Effects of vertical mixing on phytoplankton blooms in Xiangxi Bay of Three Gorges Reservoir: Implications for management

Since the initial filling of Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR), serious phytoplankton blooms have occurred in its tributary bays. Cyanobacteria blooms have been observed in a number of tributary bays and threaten the drinking water security of residents in the TGR region. To identify the key factors controlling phytoplankton blooms in tributary bays and propose an effective management strategy, a one-year water quality study (November 2009 to October 2010) was conducted in Xiangxi Bay (XXB) of TGR. The results show that a rapid decrease in mixing depth is associated with the spring bloom, fading of the fall bloom occurs with the rapid increase in mixing depth, and an extremely shallow mixing depth is associated with cyanobacteria blooms that predominate during the summer. Development of thermal stratification in XXB is the major cause of seasonal variation in mixing depth and density current intrusion from TGR is the major cause of short-term variation in mixing depth. The seasonal thermal stratification of XXB is disrupted by sufficiently large water level fluctuations in TGR. The density current is lifted from mid-depths to the surface and chlorophyll a concentrations rapidly decrease in response. Based on these findings, a conceptual model is proposed for a management strategy to control phytoplankton blooms in tributary bays via controlled releases from TGR.

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► The vertical mixing regime in Xiangxi Bay of Three Gorges Reservoir was explored.
► The role of density currents in affecting mixing depth was identified.
► The response of chlorophyll a and phytoplankton composition to Zeu/Zmix was revealed.
► A management strategy to mitigate phytoplankton blooms was proposed.