Evolution of the sink and source of dissolved inorganic nitrogen with salinity as a tracer during summer in the Pearl River Estuary
Wu, M.-L.; Hong, Y.-G.; yin, J.-P.; Dong, J.-D.; Wang, Y.-S. (2016). Evolution of the sink and source of dissolved inorganic nitrogen with salinity as a tracer during summer in the Pearl River Estuary. NPG Scientific Reports 6(36638 ): 12 pp. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/srep36638
In: Scientific Reports (Nature Publishing Group). Nature Publishing Group: London. ISSN 2045-2322; e-ISSN 2045-2322, more
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| Authors | | Top |
- Wu, M.-L.
- Hong, Y.-G.
- yin, J.-P.
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| Abstract |
In this study, we evaluated the sink and source of the surface water along the PRE using a mixing model method with salinity as tracer. The observational data showed that the decreasing of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) did not closely follow the physical mixing lines of freshwater and modified seawater. In the western part, DIN consumption by phytoplankton and bacteria uptake (Delta DIN) varied from 15.81 mu mol L-1 to 88.53 mu mol L-1. On the contrary, in the eastern part, Delta DIN varied from -63.66 mu mol L-1 to -10.45 mu mol L-1. DIN source in the eastern part may be mainly caused by organic matter decomposition, while DIN remove is strongly associated with phytoplankton growth and bacteria consumption. These differential behaviors of the estuary with respect to DIN are largely due to varying degrees of hydrodynamics due to different topography in the two areas. Sensitivity analysis indicated reduction strategies of DIN inputs to coastal waters may improve environment quality in the PRE, due to DIN changes in the freshwater end-member having a determined influence on biological activities (R). Our results indicate that the model may be a valuable way to address the sources and sink of DIN in the river-dominated estuaries. |
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