The world's largest macroalgal blooms (MABs) caused by the Ulva prolifera outbreaks have occurred every summer since 2007 in the Southern Yellow Sea, China. Accumulating evidence showed that MABs may deteriorate the regional marine environment and influence the growth of some primary producers such as phytoplankton. In this study, we investigated the spatio-temporal patterns of U. prolifera green tides and chlorophyll-a concentration in the Southern Yellow Sea in 2015 using satellite images obtained from HJ-1 CCD, MODIS, and GOCI. The correlation between the distributions of U. prolifera abundance and chlorophyll-a concentration was analyzed quantitatively by setting up a series of 5 × 5 km experimental grids, and we also discussed the possible mechanisms about the influence of U. prolifera blooms on the other floating microalgae. The results showed that the development of U. prolifera blooms in the Southern Yellow Sea in 2015 could be featured as "appearance - development - outbreak - decline - disappearance", while the concentration of chlorophyll-a showed "increase - sharp decline - slow recovery - stabilization" from April to August. We also found that the concentration of chlorophyll-a had the following relationships with U. prolifera temporally: (1) the concentration of chlorophyll-a increased with the growth of U. prolifera from April to mid-May; (2) the chlorophyll-a concentration decreased sharply with the dramatically increased coverage of U. prolifera in June; and (3) the chlorophyll-a concentration slowly recovered and finally stabilized as U. prolifera decreased in July. Generally, there was a negative correlation between the occurrence of U. prolifera and chlorophyll-a concentration in the Southern Yellow Sea, China. Our results showed that the outbreak of U. prolifera does have a certain impact on the growth and reproduction of planktonic microalgae, and it suggests that U. prolifera blooms have potentially altered the ecological balance in the coastal waters of the Southern Yellow Sea.

Using remote sensing images of different time phases from 1990 to 2018, the surface coverage information of northern Yantai (coastline, 2 km from coastline to land) was extracted by means of average high tide line and visual interpretation. The end point change rate (EPR) and linear regression rate were used to study the coastline change rate, the fractal dimension of the coastline in the study area was analyzed, and the change of the type of coastal surface cover was analyzed by the transition matrix. The results show that: (1) Form 1990 to 2018, a significant trend of a continuous increase in the total length of coastline was observed with an increase of 181.08 km (43.18%). In the study area, the coastline of Laizhou had the greatest change rate with an EPR value of 33.67 m/a, whereas the coastline of Laishan had the smallest change rate with an EPR value of 0.30 m/a. (2) Over the past 30 years, with the rapid economic development of Yantai and the ensuant urbanization, the total surface area of the coastal zone in the study area has increased by 144.94 km2, mainly in the areas covered by structures and forests/grasses, by 112.96 km2 and 96.08 km2, respectively, while the areas of desert/bare land and water have decreased by 92.26 km2 and 12.32 km2, respectively. (3) The changes among different types in the study area were clear, mainly from desert/bare land, cultivated land, and building areas to forests/grasses cover and structures. The change areas were mainly concentrated in Laizhou, Longkou, Zhifu, and Penglai. Frequent human activities are an important factor affecting the continuous expansion of the coastal areas of Jiaodong Peninsula to the sea. Aquaculture, coastal construction, construction of artificial islands, and expansion of port terminals have seriously affected the sustainability of ecological resources in the coastal areas. At the same time, the changes in the ecological environment in the coastal zone will have a greater impact on the health of the coastal zone.

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In this study, using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite images and environmental satellite CCD images, the spatio-temporal distribution of Ulva prolifera in the southern Yellow Sea during the period of 2011-2018 was extracted and combined with MODIS Level3 Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR) product data and Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL) Sea Surface Temperature (SST) data to analyze their influences on the growth and outbreak of Ulva prolifera. The following conclusions were drawn: 1) comprehensive analysis of Ulva prolifera distribution during the eight-year period revealed that the coverage area of Ulva prolifera typically exhibited a gradually increasing trend. The coverage area of Ulva prolifera reached a maximum of approximately 1714.21 km 2 during the eight-year period in late June 2015. The area affected by Ulva prolifera fluctuated. In mid-July 2014, the area affected by Ulva prolifera reached a maximum of approximately 39 020.63 km 2 . 2) The average growth rate of Ulva prolifera was positive in May and June but negative in July. During the outbreak of Ulva prolifera, the SST in the southern Yellow Sea tended to increase each month. The SST anomaly and average growth rate of Ulva prolifera were positively correlated in May (R 2 = 0.62), but not significantly correlated in June or July. 3) The variation trends of PAR and SST were approximately the same, and the PAR during this time period maintained a range of 40-50 mol/(m 2 •d), providing sufficient illumination for the growth and outbreak of Ulva prolifera. In addition, the abundant nutrients and suitable temperature in the sea area near northern Jiangsu shoal resulted in a high growth rate of Ulva prolifera in May. In summary, the outbreak of Ulva prolifera was closely related to the environmental factors including SST, nutrients, and PAR. Sufficient nutrients and suitable temperatures resulted in a fast growth rate of Ulva prolifera. However, under poor nutrient conditions, even more suitable temperatures were not sufficient to trigger an outbreak of Ulva prolifera.