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Nutrient and Phytoplankton Dynamics in Harima-Nada, Eastern Seto Inland Sea, Japan During a 35-Year Period from 1973 to 2007

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Abstract

Long-term monitoring of water quality and phytoplankton was conducted at 19 sampling stations in Harima-Nada, eastern Seto Inland Sea, Japan for 35 years from 1973 to 2007. There were two significant long-term changes, an increase in winter water temperatures of 0.042°C year−1, and a decrease in dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) from about 10 μM in the 1970s to ~5 μM in the late 1990s due to the reduction in nutrient inputs. DIN concentrations and total phytoplankton cell density were both higher during the 1970s to the early 1980s and then exhibited a significant decrease in the mid 1980s and remained relatively constant thereafter. Diatoms were the dominant phytoplankton group (>90%) over the 35-year period, and there was a dramatic shift from Skeletonema dominance (~70%) to Chaetoceros in the mid 1980s. This shift in diatom species may be attributed to differences in the life cycle of Skeletonema and Chaetoceros and the response to the decrease in DIN concentration.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the captain and crew of the research vessel, Shin-Hyogo, and members of Fisheries Technology Institute, Hyogo Prefectural Technology Center for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries for their cooperation in the sampling and measurement of water samples. We also thank Professor Paul J. Harrison of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology for his critical reviewing the manuscript and Dr. Kenji Tarutani, National Research Institute of Fisheries and Environment of Inland Sea, Fisheries Research Agency and Dr. Shigeru Itakura, Fisheries Agency of Japan for their valuable advice and useful comments on our research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Tajima Fisheries Technology Institute, Hyogo Prefectural Technology Center for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Kasumi, Kami, Mikata, Hyogo, 669-6541, Japan

    Tetsuya Nishikawa & Yutaka Hori

  2. National Research Institute of Fisheries and Environment of Inland Sea, Fisheries Research Agency, Maruishi 2-17-5, Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima, 739-0452, Japan

    Satoshi Nagai

  3. Fisheries Technology Institute, Hyogo Prefectural Technology Center for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Minami-Futami 22-2, Futami, Akashi, Hyogo, 674-0093, Japan

    Kazutaka Miyahara, Kazuhiro Harada & Minoru Tanda

  4. Inland Waters Branch, Hyogo Prefectural Technology Center for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Touji 1134, Asago, Hyogo, 679-3442, Japan

    Yukinobu Nakamura

  5. International Center for the Environmental Management of Enclosed Coastal Seas, Wakinohama-kaigandori, Chuo-ku, Kobe, 651-0073, Japan

    Takehiko Manabe

  6. Laboratory of Biological and Chemical Oceanography, Kagawa University, Miki, Kida, Kagawa, 761-0795, Japan

    Kuninao Tada

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  1. Tetsuya Nishikawa
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  2. Yutaka Hori
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Correspondence to Tetsuya Nishikawa.

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Nishikawa, T., Hori, Y., Nagai, S. et al. Nutrient and Phytoplankton Dynamics in Harima-Nada, Eastern Seto Inland Sea, Japan During a 35-Year Period from 1973 to 2007. Estuaries and Coasts 33, 417–427 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-009-9198-0

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