Year-round accumulation of particulate organic matter in the estuarine turbidity maximum: comparative observations in three macrotidal estuaries (Chikugo, Midori, and Kuma Rivers), southwestern Japan

Abstract

The inner part of the Ariake Sea is one of the most productive estuarine systems in Japan. To examine potential food items for estuarine organisms, we conducted monthly observations of the dynamics of particulate organic matter along the macrotidal Chikugo River estuary in 2005 and 2006. In the neighboring macrotidal Midori and Kuma River estuaries, comparative observations were made. High turbidity and strong vertical mixing were observed only at low salinities (<10) in the Chikugo River estuary. In contrast, the Midori and Kuma River estuaries were characterized by less turbid and less mixed waters. Concentrations of particulate organic carbon often exceeded 5 mg l−1 in or close to the estuarine turbidity maximum (ETM) of the Chikugo River estuary. However, such high concentrations were rarely observed in the other two estuaries. The observed differences could be attributable to different hydrodynamic processes related to the different lengths of tidal reaches: 23, 8, and 6 km in the Chikugo, Midori, and Kuma Rivers, respectively. In the Chikugo River estuary, spatiotemporal changes of chlorophyll a suggested that phytoplankton occurred abundantly up- and/or downstream from the ETM especially during the warm season. In contrast, pheophytin (i.e., plant detritus) always accumulated in or close to the ETM. Carbon stable isotope ratios and carbon to nitrogen ratios indicated that the plant detritus was derived from phytoplankton and terrestrial plants. The Chikugo River estuary has a high potential to support the production of estuarine organisms through abundant plant detritus in the well-developed ETM all the year round.