2À 4 ) were investigated over a complete neap tide in the estuary of Pearl River, China. Obvious saltwater intrusion was observed at the lower reaches of our survey section: surface water salinity varied from 2.00% to 17.80%, and bottom water salinity varied from 5.59% to 22.13%. The calculated stratification index indicated that the lower reaches had intense stratification during the present neap tide. Obvious dilution of NO and PO 3À 4 concentration increased with increasing water salinity. Investigation results revealed that saltwater intrusion had a significant effect on nutrient structure and probably alleviated a phosphorus-limiting situation in the estuary ecosystem. All these changes were induced to some degree by tidal currents and their associated sediment-agitation process and had a profound effect on the estuary ecosystem.
ADDITIONAL INDEX WORDS:Saltwater intrusion, stratification, nutrient structure, Modaomen.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.