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Impacts of algal blooms on sinking carbon flux and hypoxia off the Changjiang River estuary

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Abstract

Based on 10 multidisciplinary investigations conducted from February 2015 to January 2016, the phytoplankton community and its association with ambient seawater physicochemical parameters in the Changjiang (Yangtze) River estuary (CE) and its adjacent waters were comprehensively examined. In total, 265 taxa were identified, belonging to 5 phyla and 94 genera. Diatoms (63.78%) and dinoflagellates (33.21%) were the dominant groups. The variation of diatom abundance showed a positive relationship with the nutrient concentrations while the dinoflagellate abundance showed a negative relationship. Two algal bloom events occurred during the investigation period. The Changjiang Diluted Water (CDW) induced environmental gradients in the upper layer, favoring the diatom bloom in July. The invasion of the nearshore Kuroshio branch current could affect the formation of a bloom of Prorocentrum donghaiense. With the blooming and senescence of phytoplankton, low dissolved oxygen (DO) and hypoxia occurred in the bottom waters. The bottom DO concentration displayed a significantly negative correlation with phytoplankton carbon flux. The present study provides straightforward evidence for the source of organic matter for oxygen consumption in the CE and its adjacent waters.

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Data Availability Statement

The data is available on request from the corresponding author.

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Acknowledgment

The data were generated with the help of Prof. Zhiming YU at IOCAS.

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Correspondence to Shuqun Song.

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Supported by the Science & Technology Basic Resources Investigation Program (No. 2018FY100200), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 41976436, 41606128), the NSFC-Shandong Joint Research Fund (No. U1706218), the Science Foundation of Shandong Jianzhu University (No. XNBS1937), the Young Visiting Scholar Program of Shandong Province, and the Introduction and Cultivation Plan for Young Innovative Talents of Colleges and Universities by the Education Department of Shandong Province

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Supporting Information: Impacts of algal blooms on sinking carbon flux and hypoxia off the Changjiang (Yangtze River) Estuary

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Li, Z., Zhang, Y., Song, S. et al. Impacts of algal blooms on sinking carbon flux and hypoxia off the Changjiang River estuary. J. Ocean. Limnol. 41, 2180–2196 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-022-2278-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-022-2278-8

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