The East China Sea (ECS) is a large marginal sea system in the western North Pacific,which is significantly influenced by the Kuroshio Current and freshwater inputs from the Changjiang (Yangtze River),one of the worlds largest rivers.Rich supplies of nutrients,in particular dissolved silicic acid(Si(OH)4),from the Kuroshio subsurface water as well as from Changjiang discharge result in the high primary production on the ECS shelf,which is often dominated by diatoms.