Environmental characteristics of annual pico/nanophytoplankton blooms along the Qinhuangdao Coast

Abstract Blooms of some pico/nanophytoplankton have occurred frequently along the Qinhuangdao coast since 2009, and it is necessary to identify the critical environmental factors inducing them. In this study, variations in the physical and nutrient characteristics of the seawater were analyzed following the development of local blooms in 2013. The local environmental characteristics were also compared with those of the Changjiang River estuary, China, and the Long Island estuaries in the USA, which are also prone to blooms of special algal species. In Qinhuangdao the local water temperature varied seasonally and rose above 15~C in 2013 early summer, coincident with the water discoloration. The salinity was more than 28 with a variation range of 〈3 throughout the year. Our results suggest that the physical conditions of the Qinhuangdao coastal area were suitable for the explosive proliferation of certain pico/nanophytoplankton, e.g. Aureococcus anophagefferens. The water supporting the bloom was not in a condition of serious eutrophication, but there were relatively high concentrations of reduced nitrogen （especially ammonium）, which acted as an important nitrogen source for the pico/nanophytoplankton bloom. There was also a large gap between total nitrogen （TN） and dissolved inorganic nitrogen （DIN）. Although the phosphate concentration was relatively low, there was no evidence of phosphorus limitation to the growth of pico/ nanophytoplankton during bloom events.

Statistical Prediction for Annual Start Date and Duration of Sea-Ice Coverage at Qinhuangdao Observation Station

Qinhuangdao City is located in the mid-latitude monsoon-affected region,and the timing of sea-ice coverage changes from year to year,making sea-ice forecasting difficult.In this paper,we propose a statistical model using the 1980-2013 data collected at the Qinhuangdao observation station.The start date and the duration of ice coverage are fitted with four marginal distributions,from which the best-fitted,i.e.,the Weibull distribution,is selected to form a joint probability density function(PDF),built by the Gaussian copula method,for the two variables.With a given start date forecast by the Gray-Markov model(GMM),the joint PDF becomes a conditional probability model,which predicts that the duration of ice coverage is most likely 33 days at the Qinhuangdao observation station in 2014-2015.The predicted duration value is only two days less than the actual situation.The results prove that the new prediction model is feasible and effective to predict the period of ice coverage.The general sea-ice conditions that the sea ice would most likely form on December 8 and last for 80 days at the Qinhuangdao observation station could also be obtained from the joint PDF.The statistical model provides a useful tool to forecast ice conditions for planning and management of maritime activities.

Numerical simulation of the Kuroshio intrusion into the South China Sea by a passive tracer

Owing to lack of observational data and accurate definition,it is difficult to distinguish the Kuroshio intrusion water from the Pacific Ocean into the South China Sea（SCS）.By using a passive tracer to identify the Kuroshio water based on an observation-validated three-dimensional numerical model MITgcm,the spatio-temporal variation of the Kuroshio intrusion water into the SCS has been investigated.Our result shows the Kuroshio intrusion is of distinct seasonal variation in both horizontal and vertical directions.In winter,the intruding Kuroshio water reaches the farthest,almost occupying the area from 18°N to 23°N and 114°E to 121°E,with a small branch flowing towards the Taiwan Strait.The intrusion region of the Kuroshio water decreases with depth gradually.However,in summer,the Kuroshio water is confined to the east of 118°E without any branch reaching the Taiwan Strait; meanwhile the intrusion region of the Kuroshio water increases from the surface to the depth about 205 m,then it decreases with depth.The estimated annual mean of Kuroshio Intrusion Transport（KIT） via the Luzon Strait is westward to the SCS in an amount of –3.86×106 m3/s,which is larger than the annual mean of Luzon Strait Transport（LST） of –3.15×106 m3/s.The KIT above 250 m accounts for 60%–80% of the LST throughout the entire water column.By analyzing interannual variation of the Kuroshio intrusion from the year 2003 to 2012,we find that the Kuroshio branch flowing into the Taiwan Strait is the weaker in winter of La Ni？a years than those in El Ni？o and normal years,which may be attributed to the wind stress curl off the southeast China then.Furthermore,the KIT correlates the Ni？o 3.4 index from 2003 to 2012 with a correlation coefficient of 0.41,which is lower than that of the LST with the Ni？o 3.4 index,i.e.,0.78.

