Abundance and biomass of meiobenthos in the spawning ground of anchovy (Engraulis japanicus) in the southern Huanghai Sea

A grid of 22 stations, giving a broad coverage of the spawning ground of anchovy in the southern Huanghai Sea was selected. Undis- turbed sediments were taken from sampling stations during the cruise in June 2003. The average abundance of meiofauna is (1 584± 686) ind./10cm2, with corresponding biomass (dwt) of (1 086±425)!μg/10cm2. The pattern of abundance of meiofauna is similar to the pattern of biomass. There are 65.88% meiofauna in 0￣2 cm sediments, 27.66% in 2￣5 cm sediments and 6.47% in 5￣8 cm sediments. The Spearman correlation analysis between meiofauna and environmental factors shows that abundance of meiofauna, free living ma- rine nematodes, benthic copepods has significant positive correlations with Chl-a. And the abundance of copepods has significant posi- tive correlations with several factors such as Chl-a, Pha-a, Chl-a plus Pha-a and organic matter. A total of 18 meiofauna groups are i- dentified. Nematode is the most dominant group, average abundance (1 404±670) ind/10cm2, accounting for 88.65%, and the follow- ing groups are also important: benthic copepods (5.48%), kinorhyncha (1.26%), polychaeta (1.07%). By biomass, dominant groups are nematodes (51.72%), polychaeta (21.84%), copepods (14.87%), ostracoda (4.92%), kinorhyncha (3.67%). A total of 90 species of ne- matodes are identified. The species composition of nematodes is listed based on selected two stations 7794 (coastal area) and 10694 (cold water mass in deep waters).

Seasonal variability of the zooplankton community in the southwest of the Huanghai Sea (Yellow Sea) Cold Water Mass

Samples were collected with a plankton net in the four seasonal cruises during 2006-2007 to study the seasonal variability of the zooplankton community in the southwest part of Huanghai Sea Cold Water Mass （HSCWM, Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass）. The spatial and temporal variations of zooplankton species composition, biomass, abundance and biodiversity were examined. A total of 122 zooplankton species and 30 pelagic larvae were identified in the four cruises. Calanus sinicus and Aidanosagitta crassa were the most dominant species, and Themisto gaudichaudi and Euphau- sia pacifica were widely distributed in the HSCWM area. The spatial patterns of non-gelatinous zooplankton （removing the high water content groups） were similar to those of the total zooplank- ton biomass in autumn, but different significantly in the other three seasons. The seasonal means of zooplankton biomass in spring and summer were much higher than that in autumn and win- ter. The total zooplankton abundance averaged 283.5 ind./m3 in spring （highest）, 192.5 ind./m3 in summer, 165.5 ind./m3 in autumn and 65.9 ind./m3 in winter （lowest）, and the non-gelatinous groups contributed the most total abundance. Correlation analysis suggests that the non-gelatinous zooplankton biomass and abundance had a significant positive correlation in the whole year, but the relationship was insignificant between the total zooplankton biomass and abundance in spring and summer. The diversity index HI of zooplankton community averaged 1.88 in this study, which was somewhat higher than historical results. Relatively low diversity in summer was related to the high dominance of Calanus sinicus, probably due to the strongest effect of the HSCWM in this season.

Spatial and temporal variations of macro-and mesozoo-plankton community in the Huanghai Sea (Yellow Sea) and East China Sea in summer and winter

The study was conducted during two cruises of June–August 2006 （summer）,and January–February 2007 （winter） in the Huanghai （Yellow） Sea and East China Sea.Spatial and temporal variations of zooplankton abundance,biomass and community structure and its relation to currents and water masses over the continental shelf were examined.A total of 584 zooplankton species/taxa and 28 planktonic larvae were identified during the two surveys.Copepods were the most abundant component among these identified groups.Zooplankton abundance and biomass fluctuated widely and showed distinct heterogeneity in the shelf waters.Five zooplankton assemblages were identified with hierarchical cluster analysis during this study,and they were Huanghai Sea Assemblage,Changjiang Estuary Assemblage,Coastal Assemblage,East China Sea Mixed-water Assemblage and East China Sea Offshore Assemblage.Seasonal changes of zooplankton community composition and its geographical distribution were detected,and the locations of the faunistic areas overlap quite well with water masses and current systems.So we suggest that the zooplankton community structure and its changes were determined by the water masses in the Huanghai Sea and East China Sea.The results of this research can provide fundamental information for the long-term monitoring of zooplankton ecology in the shelf of Huanghai Sea and East China Sea.

