Dissolved oxygen and O2 flux across the water–air interface of the Changjiang Estuary in May 2003

The field observation of this study was carried out in the Changjiang Estuary from May 19 to 26, 2003, just a few days before the Three Gorges Dam began to store water. A total of 29 stations, including 2 anchor stations, were distributed through almost the whole salinity gradient. Based on the data gained from these stations, the biogeochemical characteristics of dissolved oxygen (DO) were examined. Spatial distribution of DO concentrations showed the pattern that it increased in a downriver direction. DO concentration generally varied within a narrow range of 7.33–8.10 mg l− 1 in the freshwater region and the west part of the mixed water region, and after that it increased rapidly. In vertical direction, the differences in DO concentrations between surface and 2 m above the bottom were big at the stations with water depths exceeding 20 m; DO concentration up to 14.88 mg l− 1 was recorded at the sea surface, while at 2 m above the bottom its concentration was only about 4 mg l− 1. The fluctuation in DO concentrations was small during a period of 48 h in the mixed water region and 2 m above the bottom of the seawater region; while it was large during the same period in the seawater region for surface and 5 m below the surface layer, and a maximum variation from 8.77 to 12.66 mg l− 1 in 4 h was recorded. Oxygen fluxes also showed a marked spatio-temporal variation. As a whole, the freshwater region and mixed water region were an oxygen sink, while the seawater region was a source. Relationships between dissolved oxygen and some biogeochemical parameters which could markedly influence its spatio-temporal distribution were discussed in this paper.