Characteristic of Nutrient Transport Through Submarine Groundwater Discharge to Volcanic Rock Area Along the Ariake Bay

Abstract

Submarine Groundwater Discharge (SGD) is now recognized as a significant role to the ecology of coastal environment as well as river discharge. This paper takes a first step for highlighting nutrient transport through SGD to volcanic rock area along the Ariake Bay. SGD rates and their qualities along the coastal area of the Ariake Bay, Ohura, Saga Prefecture, Kawachi, Kumamoto Prefecture, and Fukae, Nagasaki Prefecture regions are investigated. As a result, SGD generally decreased with the distance from the shoreline except Ohura point where large seepage rate is observed. It is presumed that SGD could be classified into two types based on the rate of SGD and the geological structure. Then, it is indicated that the SGD oxidation-reduction condition varied with seepage rate and path way. The results of this study demonstrate that SGD may be considered as a significant source of nutrient to the coastal area in Ariake Bay.