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Historical and seasonal dynamics of phosphorus mobility in Sancha Lake of Southwest China’s Sichuan Province

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Abstract

Phosphorus (P) fractionations in the surface sediment of Sancha Lake in China’s southwestern Sichuan Province were examined to assess the potential P release at the water-sediment interface and to understand its seasonal (2009–2010) and historical dynamics (1989–2010) in the surface water. Elevated P concentrations were detected in the sediment at main reservoir inflow, south canal of the Dujiangyan irrigation network, and intensive cage fish farming area, accounting for 32 and 40% of current total P discharges. The highest total P concentration (11,200 μg P g−1) was observed in the upper sediment below intensive fish farming area with a specific enrichment of HCl-P (51% of total P) mainly from fish feeds and feces. These sediments had larger MgCl2-P pools with higher diffusive P fluxes (0.43–0.47 mg m−2 d−1) from surface sediment than those from other areas (0.25–0.42 mg m−2 d−1). The general small proportion of MgCl2-P (5.7–10%) and low diffusive P fluxes from surface sediment (<0.02% of sediment P storage (0–1 cm)) indicate low mobility and slow release of P from sediments. The sediment as an internal P source led to a 3–4-year lag for P concentration decrease in the surface water after restriction of anthropogenic P discharges since 2005. Thus, the peak P concentration in April and September could be explained as a combined effect of supplementing internal loading via reductive processes in sediments and seasonal water vertical circulation in the early spring and fall. Policy played a crucial role in reducing P inputs to the lake.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by Chengdu Science and Technology Bureau, Sichuan Provincial Bureau of Environmental Protection, and the Program of Introducing Talents of Discipline to Universities (“111 Project”) of China (B08037). The authors would like to thank Weilan Xia, Hongbing Luo, Jing Yu, Qin Wang, Mingrui Li, Peiling Liu, Youxiang Shi, Xiaoyan Ai, Yalu Wang, Jing Huang (Chengdu Academy of Environmental Sciences, China), and Yan Zhang (Tianjin Academy of Environmental Sciences, China) for their assistance in field and analytical work, and Dr. Xue Qiao of Sichuan University for the assistance in statistical analyses. The authors would like to thank reviewers for their detailed and useful comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chengdu Academy of Environmental Sciences, Environmental Protection Building, No.8 Fanglin Road, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610072, People’s Republic of China

    Binyang Jia

  2. Department of Environment, College of Architecture and Environment, Sichuan University, No 24, South Section One, First Ring Road, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610065, People’s Republic of China

    Ya Tang

  3. Chengdu Center, China Geological Survey, No 2, North Section Three, First Ring Road, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610081, People’s Republic of China

    Bo Yang

  4. Department of Environmental Geosciences, University of Basel, CH-4056, Basel, Switzerland

    Jen-How Huang

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  1. Binyang Jia
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Correspondence to Ya Tang.

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Jia, B., Tang, Y., Yang, B. et al. Historical and seasonal dynamics of phosphorus mobility in Sancha Lake of Southwest China’s Sichuan Province. Environ Monit Assess 189, 16 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-016-5727-z

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