The geochemical proxies for the eutrophic and hypoxia in the Changjiang estuary: evidence from sedimentary records

Three cores were selected in the Changjiang Estuary to study potential hundrend-years eutrophication and hypoxia. The sediment record in the Changjiang Estuary mud area (CEMA) within the region of pronounced hypoxia showed that an increase in TOC (21%), biomarkers (141%) and δ13 Corg (1.6‰PDB ) occurred since 1950s and a marked increase since 1970s. Some redox sensitive elements (RSEs) have been enriched significantly since the late 1960s to 1970s, the rates of Mo/Al, Cd/Al and As/Al increased about 83%, 73% and 50% respectively. And the contents of some biogenic elements also increased since the late 1960s, e.g. Ca(129%), Sr(65%) and P(38%) respectively. For the core sediment in the Cheju Island mud area (SCIMA) outside the hypoxia region, the organic geochemical indicators (TOC, biomarkers and δ13Corg ) increased in difference degrees before 1950s~1970s and then were almost the constant. The RSEs were controlled by 'grain size effects' which indicated no hypoxia occurred. For the core sediment in the Zhejiang coastal mud area (ZCMA) within the region of milder hypoxia, the distribution of biomarkers is highly similar to the CEMA, but the other indictactors such as δ13 Corg et al.were different from the above two cores. Productivity in the SCIMA have been mainly influenced by climate ocean circulation changes over the last 100 years. Productivities in the hypoxia areas were corresponding with the fertilizer consumption and high nutrient inputs from the Changjiang River, which stimulated the algae (e g. brassicasterol, dinosterol) blooming and resulted an enrichment of organic matter. Hypoxia invoked organic matter preserved in the sediment. This study concluded that biomarkers in sediment could be as the eutrophic proxies in the Changjiang Estuary and its adjacent region, and δ13 Corg, RSEs and biogenic elements could be as the proxies to trace or reconstruct history of eutrophication and hypoxia in the CEMA.