Speciation, distribution, and potential ecological risk assessment of heavy metals in Xiamen Bay surface sediment

Based on the survey of surface sediment in Xiamen Bay in October 2011, the speciation, distribution, and potential ecological risk assessment of heavy metals(Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, and Cr) in this area were studied using the sequential extraction method and ecological risk assessment method. The results indicated:(1) the total concentrations of these heavy metals were influenced by runoff, industrial wastewater, and sewage, and were all higher in the coastal area than the offshore area while the highest area of Pb was a little farther away from the coastal water due to atmosphere deposition;(2) sequential extractions suggested that Cu was mainly composed with residual and Fe/Mn-oxide bound fractions, Pb was bound to Fe/Mn-oxide, Zn and Cr were dominated by residual, and Cd bound to exchangeable and carbonate fractions;(3) the order of migration and transformation sequence was Cd>Pb>Cu>Zn>Cr and the degree of pollution was Cd>Pb>Cu>Zn>Cr; and(4) the ratios of the secondary and primary phases showed that Zn and Cr were both clean, Cu may be polluted, Pb was moderately polluted, while Cd was heavily polluted.

Long-term changes of phytoplankton community in Xiagu waters of Xiamen,China

Long-term changes of phytoplankton community by water sampling method in Xiagu Sea waters of Xiamen,China,were investigated in this study.Species composition of the phytoplankton community in these waters changed greatly since the 1950s.The numbers of Dinophyta species increased significantly,although Bacillariophyta species are generally dominant.The succession of dominant species in phytoplankton community is obvious: large-size dominant species such as Biddulphia sinensis of the 1950s were gradually replaced by small-size ones such as Cyclotella striata and Nitzschia closterium,and species that still maintain dominant such as Skeletonema costatum are also small ones,leading the whole phytoplankton community of smaller size.Cell density of phytoplankton community increased greatly,among which cell density of the most dominant species Skeletonema costatum have been increasing in exponent function.Margalef index of phytoplankton community decreased,indicating decline of biodiversity of the community,and dominant character of Skeletonema costatum increased.Generally,the structure of the entire phytoplankton community is becoming more and more singular and unstable,which makes the occurrence of red tides more frequent.The succession in the phytoplankton community is related to the long-term changes in marine environment,influenced by human activities and global climate changes,especially the increases of nutrient content.

Molecular cloning and characterization of a threonine/serine protein kinase lvakt from Litopenaeus vannamei

The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase(PI3K)-AKT pathway is involved in various cellular functions, including anti-apoptosis, protein synthesis, glucose metabolism and cell cycling. However, the role of the PI3K-AKT pathway in crustaceans remains unclear. In the present study, we cloned and characterized the AKT gene lvakt from Litopenaeus vannamei. The 511-residue LVAKT was highly conserved; contained a PH domain, a catalytic domain and a hydrophobic domain; and was highly expressed in the heart and gills of L. vannamei. We found, using Real-Time Quantitative PCR(Q-PCR) analysis, that lvakt was upregulated during early white spot syndrome virus(WSSV) infection. Moreover, the PI3K-specific inhibitor, LY294002, reduced viral gene transcription, implying that the PI3K-AKT pathway might be hijacked by WSSV. Our results therefore suggest that LVAKT may play an important role in the shrimp immune response against WSSV.

Distribution and Ecological Risk Assessment of HCHs and DDTs in Surface Seawater and Sediment of the Mariculture Area of Jincheng Bay,China

The distribution of hexachlorocyclohexanes(HCHs) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes(DDTs) in the surface seawater and sediment of Jincheng Bay mariculture area were investigated in the present study. The concentration of total HCHs and DDTs ranged from 2.98 to 14.87 ng L-1 and were < 0.032 ng L-1, respectively, in surface seawater, and ranged from 5.52 to 9.43 and from 4.11 to 6.72 ng g-1, respectively, in surface sediment. It was deduced from the composition profile of HCH isomers and DDT congeners that HCH residues derived from a mixture of technical-grade HCH and lindane whereas the DDT residues derived from technical-grade DDT and dicofol. Moreover, both HCH and DDT residues may mainly originate from historical inputs. The hazard quotient of α-HCH, β-HCH, γ-HCH and δ-HCH to marine species was 0.030, 0.157, 3.008 and 0.008, respectively. It was estimated that the overall probability of adverse biological effect from HCHs was less than 5%, indicating that its risk to seawater column species was low. The threshold effect concentration exceeding frequency of γ-HCH, p,p'-DDD, p,p'-DDE and p,p'-DDT in sediment ranged from 8.3% to 100%, and the relative concentration of the HCH and DDT mixture exceeded their probable effect level in sediment. These findings indicated that the risk to marine benthos was high and potentially detrimental to the safety of aquatic products, e.g., sea cucumber and benthic shellfish.

