Effects of benthic algae on release of soluble reactive phosphorus from sediments: a radioisotope tracing study

To evaluate the effect of benthic algae on soluble reactive phosphorus（SRP） release from sediments in shallow lakes, experiments on SRP release with and without benthic algae in sediment cores and an experiment on SRP uptake by benthic algae were conducted using the radioisotope（32P） tracing method. The dissolved oxygen（DO） concentration in sediment cores was also investigated. The results show that benthic algae effectively reduce the release of SRP from sediments to overlying water. The uptake of SRP by benthic algae, which is the direct way in which benthic algae affect the SRP release from sediments, is low in filtered water and increases with the SRP concentration. However, in the experiment, the increased uptake rate lasted for a short time（in one hour）, and after that it returned to a low rate. Benthic algae make the DO concentration and the oxic layer thickness increased, which can indirectly reduce the SRP release from sediments. These findings indicate that benthic algae can reduce the SRP release from sediments in both direct and indirect ways. It seems that the indirect way also plays an important role in reducing the SRP release from sediments.

Assessing high resolution oxidation-reduction potential and soluble reactive phosphorus variation across vertical sediments and water layers in Xinghu Lake:A novel laboratory approach

To understand the transfer process of soluble reactive phosphorus （SRP） on the lake sediment-water interface in a mesotrophic shallow lake in South China, the SRP concentrations and the oxidation-reduction potential （ORP） across the sediment-water interfaces were continually monitored. Sediment samples were collected from Xinghu Lake in Guangdong Province. The ORP dynamics at different layers of overlying water was similar for six experimental systems, whereas those in porewater were significantly different. The ORP in overlying water was 200-300 mV higher than those in sediments. The oxygen penetration depth ranged from 2 to 10 mm in Xiannu Lake sediments. The variation amplitudes of ORP increased with sediment depth, but the mean ORP values were all about 218 mV. The SRP concentrations in porewater maintained at a low level of about 0.049 mg/L because of high atom ratio of total iron and total manganese to total phosphorus. The SRP concentrations and variation amplitudes in porewater increased with sediment depth. The SRP in overlying water mainly originated from S RP transference of the porewater of middle and bottom sediments （3-15 cm）. The ORP variation and SRP transfer in porewater played important roles in changing SRP concentrations. A distinct SRP concentration gradient appeared in overlying water when intense exchange occurred at the sediment-water interface; therefore, it was necessary to monitor the SRP concentration profiles to accurately estimate the internal loading.

Identifying Nonpoint Sources of Phosphorus and Nitrogen: A Case Study of Pollution That Enters a Freshwater Wetland (Laguna Cartagena, Puerto Rico)

Point and nonpoint sources of phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) can cause reductions in water quality, including eutrophication. Nonpoint pollution represents a special challenge because of dispersed not easily identifiable sources such as the runoff from soil, nutrients, and other chemicals from agricultural fields and residential areas. Laguna Cartagena is a tropical freshwater wetland, situated in southwestern Puerto Rico. It is a eutrophic ecosystem, and its eutrophication is caused by both external nutrient loading and internal, mainly by phosphorus. This wetland has been affected by phosphorus loading from inorganic agricultural fertilizer in this historically oligotrophic wetland system until the end of subsidized fertilizer use and sugar cane cultivation in the late 1990s. This study identifies: 1) nonpoint sources of phosphorus (SRP, Soluble Reactive Phosphorus and TP, Total Phosphorus) and nitrogen (nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia) that enter Laguna Cartagena;and 2) the role of precipitation events on the contributions of phosphorus and nitrogen loading to ecosystems. Herein we assess water samples from five channelized external sources of P and N that enter Laguna Cartagena at two-week intervals from October 2013 through November 2014. Rainfall data were obtained weekly from a rain gauge. Standard methods were used for all chemical analyses. Results showed that the channelized waterways that carry water to the lagoon can be classified as hypereutrophic (>100 μg/L) for TP concentrations and oligotrophic (<200 μg/L) for nitrogen concentrations. Currently agriculture (rice and cattle) is the predominant land use at the nearby University of Puerto Rico (UPR) Lajas Agricultural Experiment Substation, the predominant nonpoint source of nutrient pollution (SRP, TP and ammonia) in the principal channelized water sources to the lagoon. Current nutrient loads are likely derived from fertilizers applied to the Substation’s rice fields, and a high density livestock. The second important cause of external surface water degradation (SRP, TP and ammonia) is the discharge from rural households in the drainage basin that discharge greywater directly to the environment, as indicated by the results from Cerro Alto hills immediately to the north of the lagoon. Precipitation also was associated with SRP, TP and ammonia loads.