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Phosphorus release flux and mechanism at the sediment‒water interface of the Three Gorges Reservoir in the Yangtze River basin, China

  • Sediment Environment and Pollution Control 2022
  • Published:
Journal of Soils and Sediments Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

The Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) is the largest water conservation project in the world but suffers from harmful algal blooms (HABs) currently. A large amount of phosphorus (P) has accumulated in the sediment due to the construction of the Three Gorges Dam. Phosphorus release from sediment may provide an important P source for overlying water that further triggers HABs. This study aimed to evaluate the contribution of sediment internal P and reveal the mechanisms controlling sediment P release.

Material and methods

Chemical sequential extraction approach and diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) techniques were employed to determine the P fractions in sediments and the vertical distribution of P, iron (Fe), and sulfur (S) at the sediment‒water interface (SWI).

Results and discussion

Results indicated that the total P content in the sediments of the TGR is high, with a mean content of 1368 mg kg−1. The P concentration of different fractions in sediments followed the order HCl-P > NaOH-P > BD-P. The averaged P release flux at the SWI was estimated at 0.42 mg m−2 day−1, suggesting that sediment P release is a potential P source for the overlying water. Significant positive relationships between DGT-P and DGT-Fe concentrations from sampling sites Wushan County (WS), Zigui County (ZG), and Xiangxi River (XX) were observed with correlation coefficients (R2) of 0.91, 0.39, and 0.29, respectively. Furthermore, DGT-P and DGT-S concentrations were also significantly positively correlated at the sampling sites WS, ZG, and XX, with R2 of 0.71, 0.87, and 0.50, respectively.

Conclusion

The internal P load is severe in the TGR. The reductive dissolution of Fe–P is likely one of the main mechanisms causing P release in the sediments. Furthermore, sulfate reduction associated coprecipitation with Fe promotes the release of Fe–P. These results provide important scientific and technical support for the mitigation of internal P pollution in large deep-water reservoirs.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Shuoru Qiu for his help in sample collection and manuscript revision.

Funding

Support was provided by the National Key R&D Plan of China (2021YFC3201000), the Strategic Priority Research Program of CAS (No. XDB40020400), the Chinese NSF project (No. 41977296, 42277253), the Guizhou Provincial 2019 Science and Technology Subsidies (No. GZ2019SIG), and the Youth Innovation Promotion Association CAS (No. 2019389).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, 550081, China

    Jiaojiao Yang, Yiming Ma, Jingfu Wang, Zuxue Jin, Danhao Li & Yuchun Wang

  2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Jiaojiao Yang, Jingfu Wang & Zuxue Jin

  3. Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, State Key Laboratory of Basin Water Cycle Simulation and Regulation, Beijing, 100038, China

    Shanze Li & Yuchun Wang

  4. State Key Laboratory of Eco-Hydraulics in Northwest Arid Region of China, Xi’an University of Technology, Xi’an, 710048, China

    Danhao Li

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  1. Jiaojiao Yang
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Correspondence to Jingfu Wang.

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Yang, J., Ma, Y., Li, S. et al. Phosphorus release flux and mechanism at the sediment‒water interface of the Three Gorges Reservoir in the Yangtze River basin, China. J Soils Sediments (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-023-03591-y

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