dated cores were collected from the Changjiang River Estuary（S3） and adjacent coastal area（Z13）, and total organic carbon（TOC）, total nitrogen（TN）, biogenic silicon（BSi）, total phosphorus（TP） and phosphorus（P） species were analyzed. Three stages of environmental changes are deduced by the nutrient sedimentary records. First, nutrient concentration increased rapidly since the 1950 s, which attributed to agriculture development and overused chemical fertilizers. Second, nutrient concentration kept high and primary production began to promote during the 1960 s to 1980 s, while diatom abundance and proportion began to decline since the 1970 s, accompanied by reduced 23 Si O- concentration and flux from the river. Third, due to several dams and bridges constructed, river runoff and coastal hydrodynamic conditions reduced to a certain extent since the 1990 s, which aggravated the unbalance in nutrient structure. Multi-nutrient proxies in sediment can reflect the natural environm-ental changes as well as influence of human activities.

Distributions of surficial sediments and its response to dynamic actions in the Xiamen Bay sea area, China

Sediment distribution is important for morphodynamic evolution and shoreline changes in coastal zones and estuaries. In the study, the data of 230 surface sediment samples collected from the Xiamen Bay sea area in September 2008 are used to investigate the spatial distribution and sediment transport pathway. The grain size distribution of surficial sediments in the Xiamen Bay area is shown distinctly in this study. In addition, the Grain Size Transport Analysis model is used for conveying trend analysis of the sediment in this area, particularly for determining the sediment movement trend. The results indicate that eight sediment types are present for samples, with clayey silt comprising the highest percentage in the study area at 65.22%. Moreover, in the different subareas, the characteristics of grain size parameters are obviously different owing to different sediment sources and hydrodynamic conditions. Furthermore, runoff, tides, and waves are the main forces dominating sediment dynamics on the seabed and tidal flats, and the sediment movement trend is closely related to hydrodynamic conditions.

Relationship between suspended sediments from the Changjiang Estuary and the evolution of the embayed muddy coast of Zhejiang Province

South of Hangzhou Bay, Zhejiang Province, exhibits an embayed muddy coastline, with the muddy beaches of embayments extending continuously seaward.The source of sediments on this coast presents an interesting problem to marine geologists and geomorphologists .The total annual load of sediments from the rivers of Zhejiang is only 12×106t.These materials affect only the area near the river mouths. The paper showed that the sediment along the coast of Zhejiang mainly comes from the Changjiang Estuary through analysing the time and space variations of suspended sediment, the features of sediment and the sedimentary transport.The Changjiang River is the largest river system in China, its sediment to the sea amounting to 468×106t. The sediment during summer transports mainly eastward, and is affected by the water body with high temperature, salinity and transparency; the winter season is the period with high sediment concentration. The sediment of the Changjiang Estuary transports together with the longshore current of the East China Sea southward, the southern boundary can reach the sea region approximately 500 km from the Shacheng Harbour. The accretion rate seaward has been about 10 - 30 m since the 16th century. The sediment movement combined the longitudinal with the lateral, so that the muddy flats progress continuously seaward under the construction of the seashore profile .

Neutron activation analysis (NAA) and geochemical studies of 38 elements in surface sediments from lower reach and estuary of Huanghe (Yellow) River

Using a neutron activation analysis technique, which involves gamma-spectrometry with a Ge(Li) detector coupled to a S40 multichannel analyzer and interfaced to a PDP-11 computer, we determined thirty-eight elements in sediments from the lower reach (downstream from Jinan) and estuary of Huanghe. The results are discussed in this paper.From inter-elemental correlations, it ts found that a large number of metals (Mn.As, Co, Cr.Cs, Rb, Sc, Ti, Ta, V and Zn) correlate positively with Fe. Ba and Ca correlate positively with Al. Whereas some elements (e. g. , Ti and lanthanides) show no correlation with either Fe or Al. On the other hand, Hf and Zr show a negative correlation with Fe. Elements which tend to be scavenged by Fe and Al colloids or suspended particles are enriched in sediments at the Huanghe Estuary relative to its lower reach. On the other hand, the contents of some elements (e. g. , Zr,Hf,U, Ba, etc. )are higher in sediments from the lower reach of Huanghe than in the estuarine sediments,which may be related to the sorting during deposition of source materials. On the basis of their chemical property and geochemical behavior, the 38 elements we studied are classified into seven groups. (1) weathering-prone elements,group A:K,Rb, Cs and Na; (2) weathering-prone elements, group B:Mg, Ca, Ba and Al; (3) transition elements:Fe, Co.Ni, Zn, As, Sb, Mn, Cr, W,Mo,V, Ta and Sc; (4) rare elements:group A (Zr and Hf) and group B (Ti); (5) rare earth elements:the lanthanides; (6) halogens: Cl and Br; amd (7) natural radioactive elements:U and Th. The basis for this classification is discussed and we emphasize that geochemical associations of elements in the natural environment are not necessarily in accord with their chemical properties as dictated by position at the periodic table.

Does reduced sediment load contribute to increased outbreaks of harmful algal blooms off the Changjiang Estuary?

