Search

Abstract Seafloor hydrothermal systems and cold seeps contribute considerable amounts of dissolved carbon to ocean water. To investigate the compositional characteristics and potential sources of the dissolved carbon in the Okinawa Trough (OT), East China Sea (ECS), we measured the concentrations and distributions of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and their 13C stable isotopes in a full-depth water column in this area. Our results indicate that in the upper layer (water depth < 200 m), the dissolved carbon is mainly controlled by biological processes. In contrast, in the deeper layer, the concentration and isotopes are clearly influenced by seafloor hydrothermal and cold seep fluids in the OT. Based on our mass balance model estimation, cold seeps and hydrothermal fluids contribute up to 14.3% and 19.6%, respectively, of the seawater DIC. Our study shows that both of these extreme seafloor systems contribute considerable proportions of the local carbon budget. Moreover, they may also have an important impact on the extreme seafloor ecosystems therein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sediments on continental slopes, which are rich in hydrates and organic matters, may release methane into the overlying seawater and even into the atmosphere. To evaluate the impact of sediment emissions on oceanic methane cycling and greenhouse gas emissions, this study assessed the distribution of methane in surface sediments and water columns and calculated the sea-to-air methane flux in the Dongsha area of the northern South China Sea. Results show that the methane concentrations exhibited large spatio-temporal changes. In May 2019, the methane concentrations and sea-to-air methane flux (4.1 ± 3.7 μmol m−2 d−1) were close to the background values, indicating that in situ aerobic methane production was a weak atmospheric methane source. In contrast, in September 2020, abnormally high methane concentrations up to 26.6 nM were detected in the upper slope with water depths of 600–950 m and to the east of a seamount; the average sea-to-air methane flux increased to 11.3 ± 7.9 μmol m−2 d−1. The consistency of methane distribution throughout the water column and surface sediments, with a generally increasing trend with the increasing depth, indicates that in September 2020, sediment emissions were crucial methane sources in seawater and led to moderate emissions into the atmosphere. The heterogeneities of methane concentrations and sea-to-air methane fluxes were attributed to the uneven distribution of methane in the sediments. Besides, strong internal solitary waves in summer and autumn exacerbates methane release, especially around high terrain areas, such as in continental upper slopes and in the upstream side of seamounts. Our results demonstrate that methane released from the sediments, being perhaps affected by internal solitary waves induced sediments disturbance, substantially impacted the oceanic methane cycling in continental slopes. Thus, this study provides new insights into the methane budget of marginal basins. • Abnormally high methane concentrations were detected in the upper slope and to the east of a seamount. • Sediment emissions were crucial methane sources in seawater in the Dongsha area. • ISWs enhance methane released from sediments into atmosphere near high terrain areas in Autumn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Yangtze River Basin, which has a population of 0.4 billion and an economic output accounting for 50% of China׳s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), is one of the most developed regions in China. With dramatic developments in the economy, large quantities of pollutants have entered the Yangtze River and have eventually been discharged into the East China Sea (ECS), and then most of them were preserved in the inner shelf coastal mud areas of the ECS. The inner shelf costal mud areas of the ECS, with sedimentation rate ranging from 0.8 cm/a to 1.2 cm/a, are an ideal place to obtain the high-resolution heavy metal record. In this work, two sediment cores collected in the inner shelf of the coastal mud areas of the ECS in 2009 were used to reconstruct historical records of anthropogenic heavy metal input from the Yangtze River Basin. The temporal distribution of enrichment factors (EFs) is in good accordance with social development of Yangtze River Basin. Before the 1930s, the EFs of Pb and Zn are considered as the background level of study area, according to the agricultural country of China in that time. The much higher EFs of Pb and Zn from the 1930s to 1980s were associated with significant improvement of industry of the Yangtze River Basin. After 1983, the dramatical incensement of EFs of Pb and Zn responded to the remarkable economic development of the Yangtze River Basin. Of particular interest, the construction of the Three Gorges Dam (TGD) in 2003 possibly induced a significant increase in the heavy metal levels in the coastal ECS, and the ban on leaded gasoline in China induced a remarkable decrease in Pb levels. Although heavy metal levels have increased since the 1930s, the coastal mud area of the ECS remains under low ecological risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Biogenic silica (BSi) is an important parameter for understanding biogeochemical processes and paleoceanographic records in the ocean, but this proxy still has many challenges when used to reconstruct changes in the paleoproductivity and evolution of the environment, one of which is the grain size effect. We analyzed the BSi distribution in different size fractions from 8 surface sediments collected in the East China Sea (ECS). We observed the particulate characteristics of diatoms in the water and assessed the grain size effect of BSi. The results suggest the following conclusions: (1) the BSi content of the surface sediments in the ECS is generally below 1%, and the BSi content of different size fractions varies significantly, with largest fraction <16μm, which is approximately 1.1–1.8 times that in the bulk sediments. (2) The variation in the BSi content in different size fractions is largely controlled by the species of diatoms and their cell sizes. In the East China Sea, nano-diatoms are the dominant species, with dominant cells of 2–14μm, resulting in a high BSi content in the fraction <16μm. (3) The hydro-dynamic condition affects the diatom cell size distribution and sediment character, and, thus, has a significant influence on the BSi content of different size fractions. Our research suggests that the grain size distribution of the bulk sediment should be considered when using BSi as a proxy for diatom primary production. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]