Potential Impact of Sea Surface Temperature Variability on the 2007 Sudden Bloom of Ulva prolifera in the Southern Yellow Sea

Abstract

Since 2007, Ulva prolifera (U. prolifera) originating in northern Jiangsu (NJ) has consistently expanded to the southern coast of the Shandong Peninsula. However, the underlying reasons for the 2007 sudden bloom of U. prolifera on a large scale remain unknown. This study uses remote sensing data from MODIS/AQUA spanning the period 2003–2022 to investigate the sea surface temperature (SST) structure changes in the southern Yellow Sea (SYS) over the past 20 years. The results demonstrate the following. (1) Since 2007, the NJ northward current and the Yangtze estuary warm current have exhibited higher temperatures, earlier northward intrusions, and larger influence areas, leading to a faster warming rate in NJ before mid-May. This rapid increase in SST to a level suitable for early U. prolifera growth triggers large-scale blooms. (2) The change in temperature structure is primarily induced by a prolonged and intense La Niña event in 2007–2008. However, since 2016, under stable global climate conditions, the temperature structure of the SYS has returned to the pre-2007 state, corresponding to a decrease in the scale of U. prolifera blooms.