Distributions of chlorophyll a and carbon fixed strength of phyto-plankton in autumn of the southern Huanghai Sea waters

Chlorophyll a （Chl a） concentration and primary productivity （PP）, namely, carbon fixed strength of phytoplankton along four transects in the southern Huanghai Sea （SHS） were studied for their distribution features and controlling mechanisms based on the investigations from 17 October to 3 November 2005. The Chl a concentration in the study waters dynamically changed spatially. Surface Chl a concentrations ranged from 0.11 to 2.38 mg/m^3 with higher and lower values observed in the nutrient-laden inshore waters and central part of the SHS occupied by oligotrophic current, respectively. The vertical distribution of Chl a concentration showed a predominant pattern of subsurface concentration maximum profile. It followed the previous result of the deep dissolved oxygen concentration maximum profile, which was significantly correlated with phytoplankton and regional water mass. The primary productivity of carbon in autumn of the SHS, ranging from 95 to 1 634 rag/（ m^2· d） mainly varied with nutrient condition, especially phosphate concentration in seawater and hydrological condition. Furthermore, associating the present study results together with previous studies, the annual value of carbon fixed production of phytoplankton in the entire marginal seas of East China （including the Bohai Sea, the Huanghai Sea and the East China Sea） was estimated to be 222 Mt, which accounted for 2% of that in the global margins. Besides, it was as 16.2 times as the annual value of apparent carbon sink strength （ 13.96 Mt） in the marginal seas of East China. This multiple was different in different sea areas （ 3.0 in the Bohai Sea, 6. 7 in the Huanghai Sea and 81.6 in the East China Sea）.

Phytoplankton communities and its controlling factors in summer and autumn in the southern Yellow Sea, China

The phytoplankton water samples were collected in two multidisciplinary investigations which were carried out during summer（June） and autumn（November to December） of 2011. Phytoplankton species composition and abundance data were accomplished by Uterm？hl method. The phytoplankton community was dominated by diatoms and dinoflagellates in the southern Yellow Sea（YS） in summer and autumn. In summer, Paralia sulcata and Prorocentrum dentatum were the predominated species, the cell abundance ranged from 0.074 to 107.733×103 cells/L with an average of 9.057×103 cells/L. Two phytoplankton high abundance appeared in northwest part of the survey area and the Changjiang River Estuary, respectively. In autumn, Par. sulcata became the predominant species, and the phytoplankton cell abundance ranged from 1.035×103 to 8.985×103 cells/L, the average was 3.263×103 cells/L. The phytoplankton abundance in surface layer presented the homogeneous distributions. Canonical Correspondence Analysis（CCA） method was applied for discovering the relationship between environmental factors and the common found phytoplankton species. The responses of phytoplankton to nutrients were varied between summer and autumn. The abundance of most predominant species, Par. sulcata was strongly correlated to temperature and salinity in autumn, but not the case in summer.

Characteristics of nitrogen forms in the southern Huanghai Sea surface sediments

The distributions of different forms of nitrogen in the surface sediments of the southern Huanghai Sea are different and affected by various factors. The contents of IEF-N, SOEF-N and TN gradually decrease eastward, and those of SAEF-N northward, while those of WAEF-N westward. Around the seaport of the old Huanghe (Yellow) River, the contents of both SOEF-N and TN are the highest. Among all the factors, the content of fine sediment is the predominant factor to affect the distributions of different forms of nitrogen. The contents of IEF-N, SOEF-N, and TN have visibly positive correlation with the content of fine sediments, and the correlative coefficient is 0.68, 0.58 and 0.71 respectively, showing that the contents of the three forms of nitrogen increase with those of fine sediments. The content of WAEF-N is related to that of fine sediments to a certain extent, with a correlative coefficient of 0.35; while the content of SAEF-N is not related to that of fine sediments, showing that the content of SAEF-N is not controlled by fine grain-size fractions of sediments. In addition, the distributions of different forms of nitrogen are also interacted one another, and the contents of IEF-N and SOEF-N are obviously affected by TN, while those of inorganic nitrogen (WAEF-N, SAEF-N and IEF-N) are not affected by SOEF-N and TN obviously, although they are interacted each other.

