Ultrahigh-resolution 3D monitoring reveals sediment-derived plumes as algal bloom precursorsOA
The global intensification of harmful algal blooms severely compromises freshwater ecosystems,threatening biodiversity and critical ecosystem services through toxin exposure,hypoxia,and water quality degradation.Bloom formation involves a complex interplay of nutrient dynamics,hydrology,and microbial activity.Although subsurface processes-such as the release of sediment-bound nutrients and the germination of dormant cyanobacteria-are thought crucial to bloom initiation,these phenomena occur at fine spatiotemporal scales beyond the reach of conventional monitoring.As a result,the exact,rapidly evolving triggers of bloom emergence remain mostly unknown.Here we show meter-scale chlorophyll a(Chl-a)plumes rising from the sediment-water interface,triggered by heavy rainfall and directly seeding surface blooms.We captured these dynamics using a custom underwater drone that collected over 2.8 million data points at 5-m horizontal and 1-m vertical resolution.Algal blooms exhibit a clear vertical sequence:anomalous Chl-a levels first appear in deep benthic layers after rainfall-driven resuspension,then intensify simultaneously across near-bed depths,and finally reach the surface after a median lag of 0.8-1.5 days.These observations provide in situ evidence associating benthic algal seed stocks with surface bloom initiation,revealing that the origin and spatial heterogeneity of such events arise from rainfall-driven disturbances at the sediment-water interface.This robotic approach not only deciphers the subsurface origins of algal blooms but also empowers predictive modeling and adaptive management strategies,advancing global efforts to combat eutrophication amid escalating climate pressures and safeguard vital water resources.
Peng Xiao;Congchao Zhang;Yu Tao;Tiefu Xu;Ying Chen;Lian Feng;Lingchao Kong;Zhidan Wen;Weibin Zheng;Hao Xu;Longxin Guo;Hangyu Guo;Zheng Pang;Zhiling Li;Chuan He;Shujie Xu;Kaishan Song;Jie Feng;Zhugen Yang;Shu-Chien Hsu;Chunmiao Zheng;Aijie Wang;Dragan Savic;Nanqi Ren
State Key Laboratory of Urban-Rural Water Resource and Environment,School of Environment,Harbin Institute of Technology,Harbin,150086,ChinaState Key Laboratory of Urban-Rural Water Resource and Environment,School of Environment,Harbin Institute of Technology,Harbin,150086,ChinaSchool of Eco-Environment,Harbin Institute of Technology,Shenzhen,518055,ChinaSchool of Civil Engineering,Heilongjiang University,Harbin,150080,ChinaSchool of Eco-Environment,Harbin Institute of Technology,Shenzhen,518055,ChinaState Key Laboratory of Information Engineering in Surveying,Mapping and Remote Sensing,Wuhan University,Wuhan,430079,ChinaSchool of Environmental Science and Engineering,Southern University of Science and Technology,Shenzhen,518055,China School of the Environment and Sustainable Engineering,Eastern Institute of Technology,Ningbo,315200,ChinaNortheast Institute of Geography and Agroecology,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Changchun,130102,ChinaSchool of Eco-Environment,Harbin Institute of Technology,Shenzhen,518055,ChinaSchool of Eco-Environment,Harbin Institute of Technology,Shenzhen,518055,ChinaSchool of Eco-Environment,Harbin Institute of Technology,Shenzhen,518055,ChinaSchool of Environmental Science and Engineering,Nanjing Technology University,Nanjing,211816,ChinaKey Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology,Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing,100085,ChinaState Key Laboratory of Urban-Rural Water Resource and Environment,School of Environment,Harbin Institute of Technology,Harbin,150086,ChinaSchool of Eco-Environment,Harbin Institute of Technology,Shenzhen,518055,ChinaSchool of Environmental Science and Engineering,Southern University of Science and Technology,Shenzhen,518055,China Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering,The Hong Kong Polytechnic University,Hong Kong,ChinaNortheast Institute of Geography and Agroecology,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Changchun,130102,ChinaShenzhen Academy of Environmental Sciences,Shenzhen,518001,ChinaFaculty of Engineering and Applied Sciences,Cranfield University,Cranfield,MK430AL,UKDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering,The Hong Kong Polytechnic University,Hong Kong,ChinaSchool of the Environment and Sustainable Engineering,Eastern Institute of Technology,Ningbo,315200,ChinaState Key Laboratory of Urban-Rural Water Resource and Environment,School of Environment,Harbin Institute of Technology,Harbin,150086,China School of Eco-Environment,Harbin Institute of Technology,Shenzhen,518055,ChinaKWR Water Research Institute,Nieuwegein,3430 BB,the Netherlands Centre for Water Systems,University of Exeter,Exeter,EX44QF,UKState Key Laboratory of Urban-Rural Water Resource and Environment,School of Environment,Harbin Institute of Technology,Harbin,150086,China School of Eco-Environment,Harbin Institute of Technology,Shenzhen,518055,China
资源环境
Harmful algal blooms(HABs)Sediment-derived plumesUltrahigh-resolutionThree-dimensional(3D)monitoringEarly warning
《Environmental Science and Ecotechnology》 2026 (1)
P.25-34,10
supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.52321005,No.52293443,and No.52230004)Shenzhen Science and Technology Program(No.KQTD20190929172630447)Shenzhen Key Research Project(No.GXWD20220817145054002)Shenzhen Natural Science Foundation(No.JCYJ20240813104812017)Talent Recruitment Project of Guangdong(No.2021QN020106).
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