Diagnosis of nervous necrosis virus in orange-spotted grouper,Epinephelus coioides, by a rapid and convenient RT-PCR method

Viral nervous necrosis(VNN)causes high mortality in marine fish,especially in the grouper,worldwide and in China.Since there is no effective vaccine or drug to deal with VNN,early detection and prevention is important to block its outbreak.In this study,a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR)was developed for the rapid,convenient,and sensitive detection of the VNN pathogen,nervous necrosis virus(NNV),in the grouper.The whole process was completed within 3.5 h from the RNA extraction to PCR product visualization.The detection limit of this method was 200 copies of NNV RNA standard,which corresponded to 200 copies of virus particles.This RT-PCR method was specific to the NNV detection with no cross-reactivity to other fish viral disease pathogens,such as infectious pancreatic necrosis virus(IPNV),infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus(IHNV),spring viraemia of carp virus(SVCV),epizootic haematopoietic necrosis virus(EHNV),and large yellow croaker iridovirus(LYCIV).With this method,the orange-spotted grouper(Epinephelus coioides)fry from hatcheries with or without incidence of the VNN epidemic in Fujian Province were detected.The results showed that all or 93%of the fry from the two hatcheries with incidence of the epidemic were diagnosed as positive,while 40%or 25%of fry from the two hatcheries without the VNN epidemic were also detected as NNV positive,indicating that this RT-PCR method can be used for rapid,sensitive detection of NNV infection and applied in the VNN epidemic alert.

Impact of the cord-grass Spartina alterniflora on sedimentary and morphological evolution of tidal salt marshes on the Jiangsu coast,China

The tidal flats of the Wanggang area, on the Jiangsu coast, represent the largest continuously distributed coastal wetland in terms of area coverage in China, and the dynamics of tidal flat accretion and erosion is highly complicated. The cord-grass Spartina alterniflora, which was introduced artificially into the Jiangsu coast, has significant influences on the regional tidal flat evolution in terms of deposition rate, spacial sediment distribution patterns and tidal creek morphology. On the basis of the data set of bed elevation and accumulation rate for different periods of time, the applicability of the Pethick-Allen model to the Jiangsu tidal salt marshes is discussed. In addition, caesium-137 dating was carried out for sediment samples collected from the salt marsh of the Wangang area. In combination with the caesium-137 analysis and the data collected from literature, the Pethick-Allen model was used to derive the accumulation rate in the Wanggang tidal flat for the various periods. The results show that the pattern of tidal flat accretion has been modified, due to more rapid accretion following the introduction of S.alterniflora to the region. Surficial sediment samples were collected from representative profiles and analyzed for grain size with a laser particle analyzer. The result shows that fine-grained sediment has been trapped by the plant, with most of the sediment deposited on the Suaeda salsa and Spartina angelica flats being derived from drainage creeks rather than the from gently sloping tidal flats. Remote sensing analysis and in situ observations indicate that the creeks formed in the S.alterniflora flat have a relatively small ratio of width to depth, a relatively high density, and are more stable than the other tidal flat creek systems in the study area.

