Distribution Characteristics of Nutrients in the Surface Sediments of Yangtze River Estuary

The distribution characteristics of nutrients were obtained by analyzing the contents of different forms of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus in the 9 surface sediment samples of Yangtze River Estuary. The distributions of nutrients in the surface sediment fluctuated in the lower salinity area, while even in the higher salinity area of Yangtze River Estuary. Inorganic carbon, organic nitrogen and inorganic phosphorus were the predominant forms of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus, respectively. The sediment grain size and the salinity of overlying water play an important role among all the factors affecting the distributions of nutrients in the surface sediment which were also affected by the sewage discharge alongshore and the production of marine halobios.