Harmful algal blooms（HABs） have been increasingly frequent in coastal waters around the world over the last several decades. Accelerated coastal eutrophication, resulting from the increased anthropogenic loadings of nutrients, is commonly assumed to be the primary cause of this increase. However, although important,accelerated coastal eutrophication may not be the only explanation for the increasing blooms or toxic outbreaks in estuarine waters. Changes in riverine material fluxes other than nutrients, such as sediment load, may significantly affect biological activities and HAB incidence in estuarine and coastal waters. A case study off the Changjiang（Yangtze River） Estuary indicated that with the increasing riverine loadings of nutrients, the sediment load from the Changjiang River has been reduced by 70% over the past four decades. A comparison of long-term data revealed that the phytoplankton biomass maximum has expanded to a region of much lower salinity due to the drastic reduction in riverine sediment load and the subsequent improvement in light penetration in the Changjiang River plume. Furthermore, there was an apparent mirror-image relationship between the sediment load from the Changjiang River and the HAB incidence off the Changjiang Estuary over the past four decades, and the number of HAB incidents was significantly negatively correlated with the sediment load. Therefore, it is argued that the drastic decline in sediment load from the Changjiang River reduced turbidity in the Changjiang Estuary and thus contributed to the increased frequency of HABs in the buoyant discharge plumes.

On sedimentation of phosphorus in specified area outside of the Changjiang Estuary

Phosphorus content of surface sediments(0～1cm)sampled by multicorer in specified area (31°00′～32°00′N,122°30′～124°00′E)outside of the Changjiang Estuary in October 1997 and May 1998 respectively is analyzed.Combined with the data of phosphorus concentration in seawaters,grain size and chemical composition as well as the isotopic sedimentary rate of surface sediment and etc.,it is recognized that seasonal variability of different water masses could be sensitively recorded in sediments.Distribution pattern of phosphorous in surface sediment in the area is probably both controlled by the Changjiang River diluted water mass and the Huanghai Sea and the East China Sea mixed water mass.Retransportation and resedimentation perhaps do actively happen in the study region that could make re suspended sediments release pollutants as phosphorus into seawater and have significant impacts on marine ecosystem,although it is indicated that at least some of phosphorus in sediments exists in immobile or inorganic forms.

A study on some elements and their phases in sediments of Changjiang Estuary by X-ray spectrometer and X-ray diffractometer

INTRODUCTIONThe studies on the quantitative distribution of the conventional elements and their phases in the sediments of the Changjiang Estuary are of great importance to the understanding of the chemical processes of ion exchange, absorption, desorption and flocculation in the estuary.

A study on chemical forms of heavy metals in the sediments of Zhujiang River and its estuary

The five chemical bound forms of Fe, Al and Mn in sediments in the main channel of the Zhujiang River.and its estuary, namely, exchangeable, carbonic, oxidative, organic and residual (in crystal) forms, were determined. The method of sequential extraction was used for separating the five bound forms.The main chemical form of the three elements in the sediments of the Zhujiang River and its estuarine zone is the residual one. The exchangeable form exists only in a small fraction.Correlationships between the concentration of a certain form of heavy metals and Eh. pH and salinity were discussed. The principles of geochemistry are used to explain the mechanism of heavy metal transport in the river.It was also found that the distribution rule of the chemical forms of Fe, Al and Mn in sediments in the lower reaches of the Zhujiang River was similar to the one in the lower reaches of the Yamaska River.

Recent changing patterns of the Changjiang(Yangtze River) Estuary caused by human activities

To evaluate the controlling factors for coastline change of the Changjiang（Yangtze River） Estuary since 1974,we extracted the mean high tide line from multi-temporal remote sensing images that span from 1974 to 2014 at 2-year intervals.We chose 42 scenes to constrain the changing pattern of the Changjiang Estuary coastline,and implemented GIS technology to analyze the area change of the Changjiang（Yangtze） Subaerial Delta.Runoff,sediment discharge and coastal engineering were withal considered in the analysis of the coastline changes.The coastline has transgressed seaward since 1974,and a part of it presents inter-annual variations.The area of the Changjiang Subaerial Delta increased by 871 km2,with a net accretion rate of 21.8 km2/a.Based on the change of sediment discharge due to the major projects in the Changjiang River Basin,we divided the changing pattern of the coastline into three stages：the slow accretion stage（1974–1986）,the moderate accretion stage（1987–2002）,and the rapid accretion stage（2003–2014）.Liner regression analysis illustrated that there is a significantly positive correlation between the area changes and sediment discharge in the Chongming Eastern Shoal and Jiuduansha.This suggested that sediment load has a fundamental effect on the evolution of the Changjiang Estuary.Construction of Deep Waterway in the North Passage of the Changjiang River（1998–2010） led to a rapid accretion in the Hengsha Eastern Shoal and Jiuduansha by influencing the hydrodynamics in North Passage.Coastal engineering such as reclamation and harbor construction can also change the morphology of the Changjiang Estuary.We defined a contribution rate of area change to assess the impact of reclamation on the evolution of Changjiang Estuary.It turned out that more than 45.3% of area increment of the Changjiang Estuary was attributed to reclamation.