Impact of Human Activities on Depositional Process of Tidal Flat in Quanzhou Bay of China

As a very important component of a coastal system,tidal flats come to be a focus of the studies on land-ocean interaction in the coastal zone because those areas are subjected to intense human activities and are highly sensitive to the global change.The Quanzhou Bay,located along the middle part of Fujian coast of China,covers about 136.4km2,and the area of coastal wetland in the entire bay from intertidal to subtidal with 6m of water depth accounts for 96% of the total area.Seven short cores were collected and divided in situ with the interval of 5cm on the coastal wetlands of Quanzhou Bay on April 19,2006.The sediment samples were scattered and the grain sizes were measured by using Mastersizer 2000.Human beings' activities on tidal flat have disturbed the vertical distribution of sediments in stratigraphic sequence and accelerated the sedimentation rates.Grain size analysis results show that the grain size diameters increase and sediment becomes worse sorted towards the sea under the strong human disturbance;Spartina alterniflora can play a role of trapping the fine sediment;but near the bank,the sediment becomes coarse and there are two peak values on frequency curve influenced by the sandpile.The trough formed by human activities along the coastline changes the transport path of water and suspended sediment.The sediments are transported through the trough and deposit in it during the flood;the ebb flow is retarded by the flow output through the adjacent trough,and the deposited sediment can not be re-suspended;then,the sedimentation rate increases.In situ observation show that the sedimentation rate is about 8-10cm/yr.

The evidence for the existence of methane seepages in the northern South China Sea:abnormal high methane concentrations in bottom waters

The methane concentration of water samples at five stations collected by the CTD rosette water sampler in the areas of southwest Dongsha Islands and the Xisha Trough was analyzed by the gas-stripping method on aboard ship. It shows abnormal high methane concentrations in near bottom water samples at three stations. In the southwest Dongsha Islands area, the methane concentration of 4.25 and 10.64 nmol/dm3 occurs in near bottom water samples at Stas E105A and E106, respectively. In the Xisha Trough area, the high methane concentrations of 5.17, 8.48 and 8.70 nmol/dm3 in water depths of 1 750, 1 900 and 2 050 m, respectively, have been observed at Sta. E413. It is believed that the abnormal high methane concentrations are generated from the leakage of methane from sediments. Combining with previous geophysical and geochemical data from these two areas, this was probably related to the submarine gas hydrates decomposition and cold seep system. In May 2007, gas hydrate samples were successfully obtained by the drilling in the Shenhu Sea area located in the southwest Dongsha Islands area. It is called for further drilling surveys to confirm the existence of gas hydrate and cold seep system in the Xisha Trough as early as possible.

Factors regulating population dynamics of the amphipod Ampithoe valida in a eutrophic subtropical coastal lagoon

Year-round investigations were carried out to address the population dynamics of amphipod Ampithoe valida and its potential regulating factors in the Yundang Lagoon (a eutrophic subtropical coastal lagoon in Xiamen City, China) from October 2007 to October 2008. The results show that A. valida population was largely composed of juveniles and reached a peak abundance (12.02 × 10 3 ind./m2 ) in March, but sharply shrunk in July. The monthly variation pattern of A. valida seemed to follow that of Ulva lactuca which is the main food resource for A. valida, indicating a strong influence of food availability on A. valida population dynamics. Life cycle studies in laboratory indicate that A. valida adopted an r-selected life strategy, e.g., rapid growth rate (0.216-0.302 mm/d), consecutive breeding (4-10 times), short reproductive rhythm (9-17 d) and huge fecundity (24-192 eggs or 6-94 juveniles per brood), which contributed to the fast population growth of A. valida from January to March. Although temperature may also be a significant cause, A. valida could grow quickly and show normal reproductive traits (i.e., the timing of sexual differentiation or maturity, the reproductive rhythm, the number of broods all through its lifespan and offspring production) in temperature between 15-30 C. Therefore, the temperature variation in the lagoon water should not account for the sharp variation of A. valida population by affecting the survival, growth and reproduction of the amphipod. However, negative correlation between water temperature and U. lactuca biomass in the lagoon suggested that temperature could have indirectly affected the population dynamics of A. valida by affecting its food availability. The authors conclude that, in the Yundang Lagoon, the population dynamics of A. valida was mainly controlled by the food availability rather than water temperature.

