Articles | Volume 23, issue 10
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-3499-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-3499-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
21 May 2026
Research article |
| 21 May 2026
| 21 May 2026
Heavy precipitation-induced Yangtze River runoff greatly regulates heterotrophic prokaryotes production and induces P-limited growth in the northern East China Sea
Yong-Jae Baek
Department of Marine Science & Convergence Technology, Hanyang University (ERICA), 55 Hanyangdaehak-ro, Sangnok-gu, Ansan, Gyeonggi-do 15588, Republic of Korea
Department of Convergence Study on the Ocean Science and Technology, Ocean Science and Technology School, Busan 49111, Republic of Korea
Marine Environmental Research Department, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, Busan 49111, Republic of Korea
Bomina Kim
Department of Marine Science & Convergence Technology, Hanyang University (ERICA), 55 Hanyangdaehak-ro, Sangnok-gu, Ansan, Gyeonggi-do 15588, Republic of Korea
Southeast Sea Fisheries Research Institute, National Institute of Fisheries Science, Tongyeong 53085, Republic of Korea
Seok-Hyun Youn
Oceanic Climate & Ecology Research Division, National Institute of Fisheries Science, Busan 46083, Republic of Korea
Sang-Heon Lee
Department of Oceanography and Marine Research Institute, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Republic of Korea
Hyo-Keun Jang
Oceanic Climate & Ecology Research Division, National Institute of Fisheries Science, Busan 46083, Republic of Korea
Department of Oceanography and Marine Research Institute, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Republic of Korea
Heejun Han
Marine Environmental Research Department, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, Busan 49111, Republic of Korea
Hugh W. Ducklow
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, NY 10964, USA
Sung-Han Kim
Department of Convergence Study on the Ocean Science and Technology, Ocean Science and Technology School, Busan 49111, Republic of Korea
Marine Environmental Research Department, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, Busan 49111, Republic of Korea
Department of Marine Science & Convergence Technology, Hanyang University (ERICA), 55 Hanyangdaehak-ro, Sangnok-gu, Ansan, Gyeonggi-do 15588, Republic of Korea
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Long-term pH variation in coastal waters along the Korean Peninsula was assessed for the first time, and it exhibited no significant pH change over an 11-year period. This contrasts with the ongoing pH decline in open oceans and other coastal areas. Analysis of environmental data showed that pH is mainly controlled by dissolved oxygen in bottom waters. This suggests that ocean warming could cause a pH decline in Korean coastal waters, affecting many fish and seaweed aquaculture operations.
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Heterotrophic marine bacteria are tiny organisms responsible for taking up organic matter in the ocean. Using a modeling approach, this study shows that characteristics (taxonomy and physiology) of bacteria are associated with a subset of ecological processes in the coastal West Antarctic Peninsula region, a system susceptible to global climate change. This study also suggests that bacteria will become more active, in particular large-sized cells, in response to changing climates in the region.
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The West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) is a rapidly warming region, revealed by multi-decadal observations. Despite the region being data rich, there is a lack of focus on ecosystem model development. Here, we introduce a data assimilation ecosystem model for the WAP region. Experiments by assimilating data from an example growth season capture key WAP features. This study enables us to glue the snapshots from available data sets together to explain the observations in the WAP.
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Short summary
Climate change is driving more frequent and intense heavy rainfall worldwide. We show that the massive runoff from the Yangtze River strongly regulates microbial productivity by altering nutrient balance and the bioavailability of dissolved organic carbon, providing insights into how climate change may affect marine ecosystems. Our findings are applicable to other ocean basins (e.g., the Amazon River and the Arctic Ocean) that receive substantial freshwater input accompanied by heavy rainfall.
Climate change is driving more frequent and intense heavy rainfall worldwide. We show that the...
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