Phytoplankton Community Integrity Index (PCII) –: A potential supplementary tool for evaluating nutrient enrichment status of Hong Kong marine waters

Yim ling Mak, Paul Tett, Ying-Kit Yung, Wai-Choi Sun, Hin-Long Tsang, Chun-Tat Chan, Hongbin Liu, Wing-Leung Chiu, Kim-Fung Leung, Rong Yang, Ho-Kwong Chui

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Diagnosis of eutrophication requires evidence of disturbance to the balance of organisms. We describe a tool, the Plankton Community Integrity Index (PCII), derived from the Plankton Index (PI) for tracking change in the seasonal patterns of abundance of diatom and dinoflagellate lifeforms when plotted in state space. The tool uses a nutrient-minimum reference period to interpret PCII values as status indicators, with values close to 1 indicating “High” status and 0.6 a Biological Water Quality Criterion (BioWQC) target set at the “Fair”/“Good” status boundary. It has been applied to Hong Kong marine waters, using data from monthly samples from 1995 through 2021. A preliminary analysis, required for the PI method, confirmed monsoonal seasonality in the diatom lifeform. In 5 of the 9 water bodies examined, PCII time series correlated with those of Total Inorganic Nitrogen (TIN). Since 2020, all Water Control Zones met the operationally defined BioWQC target.
Original languageEnglish
Article number115964
Number of pages16
JournalMarine Pollution Bulletin
Volume199
Early online date8 Jan 2024
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Feb 2024

Keywords

  • Biological Water Quality Criterion
  • Phytoplankton seasonality
  • Plankton Index
  • Eutrophication
  • Hong Kong

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