Influence of strong monsoon winds on the water quality around a marine cage-culture zone in a shallow and semi-enclosed bay in Taiwan.
Influences of marine cage culture and monsoonal disturbances, northeasterly (NE) and southwesterly (SW) monsoons on the proximal marine environment were investigated across a gradient of sites in a semi-enclosed bay, Magong Bay (Penghu Islands, Taiwan). Elevated levels of ammonia produced by the cages were the main pollutant and distinguished the cage-culture and intermediary zones (1000 m away from the cages) from the reference zone in the NE monsoon, indicating currents produced by the strong monsoon may have extended the spread of nutrient-enriched waters without necessarily flushing such effluents outside Magong Bay. Moreover, the levels of chlorophyll-a, dissolved oxygen, and turbidity were distinguishable between two seasons, suggesting that resuspension caused by the NE monsoon winds may also influence the water quality across this bay. It indicated that the impacts of marine cage culture vary as a function of distance, and also in response to seasonal movements of water driven by local climatic occurrences.
Institute of Oceanography, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106, Taiwan.
Yuan-Chao Angelo
YC
Huang
Shou-Chung
SC
Huang
Pei-Jie
PJ
Meng
Hernyi Justin
HJ
Hsieh
Chaolun Allen
CA
Chen
D000641:Ammonia / Q000032:analysis; D000818:Animals; D061006:Bays; D002734:Chlorophyll / Q000032:analysis; D000077194:Chlorophyll A; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005398:Fisheries; D010100:Oxygen / Q000032:analysis; D012621:Seasons; D013624:Taiwan; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis; D060753:Water Quality; D014919:Wind
D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D002734:Chlorophyll; D000641:Ammonia; D010100:Oxygen; D000077194:Chlorophyll A