Work

Numerical study of nutrient responses to environmental factors in complex river-estuary interactions

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: A three-dimensional hydrodynamic and ecological model was constructed to understand the spatiotemporal distributions of nutrients and their dynamic responses to environmental factors in the Liao River Estuary (LRE) and Daliao River Estuary (DLRE). The simulated results were validated using observed data, demonstrating high simulation accuracy. Nitrogen nutrient concentrations were highest in spring and summer of 2023, while dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP) concentrations and Chlorophyll-a (Chl- a ) were highest in summer. Under scenarios of reduced nutrient loads by 10 %–30 %, the dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) concentrations at selected stations decreased by 5.2 %–9.8 % and 14 %–29 %, respectively, while the DIP concentrations decreased by 2.8 %–8 % and 8.4 %–24.4 %. A 20 % discharge increase resulted in reductions of 6.61 % and 6.56 % in DIN and DIP concentrations during summer flood season, respectively. The reclamation for construction promoted the advection and diffusion of pollutants from the LRE into the sea but weakened the migration of pollutants in the DLRE. The study insights can enhance our understanding of estuarine water quality processes and provide valuable guidance for pollutant control strategies.

Source: Journal of Sea Research

DOI: 10.1016/j.seares.2025.102664

Authors: Yuling Liu, Zhikun Song, Mingliang Zhang

Institutions: Ministry of Natural Resources, Dalian Ocean University

Language: English

Topic: Marine and coastal ecosystems

Subfield: Oceanography

Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Clean water and sanitation

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,610