Distribution and historical records of diatom assemblages in surface and sediment cores from the Yellow and Bohai seas

Hanna Bae; Jinsoon Park; Bong-Oh Kwon; Moo Joon Lee; Seo Joon Yoon; Taewoo Kim; Tieyu Wang; Jong Seong Khim

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2025.118419

Distribution and historical records of diatom assemblages in surface and sediment cores from the Yellow and Bohai seas

Mar Pollut Bull. 2025 Jul 12:220:118419. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2025.118419. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Hanna Bae¹, Jinsoon Park², Bong-Oh Kwon³, Moo Joon Lee⁴, Seo Joon Yoon⁵, Taewoo Kim⁵, Tieyu Wang⁶, Jong Seong Khim⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Environmental Ecology, GeoSystem Research Corporation, Gunpo, Republic of Korea.
² Department of Convergence Study on the Ocean Science and Technology & Department of Ocean Science, Korea Maritime and Ocean University, Busan 49112, Republic of Korea.
³ Department of Marine Biotechnology, Kunsan National University, Kunsan 54150, Republic of Korea.
⁴ Department of Marine Biotechnology, Anyang University, Ganghwa-gun, Incheon 23038, Republic of Korea.
⁵ School of Earth and Environmental Sciences & Research Institute of Oceanography, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea.
⁶ Institute of Marine Sciences, Shantou University, Shantou 515063, China.
⁷ School of Earth and Environmental Sciences & Research Institute of Oceanography, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea; Center for Convergence Coastal Research, Seoul National University, Siheung-si, Gyeonggi-do 15011, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: jskocean@snu.ac.kr.

PMID: 40652690
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2025.118419

Abstract

The Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea are ecologically significant habitats influenced by freshwater inflow, terrestrial input, and geomorphological changes. This study examined benthic diatom assemblages in surface and core sediments to assess recent ecological patterns and reconstruct historical changes. Diatom composition in surface showed strong associations with nitrogen isotope ratios, salinity, organic matter, and latitude, suggesting these variables influence community patterns. In core sediments, nitrogen isotope ratios were identified as a major factor influencing historical variation in diatom assemblages, pointing to long term changes in nutrient and organic matter sources. Certain estuarine stations reflected strong terrestrial input in terms of historical change. These findings indicate that benthic diatoms respond sensitively to anthropogenic and environmental stressors. When combined with geochemical analyses, diatom-based approaches offer valuable ecological perspectives for interpreting environmental changes during the Anthropocene, supporting their use as complementary indicators in long term assessments of coastal ecosystem conditions.

Keywords: Anthropocene; Benthic diatom; Bioindicator; Sediment core; Stable isotope; Terrestrial input; Tidal flat; Yellow and Bohai Sea.