Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Areas of the global major river plumes

  • Published:
Acta Oceanologica Sinica Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

River plumes are the regions where the most intense river-sea-land interaction occurs, and they are characterized by complex material transport and biogeochemical processes. However, due to their highly dynamic nature, global river plume areas have not yet been determined for use in synthetic studies of global oceanography. Based on global climatological monthly averaged salinity data from the NOAA World Ocean Atlas 2009 (WOA09), and monthly averaged salinity contour maps of the East and South China Seas from the Chinese Marine Atlas, we extract the monthly plume areas of major global rivers using a geographic information system (GIS) technique. Only areas with salinities that are three salinity units lower than the average salinity in each ocean are counted. This conservative estimate shows that the minimum and maximum monthly values of the total plume area of the world’s 19 largest rivers are 1.72×106 km2 in May and 5.38×106 km2 in August. The annual mean area of these river plumes (3.72×106 km2) takes up approximately 14.2% of the total continental shelves areaworldwide (26.15×106 km2). This paper also presents river plume areas for different oceans and latitude zones, and analyzes seasonal variations of the plume areas and their relationships with river discharge. These statistics describing the major global river plume areas can now provide the basic data for the various flux calculations in the marginal seas, and therefore will be of useful for many oceanographic studies.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Antonov J I, Seidov D, Boyer T P, et al. 2010. World Ocean Atlas 2009, 2(Salinity). NOAA Atlas NESDIS 69. Washington D C: Government Printing Office, 184

    Google Scholar 

  • Binding C E, Bowers D G. 2003. Measuring the salinity of the Clyde Sea from remotely sensed ocean colour. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 57(4): 605–611

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Borges A V, Delille B, Frankignoulle M. 2005. Budgeting sinks and sources of CO2 in the coastal ocean: Diversity of ecosystems counts. Geophysical Research Letters, 32: L14601

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Breitburg D L, Crump B C, Dabiri J O, et al. 2010. Ecosystem engineers in the plankton: Habitat alteration by species ranging from microbes to jellyfish. Integrative and Comparative Biology, 50(2): 188–200

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cai Weijun. 2003. Riverine inorganic carbon flux and rate of biological uptake in the Mississippi River plume. Geophysical Research Letters, 30(2): 1032

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cai Weijun, Dai Minghan, Wang Yongchen. 2006. Air-sea exchange of carbon dioxide in ocean margins: a province-based sysnthesis. Geophysical Research Letters, 33: L12603

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen Daxi. 1992. Marine atlas of the Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea and East China Sea—Hydrology. In: Chen Guozheng, ed. Marine Atlas of the Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea and East China Sea (in Chinese). Beijing: China Ocean Press, 97–163

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen Chen-Tung Arthur, Borges A V. 2009. Reconciling opposing views on carbon cycling in the coastal ocean: continental shelves as sinks and near-shore ecosystems as sources of atmospheric CO2. Deep Sea Research Part II, 56(8–10): 578–590

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen Zhiqiang, Hu Chuanmin, Conmy R N, et al. 2007. Colored dissolved organic matter in Tampa Bay, Florida. Marine Chemistry, 104(1–2): 98–109

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen Chen-Tung Arthur, Huang Ting Hsuan, Fu YuHan, et al. 2012. Strong sources of CO2 in upper estuaries become sinks of CO2 in large river plumes. Environmental Sustainability, 4(2): 179–185

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen Chen-Tung Arthur, Zhai Weidong, Dai Minghan. 2008. Riverine input and air-sea CO2 exchanges near the Changjiang (Yangtze River) Estuary: Status quo and implication on possible future changes in metabolic status. Continental Shelf Research, 28: 1476–1482

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cooley S R, Coles V J, Subramaniam A, et al. 2007. Seasonal variationsin the Amazon plume-related atmospheric carbon sink. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 21: GB3014

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dagg M, Benner R, Lohrenz S, et al. 2004. Transformation of dissolved and particulate materials on continental shelves influenced by large rivers: Plume processes. Continental Shelf Research, 24: 833–858

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Diaz R J, Rosenberg R. 2008. Spreading dead zones and consequences for marine ecosystems. Science, 321(5891): 926–929

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • D’sa E J, Miller R L. 2003. Bio-optical properties in waters influenced by the Mississippi River during low flow conditions. Remote Sensing of Environment, 84(4): 538–549

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dzwonkowski B, Yan X H. 2005. Tracking of a Chesapeake Bay estuarine outflow plume with satellite-based ocean color data. Continental Shelf Research, 25(16): 1942–1958

