Nutrient Dynamics in the Yellow River Estuary 2004-2023

Historical data from the Yellow River Estuary in China tracks seasonal and annual variations in dissolved inorganic nutrients from 2004 to 2023. The dataset documents concentrations of DIN, DIP, and DSi, their N/P and Si/P ratios, and analyzes influencing factors like terrestrial input and biological activity. It was created by Fuxia Yang to study eutrophication and ecological impacts.

Use Cases

• Analyze seasonal patterns of DIN and DIP concentrations to identify autumn maxima and link them to terrestrial input or water-sediment regulation events.
• Model long-term trends in N/P and Si/P ratios to assess shifts in nutrient limitation for phytoplankton before and after the mid-2010s.
• Investigate the impact of an extreme rainfall event on DIN and DSi concentrations as a case study for watershed influence on estuary chemistry.
• Correlate annual variations in DIP concentrations with biological activities and sediment resuspension factors described in the study.

Strengths

• Covers a 20-year time range from 2004 to 2023, providing longitudinal context for nutrient trends.
• Examines multiple nutrient species (DIN, DIP, DSi) and their stoichiometric ratios (N/P, Si/P).
• Data is derived from a specific, well-studied geographic region: the Yellow River Estuary in China.
• Released under a permissive CC BY 4.0 license for reuse.

Limitations

• The dataset is small in file size (582.1 KB), suggesting limited raw data or a document-based summary rather than a large tabular dataset.
• The structure is undocumented; columns and row counts are unknown, complicating direct machine learning application.
• Potential geographic bias, as findings are specific to the hydrology and anthropogenic pressures of the Yellow River Estuary.

Provenance

Source

Fuxia Yang, published on figshare.

Collection Method

Analysis based on historical data collected for the study; specific collection methods are not detailed.

Time Range

2004 to 2023

Freshness

Data current through 2023, with the record last updated in March 2026.

Geography

Yellow River Estuary, China