Sedimentary organic and inorganic records of eutrophication and hypoxia in and off the Changjiang Estuary over the last century

• Eutrophication indicated by lipid biomarkers became severe after 1960s in the CEMA.
• Hypoxia indicated by RSE Mo was contemporaneous with eutrophication in the CEMA.
• Eutrophication and hypoxia in the CEMA resulted mainly from river-derived nutrients.
• No significant eutrophication or hypoxia was recorded in the SCIMA over the last century.

Organic and inorganic sedimentary parameters in and off the Changjiang Estuary have been analyzed to reconstruct historical trends in eutrophication and hypoxia over the last century. The lipid biomarker concentrations in the Changjiang Estuary mud area (CEMA) indicated eutrophication accelerated after the 1970s. Meanwhile, Mo/Al indicated hypoxia has increased since 1960s. Eutrophication and hypoxia in the CEMA are primarily a result of the dramatically increased load of terrestrial nutrients from the Changjiang to the East China Sea. The lipid biomarker concentrations in the southwest Cheju Island mud area (SCIMA) showed primary production is controlled mainly by changes in regional climate and marine current. No significant hypoxia occurred in the SCIMA over the past century as indicated by Mo/Al. Therefore, geochemical indicators of eutrophication and hypoxia revealed different patterns between the CEMA and SCIMA, suggesting the role of river-derived nutrients in sustaining eutrophication and hypoxia in the CEMA since the 1960s.