One century record of contamination by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and polychlorinated biphenyls in core sediments from the southern Yellow Sea

Sixteen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons （PAHs） and 28 polychlorinated biphenyls （PCBs） were measured at a 2-cm interval in a core sample from the middle of the southern Yellow Sea for elucidating their historical variations in inflow and sources. The chronology was obtained using the ^210Pb method. PAHs concentrations decreased generally with depth and two climax values occurred in 14-16 cm and 20-22 cm layers, demonstrating that the production and usage of PAHs might reach peaks in the periods of 1956-1962 and 1938-1944. The booming economy and the navy battles of the Second World War might explain why the higher levels were detected in the two layers. The result of principal component analysis （PCA） revealed that PAHs were primarily owing to the combustion product. Down-cored variation of PCB concentrations was complex. Higher concentrations besides the two peaks being the same as PAHs were detected from 4 to 8 cm, depositing from 1980 to 1992, which probably resulted from the disposal of the out-dated PCB-containing equipment. The average Cl percentage of PCBs detected was similar to that of the mixture of Aroclor 1254 and 1242, suggesting they might origin from the dielectrical and heat-transfer fluid. The total organic carbon （TOC） content played a prevalent role in the adsorption of high molecular weight PAHs （≥ring）, while no obvious relationship among total PCBs, the concentration of congeners, and TOC was found.

Seasonal Variations of Net-Phytoplankton Community Structure in the Southern Yellow Sea

Based on the field survey data of four cruises in 2011,all phytoplankton communities in the southern Yellow Sea (SYS) were investigated for the species composition,dominant species,abundance and diversity indices.A total of 379 species belonging to9 phyla were identified,of which the most abundant group was Bacillariophyta (60.9%) ,followed by Pyrrophyta (23.7%) and Haptophyta (6.9%) .The seasonal distribution of abundance was:summer (4137.1×103ind m 3) >spring (3940.4×103ind m 3) >winter (3010.6×103ind m 3) >autumn (340.8×103ind m 3) ,while the horizontal distribution showed a decreasing tendency from inshore to offshore regions.The dominant species of phytoplankton varied in different seasons.The dominant species were Thalassiosira pacifica,Skeletoema spp.and Chaetoceros cinctus in spring,Chaetoceros debbilis,Chaetoceros pseudocurvisetus and Chaetoceros curvisetus in summer,Thalassiosira curviseriata,Alexandrium catenella and Ceratium fusus in autumn,Paralia sulcata,Phaeocystis sp.and Bacillaria paradoxa in winter,respectively.In SYS,the group of temperate coastal species was the major ecotype,and the groups of the central SYS species and oceanic species were also important constituents.The average values of Shannon-Weaver diversity index (H’) and Pielou evenness index (J) were 2.37 and 0.65 respectively.The indices H’and J in the open sea were higher than those in coastal waters.Obvious co-variation tendencies between H’and J were observed in all but the summer cruise of this survey.

Wave Characteristics at the South Part of the Radial Sand Ridges of the Southern Yellow Sea

Based on one-year wave field data measured at the south part of the radial sand ridges of the Southern Yellow Sea, the wave statistical characteristics, wave spectrum and wave group properties are analyzed. The results show that the significant wave height （H1/3） varies from 0.15 to 2.22 m with the average of 0.59 m and the mean wave period （Tmean） varies from 2.06 to 6.82 s with the average of 3.71 s. The percentage of single peak in the wave spectra is 88.6 during the measurement period, in which 36.3% of the waves are pure wind waves and the rest are young swells. The percentage with the significant wave height larger than 1 m is 12.4. The dominant wave directions in the study area are WNW, W, ESE, E and NW. The relationships among the characteristic wave heights, the characteristic wave periods, and the wave spectral parameters are identified. It is found that the tentative spectral model is suitable for the quantitative description of the wave spectrum in the study area, while the run lengths of the wave group estimated from the measured data are generally larger than those in other sea areas.