Comparative study of the hemolytic and cytotoxic activities of nematocyst venoms from the jellyfish Cyanea nozakii Kishinouye and Nemopilema nomurai Kishinouye

Two species of jellyfish, Cyanea nozakii Kishinouye and Nemopilema nomurai Kishinouye, have occurred offcoastal areas of the northeastern China Sea, Yellow Sea, and Bohai Sea in recent years. They influence marine ecosystem safety and fishery production, and also pose a risk to human health. The current study examined the hemolytic and cytotoxic activities of crude venoms extracted from the nematocysts of C. nozakii and N. nomurai. The results showed that there were more nematocysts on tentacles from C. nozakii than on tentacles of the same length from N. nomurai. The protein concentration per nematocyst extracted from N. nomurai was higher than that from C. nozakii. Both nematocyst venoms showed dose-and timedependent hemolytic activity on erythrocytes from chicken, pigeon, and sheep, with sheep erythrocytes being the most sensitive, with EC 50 values of 69.69 and 63.62 μg/m L over a 30-min exposure with N. nomurai and C. nozakii nematocyst venoms, respectively. A cytotoxic assay of both jellyfish venoms on A431 human epidermal carcinoma cells resulted in IC 50 values of 68.6 and 40.9 μg/mL after 24-h incubation, respectively, with venom from C. nozakii showing stronger cytotoxic activity than that from N. nomurai. The results of current study indicate that nematocyst venom from C. nozakii had stronger hemolytic and cytotoxic activities than that from N. nomurai and, thus, C. nozakii might be more harmful to the health of humans and other species than are N. nomurai when they appear in coastal waters.

Effect of background parabolic current on characteristics and energetics of internal solitary waves by numerical simulation

Based on modifications of the observed background parabolic current in upper layer of the northeastern South China Sea （SCS）, the effects of eight kinds of background currents on the characteristics and energy conversion of internal solitary waves （ISWs） are investigated by an Internal Gravity Wave （IGW） model. It is found that, although the background current has little effect on the number of the generated ISWs, it reduces the resulted phase speed of ISW. When the background parabolic current appears with its lower boundary near or above the main thermocline, the ISW amplitude and the depth of the isopycnal undergoing maximum displacement increase; when the background parabolic current curvature is reduced, the ISW amplitude and the ratio of baroclinic to barotropic energy reduce, whilst the phase speed of ISW, the baroclinic energy, and the ratio of baroclinic kinetic energy （KE） to available potential energy （APE） increase; when the lower boundary of background parabolic current extends down to the seabed and the background current curvature is reduced, the ISW amplitude and phase speed decrease, whilst the barotropic kinetic energy, the baroclinic energy and the ratio of KE to APE increase. At a whole depth, when the lower background current curvature is reduced and the upper current curvature is increased, the ISW amplitude, and phase speed, the ratio of baroclinic to barotropic energy, the baroclinic energy, and the ratio of KE to APE all increase.

Observation of the supercritical Pearl River plume front under the downwelling-favorable winds

For the Pearl River plume, the supercritical, distinct plume front appears in downwelling-favorable winds, which is easily observed due to the distinct boundary between the plume water and the ambient water. In this paper, in situ and satellite observations of a plume front are utilized to explore the Pearl River plume front properties under the downwelling-favorable winds. Field observations clearly show frontal structure, especially the two-layer structure in the plume water and the downward-motion of water in the frontal region. The Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar(ASAR) images are also analyzed to unveil the plume front: there is a white stripe on the west side out of the river mouth under downwelling-favorable winds, which is identified as a supercritical plume front, and the width of the plume front is about 250 m. The normalized velocity gradient shows the intense velocity convergence in the front region. Also, analyses of ASAR images imply that the river discharge plays an important role in controlling the location and shape of the front.