Spatiotemporal distribution patterns and coupling effects of aquatic environmental factors in the dry-wet season over a decade from the Beibu Gulf, South China Sea

• Published in: Marine pollution bulletin Vol. 205; p. 116596
• Main Authors: Guo, Chaochen, Lan, Wenlu, Guo, Meixiu, Lv, Xubo, Xu, Xiangqin, Lei, Kun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.08.2024
• Subjects: Beibu Gulf; Coastal water quality; Environmental factors; Multivariate statistical analyses; Spatiotemporal variation; Multivariate statistical analyses; Spatiotemporal variation; Coastal water quality; Environmental factors; Beibu Gulf
• ISSN: 0025-326X; 1879-3363; 1879-3363
• DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116596

Since the 21st century, the Beibu Gulf area has been affected by increasing anthropogenic activities, which makes the coastal aquatic ecosystem extremely concerning. However, the comprehensive exploration and analysis of the long-term scale behavior change characteristics of various water quality environment factors is still limited. Through comprehensively detecting coastal surface water environmental behavior information from 33 locations in the Beibu Gulf from 2005 to 2015, we revealed and quantified mutual response characteristics and patterns of various environmental indicators. The main environmental pollution indicators (e.g., COD, NH4+, NO3−, and DIP) showed a gradual decrease in concentration from the coast to the offshore sea area, and significantly increases during the wet season. The semi-enclosed Maowei Sea exhibited the most prominent performance with significant differences compared to other regions in Beibu Gulf. The average Chlorophyll-a (Chla) content in the coastal area of the Beibu Gulf during the wet season was more than twice that of the dry season, yet the interaction pattern between Chla and environmental factors in the two seasons was opposite to its concentration behavior, accompanied by a closely significant relationship with thermohaline structure and the input of nitrogen and phosphorous nutrients. The multivariate statistical analysis results of total nutrient dynamics suggested that the Beibu Gulf was clearly divided into different regions in both dry and wet season clusters. The present study can provide a comprehensive perspective for the spatial and temporal migration patterns and transformation laws of coastal water environmental factor, which should contribute to improve the prevention countermeasure of nutrient pollution in coastal environment. [Display omitted] •The major contaminant indicators showed a decreasing trend from north to south.•The nutrients exhibited significantly higher concentrations in wet seasons.•The driving effect of aquatic factors on chlorophyll was mainly reflected in the dry season.