Comprehensive Assessment of Eutrophication in Xiamen Bay and Its Implications for Management Strategy in Southeast China

Yang Luo (), Jin-Wen Liu, Jian-Wei Wu, Zheng Yuan, Ji-Wei Zhang, Chao Gao and Zhi-Yu Lin
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Yang Luo: College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China
Jin-Wen Liu: Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen 361005, China
Jian-Wei Wu: Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen 361005, China
Zheng Yuan: Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen 361005, China
Ji-Wei Zhang: Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen 361005, China
Chao Gao: Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen 361005, China
Zhi-Yu Lin: Xiamen Environmental Monitor Station, Xiamen 361021, China

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 20, 1-15

Abstract: The eutrophication of coastal water has been a critical environmental problem in China’s offshore areas. How to effectively assess the status of coastal waters is key for pollution treatment and environmental protection. In recent years, eutrophication-symptom-based and multi-indicator methods, termed “phase II” methods, have been gradually adopted to assess the eutrophication status in some coastal waters in China and have achieved success. The cumulative quantile is typically selected to determine the characteristic value of an indicator in “phase II” methods. The influence of small-scale damaged water bodies on eutrophication assessment may be exaggerated, which often leads to the overassessment of the eutrophication status. In this study, the area ratio method was integrated into the assessment of the estuarine trophic status (ASSETS) method in order to assess the eutrophication status of Xiamen Bay in 2016. The results indicated that, in 2016, the eutrophication status of Xiamen Bay coastal waters was moderate and exhibited spatiotemporal variation. The area ratio method can effectively reduce the effect of small-scale coastal waters with extremely high eutrophication on the overassessment of eutrophication at the broader scale, allowing the eutrophication status to be better reflected, even with limited observation data. The centralized distribution of pollution sources and poor hydrodynamic conditions are the main reasons for the aforementioned phenomenon. Controlling the pollution discharge from the Jiulong River in flood seasons is key to reducing eutrophication in Xiamen coastal waters.

Keywords: coastal eutrophication; “phase II” methods; ASSETS; area ratio method; Xiamen Bay (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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