Studies on the species composition and biodiversity of free-living marine nematodes in the southern Huanghai Sea

Free-living marine nematodes were sampled and studied at a grid of 22 stations （from 32°29.35′ to 37°0.56′N, 122°0.37′ to 125°1.16′ E） in the southern Huanghai Sea in January 2003. Nematode abundance varied from 50.5 to 127.2 ind./cm^2 [（83.1 ±24.7） ind./cm^2] at different stations, 80.1% of the total nematodes were in the surface layer （0-2 cm） of sediments. Two hundred and twenty-three species or taxa of marine nematodes belonging to 145 genera, 32 families and four orders were identified and first recorded in the Huanghai Sea. The common dominant species were Dorylaimopsis rabalaisi, Terschellingia longicaudata, Sphaerolaimus bolticus, Metalinhomoeus longiseta, Quadricoma scanica, Prochromadorella sp., Paramonohystera riemanni, Marylynnia sp. 1, Vasostoma spircaum, Halalaimus spp., Pierrickia sp. 1 and Promonhystera faber. Nematode diversity was correlated with sediment granularity. Pearson correlation analysis showed that Shannon-Wiener index had highly significant positive correlation with a sand content and negative correlation with a silt-clay content （P〈0.01）; species richness index （d） had significant positive correlation with the sand content and negative correlation with the silt-clay content （P〈0.05）. The diversity of the southern Huanghai Sea was lower than that in the center of Bohai Sea, but the dominance was higher.

Phase Evolution of Holocene Paleoenvironmental Changes in the Southern Yellow Sea: Benthic Foraminiferal Evidence from Core CO2

Assemblages of benthic foraminifera in a sediment core(C02)near the western margin of the southern Yellow Sea Mud were studied to decipher the phase evolution of Holocene paleoenvironmental changes associated with the Holocene marine transgression.It appears that during the early Holocene(11.2 10.1 kyr BP),the faunal was dominated by low salinity and shallow water species Cribrononion subincertum,Buccella frigida and Ammonia beccarii,reflecting a near coast depositional environment.A rapid increase of the relative abundance of Ammonia compressiuscula between 10.1 9.3 kyr BP indicates that the sea level rose rapidly during that time period.From 9.3 7.7 kyr BP,the benthic foraminiferal assemblage was dominated by high percentage of A.compressiscula,suggesting that the sea level was relatively stable.An obvious transition of benthic foraminifera,from the A.compressiuscula-dominated assemblage to an Ammonia ketienziensis-dominated assemblage,occurred between 7.7 6.2 kyr BP,possibly corresponding to a second sea level rapid rise period in the Yellow Sea during the Holocene.This transition may correspond to the gradually strengthened Yellow Sea warm current(YSWC)and finally is established the modern-type circulation in the Yellow Sea.It may also mark the formation of the Yellow Sea cold bottom water(YSCBW)during that period.Since then,the benthic foraminiferal assemblage based on core C02 was dominated by typical YSCBW species,A.ketienziensis,Astrononion italicum and Hanzawaia nipponica,at 6.2 4 kyr BP.A non-deposition period occurred since 4 kyr BP,which possibly related to the hydrology changes caused by the East Asia monsoon.The two obvious benthic foraminiferal transitions recorded in core C02 during the early and middle Holocene provide evidence that the Yellow Sea has undergone a two-phase rapid sea level rise during the Holocene marine transgression.

Seasonal Variations of Several Main Water Masses in the Southern Yellow Sea and East China Sea in 2011

