Spatial-Temporal Variations of Chlorophyll-a in the Adjacent Sea Area of the Yangtze River Estuary Influenced by Yangtze River Discharge

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Ying Wang²  Hong Jiang²  Jiaxin Jin²  Xiuying Zhang²  Xuehe Lu²  Yueqi Wang¹ 

[1] Key Laboratory of Coastal Zone Environmental Processes and Ecological Remediation, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yantai 264003, China; E-Mail:;Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Geographic Information Science and Technology, Nanjing University, Xianlin Road 163, Nanjing 210023, China; E-Mails:

关键词: spatial-temporal variations;    chlorophyll-a;    discharge;    Yangtze River estuary;    SeaWiFS;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijerph120505420

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Carrying abundant nutrition, terrigenous freshwater has a great impact on the spatial and temporal heterogeneity of phytoplankton in coastal waters. The present study analyzed the spatial-temporal variations of Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentration under the influence of discharge from the Yangtze River, based on remotely sensed Chl-a concentrations. The study area was initially zoned to quantitatively investigate the spatial variation patterns of Chl-a. Then, the temporal variation of Chl-a in each zone was simulated by a sinusoidal curve model. The results showed that in the inshore waters, the terrigenous discharge was the predominant driving force determining the pattern of Chl-a, which brings the risk of red tide disasters; while in the open sea areas, Chl-a was mainly affected by meteorological factors. Furthermore, a diversity of spatial and temporal variations of Chl-a existed based on the degree of influences from discharge. The diluted water extended from inshore to the east of Jeju Island. This process affected the Chl-a concentration flowing through the area, and had a potential impact on the marine environment. The Chl-a from September to November showed an obvious response to the discharge from July to September with a lag of 1 to 2 months.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.