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<front>
<journal-meta>
<journal-id journal-id-type="publisher">EGUsphere</journal-id>
<journal-title-group>
<journal-title>EGUsphere</journal-title>
<abbrev-journal-title abbrev-type="publisher">EGUsphere</abbrev-journal-title>
<abbrev-journal-title abbrev-type="nlm-ta">EGUsphere</abbrev-journal-title>
</journal-title-group>
<publisher><publisher-name>Copernicus Publications</publisher-name>
<publisher-loc>Göttingen, Germany</publisher-loc>
</publisher>
</journal-meta>
<article-meta>
<article-id pub-id-type="doi">10.5194/egusphere-2026-5354</article-id>
<title-group>
<article-title>Hydro-biogeochemical processes govern inorganic nitrogenous nutrient dynamics in a subtropical semi-enclosed mariculture bay: nitrogen-carbon coupling</article-title>
</title-group>
<contrib-group><contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Han</surname>
<given-names>Aiqin</given-names>
<ext-link>https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2924-0898</ext-link>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1">
<sup>1</sup>
</xref>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff2">
<sup>2</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Zheng</surname>
<given-names>Zhenzhen</given-names>
<ext-link>https://orcid.org/0009-0001-7845-1464</ext-link>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff3">
<sup>3</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Fu</surname>
<given-names>Rong</given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1">
<sup>1</sup>
</xref>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff3">
<sup>3</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Lang</surname>
<given-names>Lili</given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff2">
<sup>2</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Kao</surname>
<given-names>Shuh-Ji</given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff3">
<sup>3</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Zhang</surname>
<given-names>Yuanbiao</given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1">
<sup>1</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Li</surname>
<given-names>Yasong</given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff2">
<sup>2</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
</contrib-group><aff id="aff1">
<label>1</label>
<addr-line>Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, China</addr-line>
</aff>
<aff id="aff2">
<label>2</label>
<addr-line>Fujian Key Laboratory of Water Cycling and Eco-Geological Processes, Institute of Hydrogeology and Environmental Geology, CAGS, Xiamen, China</addr-line>
</aff>
<aff id="aff3">
<label>3</label>
<addr-line>State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, School of Marine Science and Engineering, Hainan University, Haikou, China</addr-line>
</aff>
<pub-date pub-type="epub">
<day>08</day>
<month>10</month>
<year>2026</year>
</pub-date>
<volume>2026</volume>
<fpage>1</fpage>
<lpage>53</lpage>
<permissions>
<copyright-statement>Copyright: &#x000a9; 2026 Aiqin Han et al.</copyright-statement>
<copyright-year>2026</copyright-year>
<license license-type="open-access">
<license-p>This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this licence, visit <ext-link ext-link-type="uri"  xlink:href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</ext-link></license-p>
</license>
</permissions>
<self-uri xlink:href="https://egusphere.copernicus.org/preprints/2026/egusphere-2026-5354/">This article is available from https://egusphere.copernicus.org/preprints/2026/egusphere-2026-5354/</self-uri>
<self-uri xlink:href="https://egusphere.copernicus.org/preprints/2026/egusphere-2026-5354/egusphere-2026-5354.pdf">The full text article is available as a PDF file from https://egusphere.copernicus.org/preprints/2026/egusphere-2026-5354/egusphere-2026-5354.pdf</self-uri>
<abstract>
<p>Semi-enclosed bays are ideal for mariculture, but this activity modifies dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN: NH&lt;sub&gt;4&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;sup&gt;+&lt;/sup&gt;, NO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;sup&gt;-&lt;/sup&gt;, NO&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;sup&gt;-&lt;/sup&gt;) pools through organic matter enrichment, remineralization, nitrification (ammonia/nitrite oxidation, AO, NiO), and ammonium, nitrite, nitrate uptake (AU, NiU, NaU), converting coastal waters into biogeochemical reactors regulating N dynamics. This study examines seasonal DIN variation in Sansha Bay, the world&amp;rsquo;s largest &lt;em&gt;Larimichthys crocea&lt;/em&gt; farming zone, influenced by river runoff and coastal water masses. A two end-member mixing model revealed persistent net DIN accumulation in the main channel in winter and summer; western mariculture areas with more prolonged water residence showed contrasting characteristics: winter DIN accumulated alongside lower particulate organic carbon (POC) concentrations and lighter isotopic signature &amp;delta;&lt;sup&gt;13&lt;/sup&gt;C&lt;sub&gt;DIC&lt;/sub&gt;; summer showed NH&lt;sub&gt;4&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;sup&gt;+&lt;/sup&gt; loss, NO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;sup&gt;-&lt;/sup&gt; generation, bidirectional NO&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;sup&gt;-&lt;/sup&gt; variation, higher POC and heavier &amp;delta;&lt;sup&gt;13&lt;/sup&gt;C&lt;sub&gt;DIC&lt;/sub&gt;. &lt;sup&gt;15&lt;/sup&gt;N incubation assays revealed suppressed winter N uptake and nitrification, consistently high AU and AO, sustained by NH&lt;sub&gt;4&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;sup&gt;+&lt;/sup&gt; released via intense remineralization. High NiO converted NO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;sup&gt;-&lt;/sup&gt; to NO&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;sup&gt;-&lt;/sup&gt;, while weak NaU led to net NO&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;sup&gt;-&lt;/sup&gt; accumulation. Strong vertical stratification governed summer N transformations. In surface layers, dominant AU and moderate NaU partially consumed NH&lt;sub&gt;4&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;sup&gt;+&lt;/sup&gt; and NO&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;sup&gt;-&lt;/sup&gt;, with minor NiU yielding NO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;sup&gt;-&lt;/sup&gt; surplus. At depth, nitrification outpaced weak NiU and NaU, causing low NH&lt;sub&gt;4&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;sup&gt;+&lt;/sup&gt; but NO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;sup&gt;-&lt;/sup&gt; and NO&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;sup&gt;-&lt;/sup&gt; buildup. This study reveals the regulation of DIN dynamics coupled to C and N biogeochemistry via interactions between water mass exchange and mariculture, and clarifies the controls exerted by N uptake and nitrification on DIN conditions and eutrophication risk in intensive mariculture coastal systems.</p>
</abstract>
<counts><page-count count="53"/></counts>
<funding-group>
<award-group id="gs1">
<funding-source>National Natural Science Foundation of China</funding-source>
<award-id>42103077</award-id>
</award-group>
<award-group id="gs2">
<funding-source>Fujian Provincial Department of Science and Technology</funding-source>
<award-id>2026J0011430</award-id>
</award-group>
</funding-group>
</article-meta>
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