Distribution of region-specific background Secchi depth in Tokyo Bay and Ise Bay, Japan

• Published in: Ecological indicators 2019-03, Vol.98, p.397-408
• Main Authors: Wang, Feng, Umehara, Akira, Nakai, Satoshi, Nishijima, Wataru
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Chlorophyll a; Eutrophication; Light transmittance; Semi-enclosed sea; Water clarity
• ISSN: 1470-160X; 1872-7034
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2018.11.015

•BSDs were estimated for >65% of the monitoring sites in Tokyo Bay and Ise Bay.•Low BSDs were observed in the innermost region of Tokyo Bay and Ise Bay.•BSD was positively correlated with salinity in Tokyo Bay and Ise Bay.•Phytoplankton's contribution in light attenuation was less than 40% in two bays. Region-specific background Secchi depth (BSD) provides valuable information on light availability in aquatic ecosystems. We estimated BSD in two eutrophic bays located in central Japan, Tokyo Bay and Ise Bay. Estimates were based on monitoring data collected in the period 1981–2015. Reliable BSD estimates were obtained for 89–96% and 67–94% of the monitoring sites in Tokyo Bay and Ise Bay, respectively. Low BSD values were obtained in the innermost sectors of Tokyo Bay (around the Nakagawa, Arakawa and Sumidagawa estuaries) and Ise Bay (around the Shonaigawa, Kisogawa and Ibigawa estuaries). BSD was positively correlated with salinity in both bays, indicating that river-supplied substances, including tripton and/or colored dissolved organic matter, strongly influenced BSD values. Although the highest chlorophyll a concentrations were measured in the innermost sectors of both bays, the proportional contribution of phytoplankton to light attenuation was surprisingly low in comparison with other sectors of the two water bodies. In both bays, phytoplankton accounted for