Environmental geochemistry of Swan Lake Inlet, Rongcheng Bay, the yellow sea of China

The Swan Lake Inlet, the State Primary Wildlife Protection Area, is a lagoon-inlet system located in the Rongcheng Bay, Shandong Peninsula, China. It has been undergoing development for aquaculture and tourism. In the summer of 1999, a study on the environment of the Swan Lake Inlet was carried out. The concentrations of the major elements and trace elements Fe, Al, Pb, Zn, Cd, Cu, Cr, Mn and P have been measured by ICP-AES and graphite furnace atomic adsorption spectrometry. The sources and distribution of the elements in the Swan Lake Inlet have been discussed. It is concluded that the Swan Lake Inlet has not been subjected to significant environmental pollution. The chemical results show that the dissolved oxygen (DO) contents are generally normal. At some locations DO solubility appears to be > 100%. The BOD₅(five-day biochemical oxygen demand) values are generally <4 mg/L and COD (chemical oxygen demand) 3 ∼ 4 mg/L. The seawater N, P and Si contents are lower than the Class I water type specified by the Chinese National Standard of Water Quality. The low nutrient distribution reflects little discharge from land, therefore lacking of nutrient supply.