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Speciation, phase association and potential bioavailability of phosphorus on a Svalbard glacier

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Abstract

Glacier surfaces are known to harbour abundant and active microbial communities. Phosphorus has been shown to be deficient in glacial environments, and thus is one of the limits on microbial growth and activity. We quantified the phosphorus pool in cryoconite debris and the concentration of dissolved phosphorus in supraglacial water on Werenskioldbreen, a Svalbard glacier. The mean total P content of the cryoconite debris was ~2.2 mg g−1, which is significantly more than would be expected in rock debris from local sources. 57% of this P was present in the fraction defined as organic P. It may account for the P in excess of the rock debris, and could be explained by allochthonous input of organic matter. The concentration of total dissolved P in supraglacial water was very low (5.2–8.5 μg l−1), which was probably caused by efficient flushing and re-adsorption onto mineral surfaces. Dissolved organic P (DOP) was a very important component of the dissolved phosphorus pool on Werenskioldbreen, as concentrations of DOP typically exceeded those of dissolved inorganic P (or SRP) by more than four times in all the glacial water types. It is very difficult to assess whether P was limiting in this environment solely on the basis of the N:P ratios in the debris or biomass. There may be some degree of biological control over the C:N:P ratios in the debris, but the phosphorus cycling in the supraglacial environment on this glacier seems to be mainly controlled by physical and geochemical processes.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by BIOTRACS, an EU funded EST fellowship for MS. Jenny Mills (Bristol) is thanked for help with carbon and nutrient determinations, and Lesley Neve (Leeds) for XRD analyses. We thank Alexandre Anesio for comments on an earlier draft of the manuscript, and Andy Hodson and the associate editor Scott Bridgham for insightful comments which greatly improved our manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bristol Glaciology Centre, School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, University Road, Bristol, BS8 1SS, UK

    Marek Stibal, Martyn Tranter & Jon Telling

  2. Earth and Biosphere Institute, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK

    Liane G. Benning

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  1. Marek Stibal
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  2. Martyn Tranter
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  3. Jon Telling
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  4. Liane G. Benning
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Correspondence to Marek Stibal.

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Stibal, M., Tranter, M., Telling, J. et al. Speciation, phase association and potential bioavailability of phosphorus on a Svalbard glacier. Biogeochemistry 90, 1–13 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-008-9226-3

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