Seasonal and spatial variations of dissolved inorganic nitrogen exchange between the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea and the influencing factors

Nutrient exchange with the East China Sea plays an important role in primary production in the Yellow Sea. Owing to lack of simultaneous observations, the spatiotemporal nutrient exchanges across the boundary between the Yellow Sea and East China Sea (Section YE) remain unclear. In this study, a three-dimensional physicalbiogeochemical coupled model was used to determine the flux of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) across Section YE. The results showed that DIN was transported from the East China Sea to the Yellow Sea throughout the year and was highest in summer, accounting for 38 % of the total annual amount. Seasonal variations in the DIN flux were attributed to seasonal variations in the ocean currents across Section YE. In the Yellow Sea, the annual amount of DIN from lateral boundaries was larger than the river input and was comparable to the atmospheric deposition.