Morphological Characteristics of Sand Waves in the Middle Taiwan Shoal Based on Multi-beam Data Analysis

A DTM map of the study area in the Taiwan Shoal was drawn based on precise and highdensity data acquired in a field survey by a multi-beam sounding system(R2Sonic2024). We identified sand waves in the study area at water depths of 13.89–49.12 m; the main sand waves had heights of 5–25 m, lengths of 0.1–2.0 km, and crest lines 0.1–6.5 km long. The spatial distribution of the sand waves on the seabed is dense in the north and sparse in the south and the directions range between 50°–80° and 90°–135°. Between the main sand waves, secondary sand waves develop with heights of 0.1–5.0 m and lengths of 10–100 m, which are difficult to detect by satellite remote sensing. By comparing the evolution structures of the secondary and main sand waves, we identified three evolution modes of the secondary sand waves: parallel, oblique, and divergent modes according to the relative crest directions. Suitable water depth, reciprocating current speeds between 40 and 100 cm/s, and abundant sediment supply create favorable conditions for the formation of linear sand waves. Comparing the DTM maps and profiles of the June 2012 and June 2013 surveys of the same area, we found that the shape and morphology of the sand waves remained mostly unchanged under normal hydrodynamic conditions.

Community structure and spatial distribution of macrobenthos in the shelf area of the Bering Sea

Field investigations of marine macrobenthos were conducted at ten sites in the Bering Sea in July 2010. Altogether 90 species of macrobenthos belonging to 59 families and 78 genera were identified. Among them, 41 polychaetes, 16 mollusks, 23 crustaceans, three echinoderms, two cnidarians, one nemertean, one priapulid, two sipunculids, and one echiuran were identified. The average density and biomass of total macrobenthos were 984 ind./m2 and 1 207.1 g/m2 of wet weight, respectively. The predominant species in the study area were Scoloplos armiger, Eudorella pacifica, Ophiura sarsii, Heteromastus filiformis, Ennucula tenuis, and Harpiniopsis vadiculus by abundance, while the predominant species in this area was Echinarachnius parma by biomass. Hierarchical cluster analysis(Bray–Curtis similarity measure) revealed that two important benthic assemblages in the study area were Community A and Community B. Community A was stable and Community B was unstable, as shown by the Abundance/Biomass Comparisons(ABC) approach. The macrobenthic community structure in the shelf of the Bering Sea was characterized by its high abundance and biomass, high productivity but great heterogeneity.

The winter western boundary current of the South China Sea:physical structure and volume transport in December 1998

The unique survey in December 1998 mapped the entire western boundary area of the South China Sea(SCS),which reveals the three-dimensional structure and huge volume transport of the swift and narrow winter western boundary current of the SCS(SCSwwbc) in full scale. The current is found to flow all the way from the shelf edge off Hong Kong to the Sunda Shelf with a width around 100 km and a vertical scale of about 400 m. It appears to be the strongest off the Indo-China Peninsula, where its volume transport reached over 20×10~6 m^3/s. The current is weaker upstream in the northern SCS to the west of Hong Kong. A Kuroshio loop or detached eddy intruded through the Luzon Strait is observed farther east where the SCSwwbc no more exists. The results suggest that during the survey the SCSwwbc was fed primarily by the interior recirculation of the SCS rather than by the"branching" of the Kuroshio from the Luzon Strait as indicated by surface drifters, which is likely a near-surface phenomenon and only contributes a minor part to the total transport of the SCSwwbc. Several topics related to the SCSwwbc are also discussed.

Equilibrator-based measurements of dissolved methane in the surface ocean using an integrated cavity output laser absorption spectrometer

A new off-axis integrated cavity output spectroscopy(ICOS) is coupled to Weiss equilibrator for continuous highresolution dissolved methane measurement in the surface ocean. The time constant for the equilibrator in freshwater at room temperature is determined via dis-equilibration and re-equilibration experiments. The constant for methane is about 40 min. The system is calibrated using a standard gas of 3.980×10–6, and the precision of the ICOS for methane is 0.07%. This system is equipped onboard to measure the spatial distribution in methane concentrations of South Yellow Sea(SYS) along the cruise track from Shanghai to Qingdao. Result shows that the methane concentration varies from 2.79 to 36.36 nmol/L, reveals a significant pattern of methane source in SYS, and a distinct decreasing trend from south to north. The peak value occurs at the coast area outside mouth of the Changjiang River, likely to be affected by the Changjiang diluted water mass dissolving a large amount of rich in methane. Moreover, all the surface waters are oversaturated, air-to-sea fluxes range from 98.59 to 5 485.35 μmol/(m2·d)(average value(1 169.74±1 398.46) μmol/(m2·d)), indicating a source region for methane to the atmosphere. Key words: methane, equilibrator, off-axis integrated cavity output spectroscopy(ICOS), South Yellow

