Journal of Tropical Oceanography ›› 2023, Vol. 42 ›› Issue (3): 19-39.doi: 10.11978/2022212CSTR: 32234.14.2022212

Special Issue: 全球变化专题

• Review • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Atmospheric deposition and its eco-environmental effects on the South China Sea*

XING Jianwei1,2,3,4(), SONG Jinming1,2,3,4()   

  1. 1. CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
    2. Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), Qingdao 266237, China
    3. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
    4. Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
  • Received:2022-10-07 Revised:2022-11-11 Online:2023-05-10 Published:2022-11-14
  • Supported by:
    National Key Research and Development Program(2022YFC3104305); National Natural Science Foundation of China(41906035); Shandong Provincial Natural Science Foundation(ZR2019BD068); The “Huiquan Young Scholar” Talent Program supported by the Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Open Fund of State Key Laboratory of Tropical Oceanography (SCSIO, CAS)(LTO1903)

Abstract:

The material and energy exchange at the air-sea interface is an important cause of global climate and ecological environment change. As the largest shelf margin sea in China and the Northwest Pacific Ocean, atmospheric deposition plays an important role in the exogenous input of the South China Sea. With the continuous and rapid economic and social development of the surrounding countries in the South China Sea, the transport of anthropogenic pollutants to ocean through atmospheric deposition is increasingly enhanced, which is bound to have a non-negligible impact on the ecological environment of the South China Sea. Based on the research reports of atmospheric deposition of biogenic elements, micro-trace elements and new pollutants microplastics in the South China Sea in the past nearly 30 years, this paper systematically summarized the concentrations, fluxes and influencing factors of atmospheric dry and wet deposition in the South China Sea, and analyzed the eco-environmental effects of atmospheric deposition in the South China Sea. The results show that 1) The concentration of atmospheric particulates in the South China Sea is lower than that in the east coast of China, and there is almost no acid rain deposition. However, the atmospheric carbonaceous aerosol component concentration and deposition in the South China Sea are at a high level due to the influence of biomass burning in Southeast Asia and fossil fuel combustion emissions in China. 2) Nitrogen is the dominant nutrient in the atmospheric dry and wet deposition in the South China Sea, and the proportion of nitrogen species varies greatly in different sea areas, resulting in strong imbalance of nutrient structure in atmospheric deposition. 3) The solubility of anthropogenic metal elements in aerosols is high, and most of them in the form of wet deposition. Aerosol microplastics mostly exist in the form of fiber. Meteorological conditions (precipitation, wind speed, etc.) and source emission intensity are the main factors controlling atmospheric component concentration and deposition flux. 4) Atmospheric nitrogen deposition accounts for about 20% of the total nitrogen input in the sea surface of South China Sea. The addition of nitrogen will aggravate the hypoxia and acidification of the offshore, and nutrient deposition plays an important role in the explosive proliferation of phytoplankton. Atmospheric deposition will have multiple and complex impacts on South China Sea, an oligotrophic ecosystem, which is closely related to hydrologic conditions, initial nutrient status, phytoplankton groups, atmospheric composition and deposition characteristics. In the future, it is suggested that the researchers should pay more attentions to the depth and breadth of the research, focus on the precise and regular monitoring of the dry and wet deposition of various atmospheric components, especially organic nitrogen and phosphorus species and new pollutants, and fully explore the influence and feedback mechanism between the atmospheric deposition of biogenic elements and micro-trace elements and the South China Sea ecosystem from the perspective of interdisciplinarity. Atmospheric deposition is an important part of biogeochemical cycle in the South China Sea, and its impact on the ecological environment is a "double-edged sword". With the continuous enhancement of atmospheric deposition of terrigenous species in the South China Sea in the future, this effect will become more complex and far-reaching.

Key words: atmospheric deposition, biogenic element, micro-trace element, microplastic, influencing factor, primary production, eco-environmental effect