Abstract
In estuary areas, meteorological conditions have become unstable under the continuous effects of climate change, and the ecological backgrounds of such areas have strongly been influenced by anthropic activities. Consequently, the water quality of these areas is obviously affected. In this research, we identified periods of fluctuation of the general meteorological conditions in the Yangtze River Estuary using a wavelet analysis. Additionally, we performed a spatiotemporal evaluation of the water quality in the fluctuating period by using remote sensing modeling. Then, we explored how the fluctuating meteorological factors affect the distribution of total suspended solids (TSS) and chlorophyll-a (Chla) concentration. (1) The results show that from 2000 to 2015, temperature did not present significant fluctuations, while wind speed (WS) and precipitation (PR) presented the same fluctuation period from January 2012 to December 2012. (2) Based on the measured water sample data associated with Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) imagery, we developed a water quality algorithm and depicted the TSS and Chla concentrations within the WS and PR fluctuating period. (3) We found that the TSS concentration decreased with distance from the shore, while the Chla concentration showed an initially decreasing trend followed by an increasing trend; moreover, these two water quality parameters presented different inter-annual variations. Then, we discussed the correlation between the changes in the TSS and Chla concentrations and the WS and PR variables. The contribution of this research is reflected in two aspects: 1. variations in water quality parameters over a wide range of water bodies can be evaluated based on MODIS data; 2. data from different time periods showed that the fluctuations of meteorological elements had different impacts on water bodies based on the distance from the shore. The results provide new insights for the management of estuary water environments.
Highlights
Estuaries are areas that interface with the ocean and represent destinations of watershed material; they represent important natural regions that exchange many types of matter and energy betweenWater 2019, 11, 375; doi:10.3390/w11020375 www.mdpi.com/journal/waterWater 2019, 11, 375 continents and oceans [1]
This study mainly explored the effects of meteorological conditions on changes in total suspended solids (TSS) and Chla concentrations in the water body of the Yangtze River Estuary around Chongming Island
We analyzed the changes in the meteorological conditions observed on Chongming Island and found that there were no abnormal fluctuations in air temperature between 2000 and 2015 whereas different degrees of fluctuation were observed for PR and wind speed (WS), which fluctuated simultaneously from 2012 to
Summary
Water 2019, 11, 375 continents and oceans [1] Such regions exert an extensive influence on the surrounding ecological environment. Recent studies have shown that water-quality problems in many estuaries are becoming serious due to the effects of human activities and climate change [2]. Industrialization and urbanization have negatively affected water quality, and the over-fertilization of agricultural activities and domestic wastes have led to an over-enrichment of nutrients in estuary water bodies [3,4]. As the consequences of climate change become more visible, many researchers have recognized the increasing instability of weather conditions [5], which affect water and nutrient cycling, especially in vulnerable areas, such as estuaries.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
