Green tide formed by free-floating Ulva spp. at Yatsu tidal flat, Japan

Green tides at Yatsu tidal flat, Tokyo Bay, Japan, were first reported in 1995 and formed by a bloom only of free-floating Ulva species. On the tidal flat, the bloom area in well-developed periods increased after 1995 and covered 27.1 ha in May 2002. Based on vertical aerial photographs, green tide remaining in winter during 1996–2007 covered 4.7 ha when first observed in 1999 and increased to 17.5 ha in January 2002 thereafter. We found that the expansion of green tide was related to such factors as an increase in Kira’s Warmth Index, a decrease in annual cumulative hourly air temperatures below 7°C in December, an increase in salinity, and unintentional introduction of Ulva ohnoi. We also found that green tide at Yatsu tidal flat occurred in the course of the improvement of water quality.

[1]  G. Yoshida,et al.  Crossing test among floating Ulva thalli forming `green tide' in Japan , 2004, Hydrobiologia.

[2]  R. L. Fletcher.  The Occurrence of “Green Tides”— a Review , 1996 .

[3]  G. Akoyunoglou.  Photosynthesis and productivity ; Photosynthesis and environment , 1981 .

[4]  T. Choi,et al.  Physiological ecology and seasonality of Ulva pertusa on a temperate rocky shore , 2004 .

[5]  P. Monteiro,et al.  The effect of localised eutrophication on competition between Ulva lactuca (Ulvaceae, Chlorophyta) and a commercial resource of Gracilaria verrucosa (Gracilariaceae, Rhodophyta) , 1996, Hydrobiologia.

[6]  A. Marcomini,et al.  Decline of Ulva growth in the lagoon of Venice , 1996 .

[7]  J. Zedler,et al.  Salinity stress, nitrogen competition, and facilitation: what controls seasonal succession of two opportunistic green macroalgae? , 1996 .

[8]  S. Shimada,et al.  A new green‐tide‐forming alga, Ulva ohnoi Hiraoka et Shimada sp. nov. (Ulvales, Ulvophyceae) from Japan , 2004 .

[9]  C. Den Hartog,et al.  Suffocation of a littoral Zostera bed by Enteromorpha radiata , 1994 .

[10]  O. Serrano,et al.  Growth rate of Ulva rigida in different Mediterranean eutrophicated sites. , 2002, Bioresource technology.

[11]  P. Kamermans,et al.  Free-floating Ulva in the southwest Netherlands: species or morphotypes? A morphological, molecular and ecological comparison , 1999 .

[12]  M. Okada,et al.  Effects of ulvoid (Ulva spp.) accumulation on the structure and function of eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) bed. , 2007, Marine pollution bulletin.

[13]  D. Franz,et al.  Effects of a macroalgal mat (Ulva lactuca) on estuarine sand flat copepods: an experimental study , 2002 .

[14]  S. Arasaki.  A new aspect of Ulva vegetation along the Japanese coast , 1984 .

[15]  Piet H. Nienhuis,et al.  Marine benthic vegetation : recent changes and the effects of eutrophication , 1997 .

[16]  D. Burdick,et al.  Mesocosm experiments quantify the effects of eutrophication on eelgrass, Zostera marina , 1995 .

[17]  A. Marcomini,et al.  Relationships between macroalgal biomass and nutrient concentrations in a hypertrophic area of the Venice Lagoon , 1987 .

[18]  J. L. Pérez-Lloréns,et al.  BIOMASS AND DYNAMICS OF GROWTH OF ULVA SPECIES IN PALMONES RIVER ESTUARY 1 , 1997 .

[19]  T. Nelson,et al.  Seasonal and Spatial Patterns of "Green Tides" (Ulvoid Algal Blooms) and Related Water Quality Parameters in the Coastal Waters of Washington State, USA , 2003 .

[20]  T. Nelson,et al.  Ecological and physiological controls of species composition in green macroalgal blooms. , 2008, Ecology.

[21]  D. Steffensen.  The effect of nutrient enrichment and temperature on the growth in culture of Ulva lactuca L. , 1976 .

[22]  Rebecca L. Taylor,et al.  Preliminary Studies on the Growth of Selected ‘Green Tide’ Algae in Laboratory Culture: Effects of Irradiance, Temperature, Salinity and Nutrients on Growth Rate , 2001 .

[23]  G. Yoshida,et al.  Crossing test among floating Ulva thalli forming ‘green tide’ in Japan , 2004 .

[24]  R. Fletcher.  The occurrence of 'green tide' , 1996 .