The seasonal variations of several main water masses in the southern Yellow Sea (SYS) and East China Sea (ECS) in 2011 were analyzed using the in-situ data collected on four cruises.There was something special in the observations for the Yellow Sea Warm Current (YSWC) ,the Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass (YSCWM) and the Changjiang Diluted Water (CDW) during that year.The YSWC was confirmed to be a seasonal current and its source was closely associated with the Kuroshio onshore intrusion and the northerly wind.It was also found that the YSCWM in the summer of 2011 occupied a more extensive area in comparison with the climatologically-mean case due to the abnormally powerful wind prevailing in the winter of 2010 and decaying gradually thereafter.Resulting from the reduced Changjiang River discharge,the CDW spreading toward the Cheju Island in the summer of 2011 was weaker than the long-term mean and was confined to flow southward in the other seasons.The other water masses seemed normal without noticeable anomalies in 2011.The Yellow Sea Coastal Current (YSCC) water,driven by the northerly wind,flowed southeastward as a whole except for its northeastward surface layer in summer.The Taiwan Warm Current (TWC) was the strongest in summer and the weakest in winter in its northward movement.The Kuroshio water with an enhanced onshore intrusion in autumn was stable in hydrographic features apart from the seasonal variation of its surface layer.

Variability of the circulation in the southern Huanghai Sea and East China Sea during the two investigative cruises in June 1999

On the basis of the hydrographic data obtained from June 17 to 25, 1999 on board R/V Eardo , Korea (hereafter'the second cruise'), the circulation in the southern Huanghai Sea and East China Sea is computed by using the modified inverse method. The comparison between the two computed results in the first cruise, which was carried out from June 4 to 19, 1999 on board R/V Xiangyanghong 14, China, and in the second cruise is made. The following results have been obtained. (1) Part of the Kuroshio flows northward through the eastern part of Section E, and its volume transport(VT) is about 6.2×106 m3/s,and its maximum velocity is about 93 cm/s.This shows that most of the Kuroshio flows northward through the region east of Section E.The VT of the offshore branch of Taiwan Warm Current west of the Kuroshio through Section E is about 0.4×106 m3/s. (2) There is the following variability between these two cruises, whose time difference is about two weeks:① The position of the Kuroshio in the second cruise is slightly more east than that in the first cruise; ②The high-density water (HDW) with a cold water occurs in the region south of Cheju Island between 125°30' and 127°E at Sections D and C. The circulation in the region of HDW is cyclonic. Comparing the position of HDW during the second cruise with that during the first cruise,it is found that its position in the second cruise moves slightly northward.(3) The cold and uniform mixing layer occurs in the layer from the 30 m level to the bottom of the middle part of Section A and in the layer from the 20 m level to the bottom of the middle part of Section B,respectively.They are both the southern part of the Huanghai Sea Cold Water Mass (HSCWM). (4) There are higher temperature and lower density with a weaker anticyclonic circulation in the southwestern part of the computed region.Its center is located at the westernmost point of Section E.

Distributions and sea-to-air fluxes of volatile halocarbons in the southern Yellow Sea and the East China Sea

Distributions and sea-to-air fluxes of five kinds of volatile halocarbons（VHCs） were studied in the southern Yellow Sea（SYS） and the East China Sea（ECS） in November 2007. The results showed that the concentrations of 1,1,1-trichloroethane（C2H3Cl3）, 1,1-dichloroethene（C2H2Cl2）, 1,1,2-trichloroethene（C2HCl3）, trichloromethane（CHCl3） and tetrachloromethane（CCl4） in the surface water were 0.31–4.81, 2.75–21.3, 1.21–17.1, 5.02–233 and 0.045–4.47 pmol/L, respectively, with the average values of 1.89, 12.20, 6.93, 60.90 and 0.33 pmol/L. On the whole, the horizontal distributions of C2H3Cl3, C2H2Cl2 and CCl4 were affected mainly by anthropogenic activities, while C2HCl3 and CHCl3 were influenced by biological factors as well as anthropogenic activities. In the study area, the concentrations of VHCs（except C2HCl3） exhibited a decreasing trend from inshore to offshore sites, with the higher values occurring in the coastal waters. The sea-to-air fluxes of C2H3Cl3, C2HCl3, CHCl3 and CCl4 were calculated to be-56.00–（-5.68）,-7.31–123.42, 148.00–1 309.31 and-83.32–（-1.53） nmol/（m2·d）, respectively, with the average values of-6.77, 17.14, 183.38 and-21.27 nmol/（m2·d）. Our data showed that the SYS and ECS in autumn was a sink for C2H3Cl3 and CCl4, while it was a source for C2HCl3 and CHCl3 in the atmosphere.

