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Physical-biogeochemical interactions and potential effects on phytoplankton and Ulva prolifera in the coastal waters off Qingdao (Yellow Sea, China)

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Abstract

In recent years, the spectacular massive green tide of Ulva prolifera has become a recurrent phenomenon appearing every summer in the coastal waters off Qingdao (Yellow Sea, China), attracting the attention of scientists and local government. Based on multidisciplinary data collected during summer and winter, this study focuses on the hydrological characteristics and regional biogeochemical processes in coastal waters off Qingdao. The results show that the boundary of the Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass (YSCWM) can reach the Qingdao coastal region in summer and is locally raised to the upper layers to form coastal upwelling beyond tidal mixing and favorable wind. The regional summer upwelling off the Qingdao coast effectively enriches the nutrient concentrations in the upper water column and thus promotes growth of phytoplankton but reduces the dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration and pH value in the bottom. The regional summer upwelling off Qingdao coast may facilitate the growth and regional blooming of the U. prolifera that migrate to this region with the southerly wind. Additionally, the effects of the front on the aggregation of U. prolifera may be significant. In winter, the Yellow Sea Warm Current (YSWC) extends and spreads along the offshore region off the Subei Shoal towards the Qingdao coastal sea. This tongue-shaped warm water meets the cold coastal water off Qingdao, which leads to the formation of a physical front. As a consequence, remarkable fronts of nutrient and chlorophyll a (Chl a) also form between the shoreward warm water and the cold coastal water. This study increases the understanding of the interactions between the regional physical, chemical, and biological processes off the Qingdao coast.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the survey team and crew for their help and cooperation during the field investigation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. First Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao, 266061, China

    Qinsheng Wei, Baodong Wang, Mingzhu Fu, Junchuan Sun, Linping Xie & Ming Xin

  2. Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), Qingdao, 266237, China

    Qinsheng Wei, Baodong Wang, Qingzhen Yao, Zhigang Yu, Mingzhu Fu & Bochao Xu

  3. Key Laboratory of Marine Chemistry Theory and Technology of Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266100, China

    Qinsheng Wei, Qingzhen Yao, Zhigang Yu & Bochao Xu

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  1. Qinsheng Wei
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  2. Baodong Wang
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  3. Qingzhen Yao
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  4. Zhigang Yu
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  5. Mingzhu Fu
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  6. Junchuan Sun
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  8. Linping Xie
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  9. Ming Xin
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Correspondence to Qinsheng Wei.

Additional information

Foundation item: The Open Fund of Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology under contract No. LMEES201808; the Scientific and Technological Innovation Project of the Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology under contract No. 2016ASKJ02; the National Key Research and Development Program of China under contract Nos 2016YFC1402101 and 2017YFC1404402; the National Natural Science Foundation of China under contract No. 41606040; the National Project of Comprehensive Investigation and Research of Coastal Seas in China under contract No. 908-01-ST03.

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Wei, Q., Wang, B., Yao, Q. et al. Physical-biogeochemical interactions and potential effects on phytoplankton and Ulva prolifera in the coastal waters off Qingdao (Yellow Sea, China). Acta Oceanol. Sin. 38, 11–23 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-019-1344-3

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