title: Temporal and spatial distribution of red tide outbreaks in the Yangtze River Estuary and adjacent waters, China.
abstract: Between 1972 and 2009, evidence of red tide outbreaks in the Yangtze River Estuary and adjacent waters was collected. A geographic information system (GIS) was used to analyze the temporal and spatial distribution of these red tides, and it was subsequently used to map the distribution of these events. The results show that the following findings. (1) There were three red tide-prone areas: outside the Yangtze River Estuary and the eastern coast of Sheshan, the Huaniaoshan-Shengshan-Gouqi waters, and the Zhoushan areas and eastern coast of Zhujiajian. In these areas, red tides occurred 174 total times, 25 of which were larger than 1000 km(2) in areal extent. After 2000, the frequency of red tide outbreaks increased significantly. (2) During the months of May and June, the red tide occurrence in these areas was 51% and 20%, respectively. (3) Outbreaks of the dominant red tide plankton species Prorocentrum dong-haiense, Skeletonema costatum, Prorocentrum dantatum, and Noctiluca scientillan occurred 38, 35, 15, and 10 times, respectively, during the study interval.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China.
authors.forename: Lusan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Binghui
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Wenqian
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.forename: Kuixuan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Jingliang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tang
mesh_terms: D002681:China; D004141:Dinoflagellida / Q000254:growth & development*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D063366:Estuaries; D040362:Geographic Information Systems; D057097:Harmful Algal Bloom; D010839:Phytoplankton / Q000254:growth & development*; D045483:Rivers / Q000737:chemistry*; D062211:Spatio-Temporal Analysis; D014872:Water Movements