Examination of causative link between a spring bloom and dry/wet deposition of Asian dust in the Yellow Sea, China

Abstract

[1] Atmospheric deposition can deliver new nutrients to the surface water and support primary productivity. Here we report a phytoplankton bloom that developed in the Yellow Sea in the spring of 2007 3-4 days following a dust storm accompanied by precipitation. Our data indicate that atmospheric deposition dominated the supply of new nutrients to the surface water in the central Yellow Sea during the dust event. Dust-derived nitrogen (N) supply was sufficient to support the observed phytoplankton growth, while, dust-derived iron (Fe) supply far exceeded that required by the biota. Granger causality test results further supported that dust-derived nutrients deposition was the cause for the observed bloom with a lag of 3-5 days. Our results contribute to the growing database linking phytoplankton blooms to atmospheric deposition derived fertilization effects. Both dry and wet deposition contributed nutrients to the surface ocean during this event; however, the nutrient loading from dry deposition alone was not sufficient to satisfy the demand of the phytoplankton in this bloom event.

Phytoplankton growth response to Asian dust addition in the northwest Pacific Ocean versus the Yellow Sea

“…Dust particles frequently mix with anthropogenic aerosols on their transport pathway to the oceans (Guieu et al, 2010;Shi et al, 2012;Herut et al, 2016). The response of phytoplankton to the added dust particles mixed with anthropogenic aerosols appeared to be more sensitive in oligotrophic waters than in moderately nutrient-enriched waters (C. .…”

The concentration, source and deposition flux of ammonium and nitrate in atmospheric particles during dust events at a coastal site in northern China

“…Inorganic nitrogen reportedly contributed to ∼ 80 % of the total water-soluble nitrogen (TDN) in atmospheric particles collected over the Yellow Sea and in Qingdao (Shi et al, 2012). In the region, the dry deposition flux of the inorganic nitrogen accounted for more than 75 % for the TDN (Qi et al, 2013).…”

“…This hypothesis has been evaluated through incubation experiments, in situ experiments and the use of satellite observational data (Banerjee and Kumar, 2015;Guo et al, 2012;Liu et al, 2013;Shi et al, 2012;Tan and Wang, 2014). However, the process is dynamic due to the worldwide changing emissions of NO x and NH 3 in the last few decades.…”

Seawater reverse osmosis desalination and (harmful) algal blooms

“…Wind-driven dust events carrying iron-rich aerosols from the Sahara Desert has been reported to influence the frequency and severity of algal blooms on the Florida coast, on the other side of the Atlantic (Walsh and Steidinger, 2001). A similar scenario may have occurred after dust events around the Yellow Sea (Shi et al, 2012) and 'The Gulf' (Hamza et al, 2011;Nezlin et al, 2010).…”