Long-term nutrient variation trends and their potential impact on phytoplankton in the southern Yellow Sea,China

The concentration and composition of nutrients,such as N,P,and Si,respond to biogeochemical processes and in turn,impact the phytoplanktons'community structure and primary production.In this study,historical data was systematically analyzed to identify long-term variations in nutrient trends,red tide frequency,phytoplankton community abundance,and dominant species succession in the southern Yellow Sea(SYS).Results showed that N/P concentration ratios dramatically increased as a function of increasing dissolved inorganic nitrogen concentrations,and Si/N concentration ratios were generally larger than 1,indicating that N limitation morphed to P limitation and potentially to Si limitation,which impacted the phytoplankton community.Furthermore,inter-annual trends over the past 50 years show that phytoplankton community abundance has been higher in spring and summer,relative to autumn and winter.Moreover,with respect to red tide frequency,diatom abundance gradually decreased,while that of dinoflagellates gradually increased.Dominant species succession showed that the phytoplankton community exhibited an evident tendency to transform from diatoms to dinoflagellates.These research results clearly depict the presence of an important correlation between the phytoplankton community and nutrient structure in the SYS.

Effects of topography on the sub-tidal circulation in the southwestern Huanghai Sea(Yellow Sea)in summer

A nested circulation model system based on the Princeton ocean model （POM） is set up to simulate the currentmeter data from a bottom-mounted Acoustic Doppler Profiler （ADP） deployed at the 30 m depth in the Lunan（South Shandong Province, China） Trough south of the Shandong Peninsula in the summer of 2008, and to study the dynamics of the circulation in the southwestern Huanghai Sea （Yellow Sea）. The model has reproduced well the observed subtidal current at the mooring site. The results of the model simulation suggest that the bottom topography has strong steering effects on the regional circulation in summer. The model simulation shows that the Subei （North Jiangsu Province, China）coastal current flows north- ward in summer, in contrast to the southeastward current in the center of the Lunan Trough measured by the moored currentmeter. The analyses of the model results suggest that the southeastward current at the mooring site in the Lunan Trough is forced by the westward wind-driven current along the Lunan coast, which meets the northward Subei coastal current at the head of the Haizhou Bay to flow along an offshore path in the southeastward direction in the Lunan Trough. Analysis suggests that the Subei coastal current, the Lunan coastal current, and the circulation in the Lunan Trough are independent current systems con- trolled by different dynamics. Therefore, the current measurements in the Lunan Trough cannot be used to represent the Subei coastal current in general.

Seasonal variation in abundance, diel vertical migration and body size of pelagic tunicate Salpa fusiformis in the Southern Yellow Sea

Mass occurrence of Salpafusiformis June 2007. In order to investigate its population was observed in the Southern Yellow Sea in May and recruitment and environmental adaptation, temporal variation of abundance, diel vertical migration （DVM） and length frequency distribution of both aggregate and solitary forms were studied with samples collected from eight months during September 2006 to August 2007. S. fusiformis presented in six months other than September and October 2006, and average abundance of aggregate and solitary forms peaked in June and May, respectively. In December, aggregate forms were absent in the bottom layer and performed irregular DVM from surface to 50 m depth, while solitary forms was too scarce to perform diel vertical distribution analysis. Both aggregate and solitary forms presented reverse DVM in May and June. They migrated upwards during daytime and concentrated in surface layer at sunset. The bimodal distribution of aggregate forms was found in April and the average size was largest in this month. In other months, the smaller aggregate forms （1-5 ram） dominated in populations except for May, when the modal size ranged from 2 to 8 mm. The average size of solitary forms was largest in December, followed by April. The skewed nomal distribution of solitary forms was found in May and June, with the modal size of 2-7 mm and 5-13 ram, respectively.

