Role of nutrients in the development of floating green tides in the Southern Yellow Sea, China, in 2017

Abstract The largest-scale green tides in the world caused by Ulva prolifera have been recurring annually in the Southern Yellow Sea since 2007. In this study, spatio-temporal variations of green tides and nutrients were investigated in the spring and summer of 2017, and the roles of different nutrients in the development of green tides are discussed. The results showed that the development of green tides could be divided into two parts according to the distinct growth phases of green tides: (1) the development area (DA), which was located south of 35°N and characterised by the quick expansion of green tide and high-content nutrient; (2) the accumulation area (AA), which was located north of 35°N and characterised by high U. prolifera coverage area and low-content inorganic nutrients. Through calculation of nutrient reductions, we found that DA provided 96% of nitrogen and 87% of phosphorus for the development of green tides in 2017, and the dominant nutrient species were dissolved inorganic nitrogen and dissolved organic phosphorus. Regarding AA, the dominant nitrogen component was dissolved organic nitrogen. Thus, we conclude that reducing the level of nutrient input in order to alleviate the eutrophication of seawater in the Jiangsu coastal area may be an important measure for reducing the scale of green tides.