Carbon and oxygen isotope characteristics of foraminiferan from northern South China Sea sediments and their significance to late Quaternary hydrate decomposition

Carbon and oxygen isotope and dating analyses of foraminiferan in sediment cores collected from three different areas of the northern slope of the South China Sea were conducted,in order to examine the records of the gas hydrate decomposition events since the late Quaternary under the conditions of methane seepage.The results show that:1) the δ13C values of the benthic foraminiferan Uvigerina spp.(size range of 0.25-0.35 mm) are from-0.212% to-0.021% and the δ18O values of the planktonic foraminiferan Globigerinoides ruber(size range of 0.25-0.35 mm) are from-0.311% to-0.060%;2) three cores(ZD2,ZD3 and ZS5) from the bottom of a hole are aged for 11 814,26 616 and 64 090 a corresponding to the early oxygen isotope stage(MIS) I,III and IV final period,respectively;3) a negative-skewed layer of carbon isotope corresponds to that of MIS II(cold period),whose degree of negative bias is-0.2‰;and 4) the δ13C compositions of foraminiferans are similar to those of the Blake Ridge and the Gulf of Mexico sediments of the late Quaternary.According to the analysis,the reasons for these results are that the studied area is a typical area of methane seep environment in the area during MIS II due to the global sea-level fall and sea pressure decrease.Gas hydrate is decomposed and released,and a large number of light carbon isotopes of methane are released into the ocean,dissolved to inorganic carbon(DIC) pool and recorded in the foraminiferan shells.A pyrite layer developed in the negative bias layers of the foraminiferans confirms that the δ13C of foraminiferans is more affected by methane and less by the reduction of marine productivity and early diagenesis.The use of foraminiferan δ13C could accurately determine late Quaternary hydrate release events and provide evidence for both reconstructing the geological history of methane release events and exploring natural gas hydrate.

The spatio-temporal variation of wintertime subtidal currents in the western Taiwan Strait

A new data set of observations by six cruises of ship-mounted acoustic doppler current profiler(SADCP) and three 40 d long bottom-mounted ADCPs(BADCPs) is employed to reveal the spatiotemporal variability of tidal and subtidal currents in the western Taiwan Strait(TWS) during winter season. The results confirm the existence of intense cotidal lines for M_2 tidal current, which is located north of 25°N. In this case, no existence of an amphidromic point can be identified. It is also revealed that the counter-wind current(CWC) can extend through the whole western TWS and even occupy the entire water column during winter monsoon relaxation. However,this CWC is observed to be thoroughly overwhelmed by the downwind China coastal current(CCC) during the two big monsoon bloom events in the winter of 2007, and the CCC consequently extends southward throughout the western TWS instead. Most importantly, the variation of the spatial extent for the CWC and the CCC in the western TWS is found to be well explained by the first two modes of the vector empirical orthogonal function(VEOF) analysis, that is, it is mainly controlled by a wind-driven quasi barotropic current as the first mode and slightly modulated by a relatively weak background current with a first-order baroclinic structure as the second mode.

Molecular characteristics of three thymosin-repeat proteins from Marsupenaeus japonicus and their responses to WSSV infection

β-thymosins, a family of highly conserved peptides, play a vital role in wound-healing, angiogenesis,antimicrobial process and antiviral immunity. Three novel β-thymosin-repeat proteins, named mjthm4, mjthm3 and mjthm2, were cloned from Marsupenaeus japonicus using expressed sequence tags(EST) from suppression subtractive hybridization. The mjthm4, mjthm3 and mjthm2 c DNAs possessed open reading frames that encoded166, 128 and 90 amino acid residue polypeptides and contained four, three and two β-thymosin actin binding modules, respectively. Blast analysis demonstrated that mjthm4, mjthm3 and mjthm2 shared high homology with known invertebrate multi-repeat β-thymosins. These proteins are ubiquitously expressed in all of the examined tissues, and the transcriptional levels were highest in the intestine. Further investigation revealed that mjthm4,mjthm3 and mjthm2 were remarkably up-regulated 6 h after WSSV infection. Moreover, while mjthm4 transcriptional levels displayed no changes, mjthm3 and mjthm2 levels decreased in the virus-resistant shrimps.The results indicate that mjthm4, mjthm3 and mjthm2 are novel multi-repeat β-thymosin homologues, have a close relationship with WSSV infection, and might contribute to a better understanding of host defense and/or virus invasion interactions in shrimps.

