Spatial distribution and temporal dynamics of phytoplankton community and their relationships with environmental factors were studied in the Pearl River Estuary(PRE), South China, in three seasons. Salinity was considered as the key environmental variable controlling horizontal distributions of phytoplankton community composition. A transition from dominance of freshwater diatoms(Aulacoseira granulata and A. granulata v. angustissima) to estuarine species(Skeletonema costatum and Pseudonitzschia delicatissima) was observed in the high flow season(summer) along the estuary gradient; in the low flow season(spring), the inner estuary was relatively homogeneous and some typical estuarine species could be found near the river mouth. In the normal flow season(autumn), a potentially toxic bluegreen species, Microcystis spp. was predominant in the middle reaches of the estuary, which should be seeded from upstream and transported downstream by river discharges. Phytoplankton abundance was negatively correlated with suspended solid content and nutrient concentration in the PRE, suggesting that turbidity and nutrient availability were the crucial factors regulating the algal biomass. Phytoplankton abundance in the outer estuary was enhanced by increasing irradiance and continued to be enhanced until phosphorus-limitation.
Concentrations of the trace metals Cu, Cd, Pb, and Zn were measured in seawater, rhizosphere sediments, interstitial water, and the tissues of three tropical species of seagrasses （Thalassia hemprichii, Enhalus acoroides and Cymodocea rotundata） from Xincun Bay of Hainan Island, South China. We analyzed different environmental compartments and the highest concentrations of Pb and Zn were found in the interstitial and seawater. The concentrations of Cd and Zn were significantly higher in blades compared with roots or rhizomes in 7＂. hemprichii and E. acoroides, respectively. A metal pollution index （MPI） demonstrated that sediment, interstitial water, and seagrasses in the sites located nearest anthropogenic sources of pollution had the most abundant metal concentrations. There was obvious seasonal variation of these metals in the three seagrasses with higher concentrations of Cu, Pb and Zn in January and Cd in July. Furthermore, the relationships between metal concentrations in seagrasses and environmental compartments were positively correlated significantly. The bioconcentration factors （BCF） demonstrated that Cd from the tissues of the three seagrasses might be absorbed from the sediment by the roots. However, for C. rotundata, Zn is likely to be derived from the seawater through its blades. Therefore, the blades of T. hemprichii, E. acoroides and C. rotundata are potential bio-indicators to Cd content in sediment, and additionally Zn content （C. rotundata only） in seawater.
The distribution of heavy metals （Pb, Zn, Cd and As） in sediments of the Pearl River Estuary was investigated. The spatial distribution of heavy metals displayed a decreasing pattern from the turbidity maxima to both upstream and downstream of the estuary, which suggested that suspended sediments played an important role in the trace metal distribution in the Pearl River Estuary. In addition, metal concentrations were higher in the west part of the estuary which received most of the pollutants from the Pearl River. In the sediment cores, fluxes of heavy metals were consistent with a predominant anthropogenic input in the period 1970-1990. From the mid-1990s to the 2000s, there was a significant decline in heavy metal pollution. The observed decline has shown the result of pollution control in the Pearl River Delta. However, it is noteworthy that the metal concentrations in the most recent sediment still remained considerably high. Taken together, the enrichment of heavy metals in sediments was largely controlled by anthropogenic pollution.
