Phytoplankton biomass and size structure in Xiangshan Bay, China: Current state and historical comparison under accelerated eutrophication and warming

Zhibing Jiang; Ping Du; Jingjing Liu; Yue Chen; Yuanli Zhu; Lu Shou; Jiangning Zeng; Jianfang Chen

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.03.013

Phytoplankton biomass and size structure in Xiangshan Bay, China: Current state and historical comparison under accelerated eutrophication and warming

Mar Pollut Bull. 2019 May:142:119-128. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.03.013. Epub 2019 Mar 20.

Authors

Zhibing Jiang¹, Ping Du², Jingjing Liu³, Yue Chen³, Yuanli Zhu³, Lu Shou⁴, Jiangning Zeng⁵, Jianfang Chen⁶

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Marine Ecosystem and Biogeochemistry, State Oceanic Administration, Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Hangzhou, China; Function Laboratory for Marine Fisheries Science and Food Production Processes, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), Qingdao, China; State Key Laboratory of Satellite Ocean Environment Dynamics, Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Hangzhou, China.
² Key Laboratory of Marine Ecosystem and Biogeochemistry, State Oceanic Administration, Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Hangzhou, China; Function Laboratory for Marine Fisheries Science and Food Production Processes, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), Qingdao, China.
³ Key Laboratory of Marine Ecosystem and Biogeochemistry, State Oceanic Administration, Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Hangzhou, China.
⁴ Key Laboratory of Marine Ecosystem and Biogeochemistry, State Oceanic Administration, Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Hangzhou, China. Electronic address: shoulu981@sio.org.cn.
⁵ Key Laboratory of Marine Ecosystem and Biogeochemistry, State Oceanic Administration, Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Hangzhou, China. Electronic address: jiangningz@126.com.
⁶ Key Laboratory of Marine Ecosystem and Biogeochemistry, State Oceanic Administration, Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Hangzhou, China; State Key Laboratory of Satellite Ocean Environment Dynamics, Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Hangzhou, China.

PMID: 31232284
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.03.013

Abstract

To explore the effects of coastal eutrophication and warming on phytoplankton biomass and cell size, we analyzed current and historical data for size-fractionated chlorophyll a (chla) in Xiangshan Bay, China. Results showed that micro- and nanophytoplankton overwhelmingly dominated (>84%) in all seasons. The contribution of micro-chla was significantly lower in warm than in cold seasons, whereas contribution of pico-chla showed the opposite result. Overall, the micro-chla contribution increased with decreasing pico-chla contribution from the stable, clear, eutrophic upper bay to the turbulent, turbid lower bay, indicating that phytoplankton size structure on a spatial scale was largely shaped by water column stability and light rather than by nutrients. Since the 1980s, phytoplankton biomass, primary productivity, and micro-chla contribution in Xiangshan Bay have increased sharply with increasing nutrient amounts and temperature. Additionally, it seems that algal bloom seasonality has shifted forward from spring to winter since the power plant operations in 2006.

Keywords: Eutrophication; Phytoplankton; Size structure; Thermal discharge; Warming; Xiangshan Bay.

Publication types

Comparative Study

MeSH terms

Bays
Biomass
China
Chlorophyll A / analysis
Eutrophication
Phytoplankton* / cytology
Phytoplankton* / growth & development
Power Plants
Seasons
Spatio-Temporal Analysis
Temperature

Substances

Chlorophyll A