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Based on annual-cycle survey data collected in 2006–2007 in the southern Yellow Sea (SYS) and analyses on the seasonally chemical hydrologic characteristics of the boundary front of the Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass (YSCWM) and Yellow Sea Warm Current (YSWC), the seasonal variations in upwelling along the frontal zone were determined, and the ecological impacts of the front were investigated. During the generation and dissipation of the YSCWM, the implied upwelling along its western front exhibited seasonal variation. The upwelling first shifted westward from the deep-water region to its westernmost point in summer then returned eastward. The intensity of the upwelling gradually increased from spring to summer and decreased in autumn. In spring, the existence of cold water west of the YSWC was not conducive to the reproduction of phytoplankton. Additionally, the front to the east of this cold water mass also made the western boundary of the phytoplankton bloom region in the central SYS more obvious, forming a prominent chlorophyll a (Chl-a) front. During the entire stratified season (summer and autumn), the upwelling in the frontal zone of the YSCWM played an essential role in maintaining the relatively high concentrations of Chl-a. In winter, the front that formed at the intersection of the YSWC and coastal cold water was also favorable for the formation of the high-Chl-a region. The distribution of anchovy biomass was closely related to the seasonal variations in the position of the frontal zone. In winter and spring, the tongue-shaped warm water and front associated with the intrusion of the YSWC into the SYS had a significant impact on anchovy. During the stratified season in summer and autumn, the development of a front near the boundary of the YSCWM was an important physical driving mechanism for the dense distribution of anchovy. This work enhanced the study of the seasonal relationships between the physical, chemical and biological processes in the frontal zone of the central SYS and deepened our understanding of the ecological significance of this front. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the coupling of the spatial–temporal variations in nutrient distributions and physical conditions in the southern Yellow Sea (SYS) using data compiled from annual-cycle surveys conducted in 2006–2007 as well as satellite-derived sea-surface temperature (SST) images. The influence of physical dynamics on the distribution and transport of nutrients varied spatially and seasonally in the SYS. The Changjiang Diluted Water (CDW) plume (in summertime), the Subei Coastal Water (SCW) (year-round), and the Lubei Coastal Current (LCC) (in wintertime) served as important sources of nutrients in the inshore area in a dynamic environment. The saline Taiwan Warm Current (TWC) might transport nutrients to the northeast region of the Changjiang Estuary in the summer, and this nutrient source began to increase from spring to summer and decrease when autumn arrived. Three types of nutrient fronts, i.e., estuarine, offshore, and coastal, were identified. A circular nutrient front caused by cross-shelf transport of SCW in the southeast shelf bank area in the winter and spring was observed. The southeastward flow of western coastal cold water in the SYS might be an important conduit for cross-shelf nutrient exchange between the SYS and the East China Sea (ECS). The tongue-shaped low-nutrient region in the western study area in the wintertime was driven by the interaction of the southward Yellow Sea Western Coastal Current (YSWCC) and the biological activity. The vertically variable SCM (subsurface Chl-a maximum) in the central SYS was controlled by coupled physical–chemical processes that involved stratification and associated nutricline. The average nutrient fluxes into the euphotic zone due to upwelling near the frontal zone of the Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass (YSCWM) in the summer are estimated here for the first time: 1.4 ± 0.9 × 10 3 μmol/m 2 /d, 0.1 ± 0.1 × 10 3 μmol/m 2 /d, and 2.0 ± 1.3 × 10 3 μmol/m 2 /d for DIN, PO 4 –P, and SiO 3 –Si, respectively. The depletion of nutrients in the central SYS and the upwelled transport in the boundary of the YSCWM resulted in a spatial transfer of the high Chl-a zone, varying generally from the central SYS to the boundary of the YSCWM from spring to summer, and the nutrient flux associated with this upwelling could contribute significantly to local primary production. This study deepens our understanding of the mechanisms influencing the distribution and transport of nutrients in the SYS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]