Stratigraphic record of U37K in Sanmen Bay: the effect of SST and EI Ni?o on life activity in macrobenthos communities
UK37沉积地层记录:三门湾海表温度(SST)和EI Ni(n)o现象及其对大型底栖动物生命活动的影响

Sea surface temperature (SST) from 1916–2003 was estimated by using the index of U37K of organic compounds in Sanmen Bay (SMB) sediment. It fluctuated between 15.97°C and 18.00°C with an average of 17.03°C. The estimated SST was 3.52°C lower than the annual average temperature measured in the same year but was close to the temperature measured in fall. The research suggested that the climate events (EI Ni o) on large scale in Sanmen Bay were affected by the climate, similar to that in the East Pacific Ocean (EPC). The change scale was also affected by geographical location and local climate such as monsoon. According to the chronological basis, the events in SMB corresponded to those in EPC, but the scale of variation is not so strong as that in EPC. By comparing the community, biomass, individual density and biodiversity of macrobenthos during EI Ni o (between 2002 and 2003) and non-EI Ni o (between 2005 and 2006) periods, it was indicated that certain macrobenthos communities in SMB responded to EI Ni o events. During the EI Ni o period, Taiwan warm current (TWC) is much stronger than that in normal years. The diversity of macrobenthos during 2002 and 2003 was relatively low owing to invasion of the warm current that caused salinity change. The macrobenthos and zooplankton in Sanmen Bay responded to EI Ni o events significantly. The diversity of macrobenthos decreased significantly because TWC invaded into the shallow bay from the floor and thus changed the temperature and salinity in the bay. On the other hand, zooplankton species, biomass and abundance increased in the period of EI Ni o since the invaded warm current brought abundant species of zooplankton.