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Feng Shizuo, Li Fengqi, Li Shaoqing. 2004. An Introduction to Marine Science (in Chinese). Beijing: Higher Education Press, 22

    Google Scholar 

  • Font J A, Camps A. 2010. SMOS: The challenging sea surface salinity measurements from space. In: Borges A, Martín-Neira M, Boutin J, et al., eds. IEEE, 98(5): 649–665

  • GRDC. 2009. Global Runoff Data Centre (2009): Surface Freshwater Fluxes into the World Oceans/GRDC. Koblenz, Germany: Federal Institute of Hydrology (BfG)

    Google Scholar 

  • Green R E, Bianchi T S, Dagg M J, et al. 2006. An organic carbon budget for the Mississippi River turbidity plume and plume contributions to air-sea CO2 fluxes and bottom water hypoxia. Estuaries and Coasts, 29(4): 579–597

    Google Scholar 

  • Gruber N, Gloor M, Mikaloff F S E, et al. 2009. Oceanic sources, sinks, and transport of atmospheric CO2. Global Biogeochem Cycles, 23 (2009): GB1005

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gupta A, Krishnan P. 1994. Spatial distribution of sediment discharge to the coastal waters of South and Southeast Asia. International Association of Hydrological Sciences, Publication 224. Oxfordshire, UK: Wallingford

    Google Scholar 

  • Higgins H W, Mackey D J, Clementson L. 2006. Phytoplankton distribution in the Bismarch Sea North of Papua New Guinea: The effect of the Sepik River outflow. Deep-Sea Research Part I, 53(11): 1845–1863

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hou Wenfeng. 2006. Marine Atlas of the North China Sea—Hydrology. In: Li Tingdong, ed. Marine Atlas of the North China Sea. Beijing: China Ocean Press, 148–165

    Google Scholar 

  • Hu C, Montgomery E T, Schmitt R W, et al. 2004. The dispersal of the Amazon and Orinoco River water in the tropical Atlantic and Caribbean Sea: observation from space and S-PALACE floats. Deep-Sea Research Part II, 51(10–11): 1151–1171

    Google Scholar 

  • Jo Y H, Yan X H, Dzwonkowski B, et al. 2005. A study of the freshwater discharge from the Amazon River into the tropical Atlantic using multi-sensor data. Geophysical Research Letters, 32: L02605

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kerr Y, Waldteufel P, Wigneron J P, et al. 2010. The SMOS Mission: New Tool for Monitoring Key Elements of the Global Water Cycle. Proceedings of the IEEE, 98(5): 666–687

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kim H C, Yamaguch H, Yoo S, et al. 2009. Distribution of Changjiang diluted water detected by satellite chlorophyll- and its interannual variation during 1998–2007. Journal of Oceanography, 65 (2009): 129–135

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Klemas V. 2012. Remote sensing of coastal plumes and ocean fronts: overview and case study. Journal of Coastal Research, 28(1A): 1–7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Koblinsky C J, Hildebrand P, LeVine D, et al. 2003. Sea surface salinity from space: Science goals and measurement approach. Radio Science, 38(4): 8064

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kortzinger A. 2003. A significant CO2 sink in the tropical Atlantic Ocean associated with the Amazon River plume. Geophysical Research Letters, 30(24): 2287

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kouame K V, Yapo O B, Mambo V, et al. 2009. Physicochemical characterization of the waters of the coastal rivers and the lagoonal system of cote d’Ivoire. Journal of Applied Sciences, 9(8): 1517–1523

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Laruelle G G, Dürr H H, Slomp C P, et al. 2010. Evaluation of sinks and sources of CO2 in the global coastal ocean using a spatiallyexplicit typology of estuaries and continental shelves. Geophysical Research Letters, 37: L15607

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lihan T, Saitoh S I, Iida T, et al. 2008. Satellite-measured temporal and spatial variability of the Tokachi River plume. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 78(2): 237–249

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lique C, Garric G, Treguier A M, et al. 2011. Evolution of the arctic ocean salinity, 2007–08: contrast between the canadian and the eurasian basins. Journal of Climate, 24(6): 1705–1717

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lohrenz S E, Cai WJ, et al. 2010. Seasonal variability in air-sea fluxes of CO2 in a river-influenced coastal margin. Journal of Geophysical Research-Oceans, 115(C10): C10034

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McKee B A. 2003. RiOMar: The Transport, Transformation and Fate of Carbon in River-dominated Ocean Margins. Report of the RiO Mar Workshop. New Orleans, LA: Tulane University

    Google Scholar 

  • Molleri G S F, Novo E M L, Kampel M. 2010. Space-time variability of the Amazon River plume based on satellite ocean color. Continental Shelf Research, 30(3–4): 342–352

