Temporal and Spatial Variation of Nutrient Concentrations in Shallow Pore Water in Intertidal Sandflats of Jeju Island

Abstract

To examine temporal and spatial variation in salinity and nutrients in the shallow pore water of intertidal sandflats, we measured salinity and nutrient concentrations (dissolved inorganic nitrogen [DIN], phosphorus [DIP], and silicate [DSi]) in pore water of the intertidal zone along the coastline of Jeju Island at two and/or three month intervals from May 2009 to December 2010. Geochemical parameters (grain size, ignition loss [IL], chemical oxygen demand [COD], and acid volatile sulfur [AVS]) in sediment were also investigated. The surface sediments in intertidal sandflats of Jeju Island were mainly composed of sand, slightly gravelly sand and gravelly sand, with a range of mean grain size from 0.5 to 2.5 Ø. Concentrations of IL and COD in sediment were higher along the eastern coast, as compared to the western coast, due to differences in biogenic sediment composition. Salinity and nutrient concentrations in pore water were markedly different across time and space during rainy seasons, whereas concentrations were temporally and spatially more stable during dry seasons. These results suggest that salinity and nutrient concentrations in pore water depend on the advective flow of fresh groundwater. We also observed an imbalance of the DIN/DIP ratio in pore water due to the influence of contaminated sources of DIN. In particular, nutrient concentrations during rainy and dry seasons were characterized by high DIN/DIP ratios (mean-127) and low DIN/DIP ratios (mean-10), respectively, relative to the Redfield ratio (16) in offshore seawater. Such an imbalance of DIN/DIP ratios in pore water can affect the coastal ecosystem and appears to cause outbreaks of benthic seaweed along the coastline of Jeju Island.