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RESEARCH ARTICLE

Concentrations and distribution of transparent exopolymer particles in a eutrophic coastal sea: a case study of the Changjiang (Yangtze River) estuary

Shujin Guo A B C and Xiaoxia Sun A B C D E
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Jiaozhou Bay National Marine Ecosystem Research Station, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 7 Nanhai Road, Shinan District, Qingdao, 266071, PR China.

B Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), 1 Wenhai Road, Jimo District, Qingdao, 266237, PR China.

C Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 7 Nanhai Road, Shinan District, Qingdao, 266071, PR China.

D University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19 Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing, 100049, PR China.

E Corresponding author. Email: xsun@qdio.ac.cn

Marine and Freshwater Research 70(10) 1389-1401 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF18211
Submitted: 1 June 2018  Accepted: 3 February 2019   Published: 18 April 2019

Abstract

Transparent exopolymer particles (TEPs) contribute to carbon export and can represent a significant part of the carbon pool, most notably in eutrophic systems. This study represents the first investigation of the concentrations and distribution of TEPs in the Changjiang (Yangtze River) estuary, one of the most eutrophic coastal seas in the world. The concentration of TEPs was determined on a seasonal basis (spring, summer and autumn), and the distribution patterns of TEPs were studied with respect to physical, chemical and biological conditions. Spatially, TEP concentrations exhibited a significant positive correlation with chlorophyll-a concentrations in spring and summer, which implies a consistent production of TEPs by phytoplankton cells. Vertically, TEP concentrations decreased gradually from the surface layer to the bottom layer in spring and summer, but were distributed homogenously in the water column in autumn. Values of nitrogen : phosphorus ratio (N : P) were found to have a significant positive correlation with TEP concentrations in summer, indicating that a P limitation would probably accelerate production and formation of TEPs. TEP-carbon (TEP-C) concentration was found to be similar to phytoplankton-C in the study area, highlighting the fact that TEP-C could represent a significant fraction of the particulate organic carbon pool in the Changjiang (Yangtze River) estuary.

Additional keywords : biogeochemistry, eutrophication, marine, phytoplankton.


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