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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Mar. Sci.
Sec. Coastal Ocean Processes
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmars.2024.1485670
This article is part of the Research Topic Advanced Monitoring, Modelling, and Analysis of Coastal Environments and Ecosystems View all 5 articles

Nutrient Depletion and Phytoplankton Shifts Driven by the Pearl River Plume in the Taiwan Strait

Provisionally accepted
Zhuyin Tong Zhuyin Tong Changyun Wang Changyun Wang Lizhen Lin Lizhen Lin Lingqi Ma Lingqi Ma *Bangqin Huang Bangqin Huang
  • Xiamen University, Xiamen, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The intrusion of the Pearl River plume into the Taiwan Strait provides a unique case study that challenges traditional assumptions about the impacts of nutrient-rich river plumes on coastal phytoplankton communities. In this study, we conducted a detailed analysis of nutrient dynamics and phytoplankton composition within the Taiwan Strait, focusing on the effects of the Pearl River plume. Our findings reveal significant nutrient depletion, particularly of nitrogen, in the surface waters as the plume extends seaward, resulting in nitrogen limitation and a marked reduction in phytoplankton biomass. Vertical stratification within the Taiwan Strait creates distinct ecological niches, with the mid-layer supporting a deep chlorophyll maximum and the surface layer becoming dominated by the picophytoplankton Synechococcus. This shift from diatom-dominated communities to Synechococcus dominance has far-reaching implications for carbon cycling and food web dynamics in the region. Our results suggest that the Pearl River plume's influence on the Taiwan Strait represents a departure from the typical nutrient enrichment associated with river plumes, highlighting the complexity of coastal biogeochemical processes.

    Keywords: Pearl River plume, Phytoplankton community, nutrient limitation, Taiwan Strait, nitrogen limitation

    Received: 24 Aug 2024; Accepted: 10 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Tong, Wang, Lin, Ma and Huang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Lingqi Ma, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China

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