Long-term variation in nutrients in the South Yellow Sea in response to anthropogenic inputs.

Based on historical data from 1976 to 2019, the effects of anthropogenic activities on long-term changes in nutrients and their ecological effects in the South Yellow Sea were investigated. The dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) concentrations increased continuously from 1990 until the mid-2000s, followed by a shift from an upward trend to a downward trend. The phosphate (PO4-P) and silicate (SiO3-Si) concentrations also showed obvious interannual variations throughout the study period. The concentrations of DIN, PO4-P and SiO3-Si have decreased significantly in recent decade and more. These changes mainly resulted from the reduction in terrestrial input, while the main reason for the decrease in DIN and PO4-P concentrations is the reduction in anthropogenic input. The long-term nutrient changes in the South Yellow Sea have potential ecological impacts on green tide features.

Regime shifts in trophic status and regional nutrient criteria for the Bohai Bay, China.

Identifying trophic status shift and developing nutrient criteria were considered important for controlling coastal eutrophication. Based on data from 1980 to 2018, we used sequential t-test analysis of regime shifts and assessment of coastal trophic status models to detect regime shifts in trophic status in Bohai Bay (China). We identified four distinct periods: unimpaired (1980-1984), minimally impacted (1985-1994), tipping point (1995-1999) and severely degraded (2000-2018). Using the reference conditions at different trophic status, a frequency distribution analysis was performed to develop candidate nutrient criteria. By considering other factors, such as the quantity and quality of data and long-term nutrient variations, we determined recommended criteria for dissolved inorganic nitrogen (15.3 µmol L-1) and phosphorus (0.42 µmol L-1) in Bohai Bay. This study provides a novel and feasible approach to determine reference conditions for the determination of nutrient criteria for coastal waters.

Long-term changes in nutrient regimes and their ecological effects in the Bohai Sea, China.

The nutrient regime has changed significantly in the Bohai Sea (BS) during the past six decades because of anthropogenic perturbations. Specifically, the concentration of DIN increased by about 7-fold from the end of the 1950s to the mid-2010s, while DIP and DSi concentrations decreased from the end of the 1950s to the beginning of the 1990s, and have since increased again. Unsynchronized changes in nutrient levels have led to changes in the nutrients structure, which has caused a series of ecological effects. Phytoplankton biomass increased by 6-fold from the 1960s to the mid-2010s. Additionally, phytoplankton composition shifted from a diatom-dominated to a dinoflagellate-dominated system, and the dominant species of macrozoobenthos changed. Red tides rarely occurred before the 1980s, but have occurred periodically and frequently since the 1990s. Finally, the BS ecosystem has shifted from an N-limited oligotrophic state before the 1990s to a potentially P-limited eutrophic state.

A historical overview of coastal eutrophication in the China Seas.

China's rapid economic and social development has led to an acceleration in nutrient inputs to coastal waters, which, in turn, has resulted in severe coastal eutrophication. On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening up, the evolution of the causative factors and the state as well as future prospects for coastal eutrophication in the China Seas are analyzed and summarized. Results showed that the coastal eutrophication situation was not so serious at the beginning of reform and opening up, but it worsened rapidly from the end of the 1980s to the mid-2000s. In the last decade, the worsening trend has been curbed but the status of coastal eutrophication has not been substantially improved. Much work is still needed to be able control the total amount of nutrients entering coastal waters and enable comprehensive treatment of coastal eutrophication in the China Seas.

Long-term variations and influence factors of nutrients in the western North Yellow Sea, China.

This study investigated the long-term variations and compositions of nutrients and the associated controlling factors in the western North Yellow Sea on the basis of historical data. The NO3-N and DIN concentrations and N/P showed continuous increases over the past two decades, which were dominantly affected by riverine inputs, such as inputs from the Yellow River, Yalujiang River and Jia River and atmospheric deposition. However, due to human activities, such as dam construction in rivers and climate change, the SiO3-Si concentrations and Si/P ratios decreased before the early 1990s and then gradually increased. The vertical distributions of nutrients displayed higher concentrations at the bottom than those at the surface in summer, which was attributed to the combined influence of the thermocline, the Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass, the Yellow Sea Warm Current and biological activities.

[Chemicohydrographic characteristics and the seasonal variations of nutrients at 35 degrees N transect in the cold water mass of the Southern Yellow Sea].

Based on the four cruises during 2006-2007, the chemicohydrographic characteristics and the seasonal variations of nutrients at 35 degrees N transect in the cold water mass of the Southern Yellow Sea were analyzed. The results showed that: In Winter, hydrological conditions in the eastern part of the section was significantly influenced by the Yellow Sea Warm Current, and the vertical mixing in the deep water had not reached the bottom, which led to the different distribution of the elements in the eastern and western part of the section, the vertically uniform distribution was presented in the west and the upper water of the east, while the stratification structure was found in the bottom water of the east. In Spring, the Yellow Sea warm current residual water and the Qingdao cold water mass were the most obviously hydrological characteristics, and because of the increasing of the temperature in the upper water and the weakening of the vertical mixing, the stability of the water column increased gradually; compared with winter, the contour trend of DO, pH and nutrients in deep water transferred to the more horizontal direction, and with the arrival of spring blooming, the nutrient concentrations in the upper water decreased significantly, besides, the subsurface chlorophyll maximum (SCM) phenomena also began to emerge. In Summer, the section was influenced by the thermocline and the Yellow Sea cold water mass, which was accompanied with the maximum value phenomenon of DO and pH, in addition, the nutrient concentrations were low in upper water and high in bottom water, and compared with spring, the further reduction of the nutrient concentrations existed in upper water, but the nutrient concentrations were increasing dominantly in the water below the thermocline. In Autumn, with the decreasing of the temperature in the upper water and the enhancing of the vertical mixing, the stability of the water column decreased, but the vertical mixing in the deep water was still not smooth, and the nutrient concentrations in the bottom water of the east were higher than those in summer. This study further revealed the influencing mechanism of the mixing, stratification as well as other physical processes on the vertical distribution and its seasonal variations of the elements.