Spatial and temporal characteristics of trophic structure of the southern Huanghai Sea fish communities

The spatial and temporal characteristics of trophic structure of fish communities in the southern Huanghai Sea were examined based on the data sampled from bottom trawl surveys conducted during the autumn of 2000 and the spring of 2001. Hierarchical agglomerative cluster method and bootstrap randomization were used to identify significant trophic groups for each fish assemblage in the southern Huanghai Sea. A total of six major trophic groups were identified within this system, which classified predators based upon location in the water column or prey size （ i. e. , benthic to pelagic predators or fish to small invertebrate prey predators）. The similarity level used to identify significant trophic groups in each assemblage ranged from 24% to 34%. Although planktivores were the dominant trophic group in each assemblage （60% - 79% ）, there were spatial and temporal variations in the trophic structure, which reflected the differences in the abundance and availability of dominant preys. Simplified food webs were constructed to evaluate the most important trophic relationships between the dominant prey taxa and the fishes in each assemblage within this system. Although there were some differences in the key prey species among different food webs, pelagic prey items （mainly euphausiids and copepods） represent the most important energetic link between primary producers and higher trophic level predators. The trophic level for most fishes was between 3 and d, and the weighted mean trophic level for each assemblage ranged from 3.3 to 3.4. Compared with previous study in the mid-1980s, there was an obvious downward trend in the trophic level for most fish species, which resulted mainly from the fluctuation in key prey species in the Huanghai Sea. The decrease in the importance of Japanese anchovy seems to be offset by other abundant prey species such as Euphausia pacifica and copepods （ mainly Calanus sinicus ） .

Winter heat budget in the Huanghai Sea and the effect from Huanghai Warm Current (Yellow Sea Warm Current)

Four sources of surface heat flux （SHF） and the satellite remote sensing sea surface temperature （SST） data are combined to investigate the heat budget closure of the Huanghai Sea （HS） in winter.It is found that heat loss occurs all over the HS during winter and the area averaged heat content change decreases with a rate of-106 W/m 2.Comparing with the area averaged SHF of-150 W/m 2 from the four SHF data sets,it can be concluded that the SHF plays a dominant role in the HS heat budget during winter.In contrast,the heat advection transported by the Huanghai Warm Current （Yellow Sea Warm Current,HWC） accounted for up to 29% of the HS heat content change.Close correlation,especially in February,between the storm events and the SST increase demonstrates that the HWC behaves strongly as a wind-driven compensation current.

Long-Chain Alkenones in the South Yellow Sea Sediments and Their Indicative Significance for Haptophytes Species

Long-chain alkenones(LCAs)have been widely used as important biomarkers in palaeoceanographic studies.However,the commonly used LCAs proxies are mainly based on C_(37) alkenones,and it is still lack of the studies about the distribution and in-dications of LCAs with different chain lengths other than C_(37) alkenones.Here,the composition and distribution of LCAs were ana-lyzed in surface sediments from the southern Yellow Sea(SYS)and a sedimentary core(A02-C)from the central Yellow Sea(YS)mud area.The results showed that C_(37),C_(38) and C_(39) alkenones were the major LCAs in surface sediments of the SYS,and the relative contents of C_(38:2)Et,C_(37:2)Me,C_(37:3)Me,C_(38:2)Me,C_(38:3)Et,C_(38:3)Me,C_(39:2)Et and C_(39:3)Et were 18.3%-59.8%,22.6%-41.2%,7.4%-23.0%,6.6%-15.4%,3.8%-13.3%,3.6%-8.7%,2.8%-6.0% and 0.7%-3.0%,respectively.Then the relationships of U_(38Me)^(K)-U_(38Et)^(K) and U_(37)^(K')-U_(38Et)^(K) indicate that LCAs are mainly derived from Emiliania huxleyi(E.huxleyi).High ratios of total C_(37) alkenones to total C_(38) alkenones(K_(37)/K_(38))(1-1.2)were found in the central SYS,corresponding to the relatively high abundance of E.huxleyi;while low ratios of K_(37)/K_(38)(0.7-0.9)were observed at nearshore area of the SYS where Gephyrocapsa oceanica(G.oceanica)has rela-tively high abundance.The spatial distribution of K_(37)/K_(38) ratio is also consistent with that of coccolithophores nannofossil in the sediments.In addition,K_(37)/K_(38) ratio in core A02-C varied from 0.7 to 1.1 with a gradual decreasing trend during the past 5.5 kyr.This suggests that the relative abundance of E.huxleyi decreased gradually,caused by the changes in the Yellow Sea Warm Current(YSWC)and the East Asian Winter Monsoon(EAWM)during this period.