The Xiamen Symposium on Marine Environmental Sciences

2027 Xiamen Symposium on Marine Environmental Sciences

January 12-15, 2027

Low‑flow floods as overlooked drivers of estuarine hypoxia via enhanced labile organic carbon in a dam‑regulated monsoon river‑estuary system
ID:942 Oral Presentation

2027-01-15 09:15 (China Standard Time)

Session:Session 28 - Carbon Dynamics within the Land to Sea Continuum in a Changing World

Abstract
Floods mobilize dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from watersheds to estuaries, yet how flood magnitude regulates DOC bioavailability and estuarine oxygen dynamics remains poorly understood. Here we conducted in-situ monitoring, laboratory incubations, and hydrodynamic modeling in a dam-regulated subtropical monsoon estuary. Our results reveal two contrasting flood-oxygen response pathways. Low-flow floods (peak discharge 310~1030 m³/s) mobilize phytoplankton-derived DOC from upstream reservoirs. This DOC is highly biodegradable (bioavailable fraction up to 39%) and has low aromaticity, as indicated by low SUVA254 and high spectral slope ratio. These moderate events also trigger in-situ phytoplankton blooms (2.3- to 10.8-fold increase in Chl-a) through modest nutrient pulses, improved light availability, and extended water residence time. The senescing bloom provides additional labile carbon. Under nitrogen-replete, carbon-limited conditions (BDOC-to-DIN ratio ≤ 0.79), this combined bioavailable pool fuels rapid microbial respiration, driving a net DO decline of 3~12% (up to 17% in a typical event). In contrast, high-flow floods deliver predominantly terrestrial, aromatic, and refractory DOC, but no concurrent Chl-a peaks were observed following these events. Heavy turbidity suppresses bloom development, while shortened residence time and enhanced vertical mixing prevent oxygen depletion, yielding net DO replenishment. These findings reveal low-flow floods as overlooked drivers of hypoxia in regulated monsoon estuaries.
Speaker
Dan Yu China; Ministry of Natural Resources;Third Institute of Oceanography

Author
Dan Yu China; Ministry of Natural Resources;Third Institute of Oceanography

    Important Dates

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