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Piola A R, Romero S I, Zajaczkovski U. 2008. Space-time variability of the Plata plume inferred from ocean color. Continental Shelf Research, 28(13): 1556–1567

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rabouille C, Conley D J, Dai M H, et al. 2008. Comparison of hypoxia among four river-dominated ocean margins: the Changjiang (Yangtze), Mississippi, Pearl, and Rhone rivers. Continental Shelf Research, 28: 1527–1537

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schettini C A F, Kuroshima K N, Pereira Filho J, et al. 1998. Oceanographic and ecological aspects of the Itajaí-açu river plume during a high discharge period. Anais Acad Bras Ciênc, 70(2): 335–351

    Google Scholar 

  • Shipe R F, Curtaz J, Subramaniam A, et al. 2006. Diatom biomass and productivity in oceanic and plume-influenced waters of the western tropical Atlantic ocean. Deep-Sea Research Part I, 53: 1320–1334

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith Jr W O, Demaster D J. 1996. Phytoplankton biomass and productivity in the Amazon River plume: Correlation with seasonal river discharge. Continental Shelf Research, 16: 291–319

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Takahashi T, Sutherland S C, Wanninkhof R, et al. 2009. Climatological mean and decadal changes in surface ocean pCO2, and net sea-air CO2 flux over the global oceans. Deep-Sea Research Part II, 56(8–10): 554–577

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tan Yan, Zhang Longjun, Wang Fan, et al. 2004. Summer surface water pCO2 flux at air-sea interface in western part of the East China Sea. Oceanologia et Limnologia Sinica (in Chinese), 35(3): 239–245

    Google Scholar 

  • Ternon J F, Oudot C, Dessier A, et al. 2000. A seasonal tropical sink for atmospheric CO2 in the Atlantic Ocean: the role of the Amazon River discharge. Marine Chemistry, 68: 183–201

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thomas H, Bozec Y, Elkalay K et al. 2004. Enhanced open ocean storage of CO2 from shelf sea pumping. Science, 304: 1005–1008

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thomas A C, Weatherbee R A. 2006. Satellite-measured temporal variability of the Columbia River plume. Remote Sensing of Environment, 100(2): 167–178

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tsunogai S, Watanabe S, Sato T. 1999. Is there a “continental shelf pump” for the absorption of atmospheric CO2? Tellus, 51(B): 701–712

    Google Scholar 

  • Vecchio R D, Subramaniam A. 2004. Influence of the Amazon River on the surface optical properties of the western tropical North Atlantic Ocean. Journal of Geophysical Research, 109(C11001): 1–13

    Google Scholar 

  • Walker N D. 1996. Satellite assessment of Mississippi River plume variability: causes and predictability. Remote Sensing of Environment, 58(1): 21–35

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang S L, Chen C T A, Hong G H, et al. 2000. Carbon dioxide and related parameters in the East China Sea. Continental Shelf Research, 20: 525–544

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhai Weidong, Dai Minghan. 2009. On the seasonal variation of airsea CO2 fluxes in the outer Changjiang (Yangtze River) Estuary, East China Sea. Marine Chemistry, 117(1–4): 2–10

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhai Weidong, Dai Minghan, Cai Weijun. 2009. Coupling of surface pCO2 and dissolved oxygen in the northern South China Sea: impacts of contrasting coastal processes. Biogeosciences, 6: 2589–2598

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China

    Yan Kang, Delu Pan & Xiaoyan Chen

  2. State Key Laboratory of Satellite Ocean Environment Dynamics, Second Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Hangzhou, 310012, China

    Yan Kang, Delu Pan, Yan Bai, Xianqiang He, Xiaoyan Chen & Difeng Wang

  3. Institute ofMarine Geology and Chemistry, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 804, China

    Chen-Tung Arthur Chen

Authors
  1. Yan Kang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Delu Pan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Yan Bai
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Xianqiang He
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Xiaoyan Chen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Chen-Tung Arthur Chen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Difeng Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Delu Pan.

Additional information

Foundation item: The National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program) under contract No. 2009CB421202; the Public Science and Technology Research Funds Projects of Ocean under contract No. 200905012; the National Natural Science Foundation of China under contract Nos 41271378, 40976110 and 40706061; the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (863 Program) under contract No. 2007AA092201.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Kang, Y., Pan, D., Bai, Y. et al. Areas of the global major river plumes. Acta Oceanol. Sin. 32, 79–88 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-013-0269-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-013-0269-5

Key words

Search

Navigation