Chen-Tung Arthur Chen1,2, Yan Bai3, Ting-Hsuan Huang4,5, Xianqiang He6, Hsien-Wen Chen7, Shujie Yu6. 1. Department of Oceanography, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung, 804, Taiwan. ctchen@mail.nsysu.edu.tw. 2. Institute of Marine Chemistry and Environment, Zhejiang University, Zhoushan, 316021, China. ctchen@mail.nsysu.edu.tw. 3. State Key Laboratory of Satellite Ocean Environment Dynamics, Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Hangzhou, 310012, China. baiyan@sio.org.cn. 4. Department of Oceanography, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung, 804, Taiwan. 5. Taiwan Ocean Research Institute, National Applied Research Laboratories, Kaohsiung, 801, Taiwan. 6. State Key Laboratory of Satellite Ocean Environment Dynamics, Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Hangzhou, 310012, China. 7. Department of Maritime Police, Central Police University, Taoyuan, 33304, Taiwan.
Abstract
The La Niña of 2007/2008 was particularly strong, so was the southward flow of the cold, nutrient-rich Changjiang (Yangtze River) Diluted Water (CDW) when the winter monsoon started to blow in the fall. Here we use shipboard data in 2008 in two transects, one in the southwestern East China Sea and one in the southern Taiwan Strait, to show that as late as April in 2008 the CDW was still clearly identifiable when the winter monsoon had weakened. Waters as cold as 16 °C with a salinity lower than 30 still occupied the southwestern East China Sea. Waters of 17 °C and S < 32 could also be found off the coast of China in the central Taiwan Strait. The concentration of NO3 + NO2 was higher than 18 μmol L-1 at both places, which was as much as 40 times higher than the northward moving South China Sea (SCS) water to the east. As a result, the Changjiang River plume may be a significant source of nutrients, particularly N, to the oligotrophic, N-poor SCS, especially in the La Niña years. Indeed, colder and more turbid CDW was more intense and went farther south in 2008 compared with the normal springs of 2006, 2007 and 2009.
The La n class="Chemical">Niña of 2007/2008 was particularly stronpan>g, so was the southward flow of the pan> class="Disease">cold, nutrient-rich Changjiang (Yangtze River) Diluted Water (CDW) when the winter monsoon started to blow in the fall. Here we use shipboard data in 2008 in two transects, one in the southwestern East China Sea and one in the southern Taiwan Strait, to show that as late as April in 2008 the CDW was still clearly identifiable when the winter monsoon had weakened. Waters as cold as 16 °C with a salinity lower than 30 still occupied the southwestern East China Sea. Waters of 17 °C and S < 32 could also be found off the coast of China in the central Taiwan Strait. The concentration of NO3 + NO2 was higher than 18 μmol L-1 at both places, which was as much as 40 times higher than the northward moving South China Sea (SCS) water to the east. As a result, the Changjiang River plume may be a significant source of nutrients, particularly N, to the oligotrophic, N-poor SCS, especially in the La Niña years. Indeed, colder and more turbid CDW was more intense and went farther south in 2008 compared with the normal springs of 2006, 2007 and 2009.
Authors: Nianzhi Jiao; Yao Zhang; Yonghui Zeng; Wilford D Gardner; Alexey V Mishonov; Mary Jo Richardson; Ning Hong; Delu Pan; Xiao-Hai Yan; Young-Heon Jo; Chen-Tung Arthur Chen; Pinxian Wang; Yiyu Chen; Huasheng Hong; Yan Bai; Xihan Chen; Bangqin Huang; Hong Deng; Yang Shi; Dechao Yang Journal: Water Res Date: 2007-02-12 Impact factor: 11.236