Abstract
Dongzhaigang National Nature Reserve is the largest mangrove forest nature reserve in China, holds the most abundant mangrove species, and has been giving the best preservation. However, bald mud beaches were found among the mangrove marshes in the reserve. In order to investigate the environmental characteristics behind this phenomenon, the intertidal zones of a mangrove transect and a bald beach transect with similar topography and tidal actions were selected for comparison study. Several monitoring wells were installed along the two transects for in-situ measurements of pH, ORP, salinity and temperature of groundwater. Groundwater samples were collected for lab analysis as well. The results showed that pH values of the mangrove transect were higher than that of the bald beach transect, ORP measurements indicated that the mangrove transect had an oxidizing environment and the bald beach transect has a reducing environment. Lab analysis showed that the concentrations of anions (Cl−, SO4 2−, Br−) and cations (K+, Na+, Ca2+, Mg2+) of water sampled from the bald each transect were much higher than that of the mangrove beach transect. Along both transects, observed water table variations were significant in the high and low intertidal zones and negligible in the middle intertidal zones. The observed groundwater salinity was significantly smaller along the mangrove transect than along the bald beach transect. Previously published analysis concluded that the two transects have a mud-sand two-layered structure: a surface zone of low-permeability mud and an underlying high-permeability zone that outcrops at the high and low tide lines. The freshwater recharge from inland is considerable along the mangrove transect but negligible along the bald beach transect, this may explain the lower concentrations of salt and regular ions along the mangrove transect than along the bald beach transect. This comparative study of hydrogeology and hydrochemistry along the two transects would provide ecological implications on the restoration, protection and management of mangrove ecosystems.
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Acknowledgments
This research is supported by the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars (No. 41025009), the Scientific Research Foundation for the Returned Overseas Chinese Scholars, and the Fundamental Research Funds for Central Public Welfare Research Institutes.
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Li, H., Xia, Y., Geng, X. (2013). Hydrogeology and Hydrochemistry Along Two Transects in Mangrove Tidal Marshes at Dongzhaigang National Nature Reserve, Hainan, China. In: Wetzelhuetter, C. (eds) Groundwater in the Coastal Zones of Asia-Pacific. Coastal Research Library, vol 7. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-5648-9_2
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