Summary
Between February 1992 and June 1993 the distribution of particulate and dissolved phosphorus in the Ems estuary was investigated in approximately monthly intervals. Furthermore, the phosphorus content of sediments was assessed. These data as well as literature data were used to construct a phosphorus budget of the Ems estuary. Fluxes were dominated by the particulate fraction representing 77% of the total phosphorus input. 40% of the phosphorus input is lost to the sediment. In suspended matter from the coastal zone and from rivers, organic and iron-bound phosphorus dominate (> 75%). Within the sediments phosphorus is mainly associated with calcium minerals like apatites (65%). The presence of authigenic apatites was confirmed with a sequential extraction method. Combination of the phosphorus budget with the data on the composition of particulate phosphorus shows that the organic and iron bound phosphorus is not stable on longer time scales: about 80% is either transformed into dissolved phosphorus and exported from the estuary or transformed to apatites and buried. It is suggested that formation and retention of authigenic apatites is the major process withdrawing phosphorus from the coastal biogeochemical cycle.
Zusammenfassung
Von Februar 1992 bis Juni 1993 wurde die Verteilung von partikulÄrem und gelöstem Phosphor in der Emsmündung in ca. monatlichen AbstÄnden untersucht. Der Phosphorgehalt der Sedimente wurde ebenfalls bestimmt. Aufgrund der Me\werte und Literaturangaben wurde ein Phosphorhaushalt der Emsmündung erstellt. Bestimmend für die UmsÄtze war der partikulÄre Anteil von 77% des Gesamtphosphoreintrags. 40% des Phosphoreintrags lagert sich im Sediment ab. In Schwebstoffen aus den Küsten- und Flu\bereichen dominiert der organische und eisengebundene Phosphor (> 75%), wÄhrend Phosphor im Sediment hauptsÄchlich an Calciummineralien wie Apatit gebunden ist. Das Vorhandensein authigener Apatite wurde mit Hilfe einer sequentiellen Extraktionsmethode bestÄtigt. Eine Gegenüberstellung des Phosphorhaushalts und der Daten über die Zusammensetzung des partikulÄr gebundenen Phosphors zeigt, da\ der organische und eisengebundene Phosphor lÄngerfristig nicht stabil ist: ca. 80% werden entweder in gelösten Phosphor umgewandelt und aus dem Ästuar ausgetragen oder in Apatite umgewandelt und abgelagert. Es wird angenommen, da\ der Hauptmechanismus, durch den Phosphor dem biogeochemischen Kreislauf der KüstengewÄsser entzogen wird, die Bildung und Ablagerung authigener Apatite ist.
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van Beusekom, J.E.E., de Jonge, V.N. Transformation of phosphorus in the wadden sea: Apatite formation. Deutsche Hydrographische Zeitschrift 49, 297–305 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02764040
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02764040