An unusual winter bloom of dinoflagellates with notable damage to kelp cultivation around Shandong peninsula, China

Abstract

In the coastal waters around Shandong peninsula, an unprecedented winter bloom of dinoflagellates Gonyaulax polygramma and Akashiwo sanguinea occurred in 2021 from late November to early December. The bloom affected a wide area of coastal waters extending from west to east along the northern Shandong peninsula and had a devastating blow to the kelp cultivation industry. Based on the remote-sensing data, the initiation of the bloom was traced back to the region adjacent to the mouth of the Yellow River in Laizhou Bay, where enhanced freshwater discharge from the Yellow River was recorded from September to November. It's proposed that the increased precipitation in the Yellow River basin associated with northward extension of the precipitation band in China could be an important reason for this winter bloom. This unusual winter bloom around Shandong peninsula highlights the potential risks of harmful algal blooms and their impacts on coastal ecosystems under the background of climate change.