Abstract
Understanding the labile status of phosphorus (P) in sediments is crucial for managing a eutrophic lake, but it is hindered by lacking in situ data particularly on a catchment scale. In this study, we for the first time characterized in situ labile P in sediments with the Zr-oxide diffusive gradients in thin films (Zr-oxide DGT) technique at a two-dimensional (2D), submillimeter resolution in a large eutrophic lake (Lake Taihu, China, with an area of 2338km2). The concentration of DGT-labile P in the sediment profiles showed strong variation mostly ranging from 0.01 to 0.35mgL-1 with a considerable number of hotspots. The horizontal heterogeneity index of labile P varied from 0.04 to 4.5. High values appeared at the depths of 0-30mm, likely reflecting an active layer of labile P under the sediment-water interface (SWI). Concentration gradients of labile P were observed from the high-resolution 1D DGT profiles in both the sediment and overlying water layers close to the SWI. The apparent diffusion flux of P across the SWI was calculated between -21 and 65ngcm-2d-1, which showed that the sediments tended to be a source and sink of overlying water P in the algal- and macrophyte-dominated regions, respectively. The DGT-labile P in the 0-30mm active layer showed a better correlation with overlying water P than the labile P measured by ex situ chemical extraction methods. It implies that in situ, high-resolution profiling of labile P with DGT is a more reliable approach and will significantly extend our ability in in situ monitoring of the labile status of P in sediments in the field.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 100-109 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Water Research |
Volume | 74 |
Early online date | 13 Feb 2015 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 01 May 2015 |
Keywords
- Eutrophication
- High resolution
- Phosphorus
- Sediment-water interface
- Zr-oxide DGT
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Water Science and Technology
- Waste Management and Disposal
- Pollution
- Ecological Modelling