Spatial Variations in Depth-distribution of Trace Metals in Coastal Wetland Sediments from Quanzhou Bay,Fujian Province,China

Four short cores were obtained from the coastal wetland of the Quanzhou Bay,Fujian Province,China,and sediment samples were analyzed with a Mastersizer 2000 for grain size analysis and an Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometer(ICP-AES) for trace metal analysis. The results of grain size analysis show that the wetland sediments are mainly composed of silt and clay,and the distribution of median grain size is affected by human activities obviously. The results of trace metal analysis show that the wetland sediments mainly originate from terrestrial materials in the Luoyangjiang River estuary and from contaminants discharged from adjacent rivers in Shuitou area. The heavy metal contamination in Luoyangjiang estuary decreased from 1984 to 2004 due to industry transformation,but has increased since 2004 because of the discharge of contaminants to the Jinjiang River and much living sewerage to the bay,and a large number of trace metals are trapped within Spartina alterniflora marsh.

Spatial and temporal variability of colored dissolved organic matter absorption properties in the Taiwan Strait

Spatial and temporal variability of the absorption properties of colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) in the Taiwan Strait was investigated in summer (July to August of 2006) and winter (from December 2006 to January of 2007) seasons. The CDOM absorption coefficient at 280 nm (a 280 ) showed a decreasing trend from nearshore to offshore areas while the spectral slope coefficient parameter calculated between wavelengths 275-295 nm (S 275 295 ) showed an increase, indicative of decreasing aromaticity and molecular weight of the CDOM. The average a 280 in winter (1.47 ± 0.50 m 1 ) was significantly higher than in summer (1.10 ± 0.41 m 1 ), while the average S 275 295 in winter (26.7 ± 5.2 μm 1 ) was significantly lower than in summer (30.6 ± 5.5 μm 1 ), demonstrating clear seasonal variation in CDOM abundance and properties in the Taiwan Strait. A three-end- member conservative mixing model showed that local terrestrial CDOM inputs from several rivers along the western coast were small (<5%). However, the distribution of CDOM in the Taiwan Strait is mainly controlled by water mass movement [i.e., the Zhe-min Coastal Current (ZCC) and the Kuroshio Branch Current (KBC) in winter and the South China Sea Water (SCSW) in summer]. Biological activity was also an important factor affecting the distribution of CDOM in the offshore region in summer months.

Variation of the North Equatorial Current, Mindanao Current, and Kuroshio Current in a High-Resolution Data Assimilation during 2008–2012

Outputs from a high-resolution data assimilation system, the global Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model and Navy Coupled Ocean Data Assimilation(HYCOM+NCODA) 1/12°analysis, were analyzed for the period September 2008 to February2012. The objectives were to evaluate the performance of the system in simulating ocean circulation in the tropical northwestern Pacific and to examine the seasonal to interannual variations of the western boundary currents. The HYCOM assimilation compares well with altimetry observations and mooring current measurements. The mean structures and standard deviations of velocities of the North Equatorial Current(NEC), Mindanao Current(MC) and Kuroshio Current(KC) also compare well with previous observations. Seasonal to interannual variations of the NEC transport volume are closely correlated with the MC transport volume, instead of that of the KC. The NEC and MC transport volumes mainly show well-defined annual cycles, with their maxima in spring and minima in fall, and are closely related to the circulation changes in the Mindanao Dome(MD) region. In seasons of transport maxima, the MD region experiences negative SSH anomalies and a cyclonic gyre anomaly, and in seasons of transport minima the situation is reversed. The sea surface NEC bifurcation latitude(NBL) in the HYCOM assimilation also agrees well with altimetry observations. In 2009, the NBL shows an annual cycle similar to previous studies, reaching its southernmost position in summer and its northernmost position in winter. In 2010 and 2011,the NBL variations are dominantly influenced by La Nina events. The dynamics responsible for the seasonal to interannual variations of the NEC–MC–KC current system are also discussed.