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Spatiotemporal distribution of phosphorus fractions and the potential release risks in sediments in a Yangtze River connected lake: new insights into the influence of water-level fluctuation

  • Sediments, Sec 2 • Physical and Biogeochemical Processes • Research Article
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Abstract

Purpose

The release of internal phosphorus (P) from sediments leads to water eutrophication. Water-level fluctuation is an important factor affecting the P fractions and P cycle in lakes sediments. Until now, no consensus has been reached on the spatial and temporal variation of P fractions with water-level fluctuation. In this study, we explored the impact of water level fluctuations on P fraction and P release risk in sediments of the Shijiu Lake Basin from new insights.

Materials and methods

Surface sediments from eight rivers and lake zones were collected in the dry season (January), the normal season (June), and the flooding season (September), respectively. The SMT, a sequential P fractionation protocol, was used to determine five different P pools: P bound to Fe and Al (Fe/Al-P), P associated with Ca (Ca-P), inorganic P (IP), organic P (OP), and total P (TP). We regarded the sum of Fe/Al-P and OP as bioavailable phosphorus (BAP) to assess the release risk of P. Interpolation analysis with ArcGIS 10.3 was used to predict the distribution and release risk of P.

Results and discussion

The results showed Fe/Al-P was the main form of IP in the dry season (average, 59.90%) while Ca-P was the predominant form in the normal (average, 63.60%) and flooding seasons (average, 61.64%). The highest potential risk of P release from sediments was in the dry season. In rivers where Fe/Al-P was the dominant form of BAP (57.35–82.74%), Fe/Al-P contents decreased significantly (P < 0.01) as the water level rose. The proportion of BAP in TP of XQ River in three water seasons maintained at a high level (80.11%, 66.37%, 59.85%). The increase of the BAP contents in the Guxi River was mainly due to the backwater of the Yangtze River. Agriculturally polluted rivers were more affected than industrially polluted rivers after experiencing heavy rainfall.

Conclusions

The results indicated the sediment P distribution patterns responded differently to water-level fluctuation, geographical location, and anthropogenic activities. Water-level fluctuation has different effects on river channels, estuaries, and lake zones. Industrially polluted rivers and agriculturally polluted rivers caused by anthropogenic activities presented different P fractions distributions. Differences in sediment P distribution patterns and responses suggested that approaches for aquatic ecosystem restoration and management of P should be evaluated with site-specific knowledge of sediment.

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Acknowledgements

We express our gratitude to Prof. Jianhong Li and Yanwen Zhou for assistance in sampling. This work was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41303058, 41877336).

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 41303058, Tingxi Zhang; No. 41877336 Limin Zhang.

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Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Contributions

Tingxi Zhang: conceptualization, methodology, data curation, writing—review, and editing. Liyuan Ma: investigation, data curation, writing—original draft. Xue Qi: investigation, data curation, writing—original draft. Siqi Zhou: writing—review and editing. Huifang Niu: investigation.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tingxi Zhang.

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Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

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Responsible editor: Shiming Ding

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Liyuan Ma, Xue Qi, and Siqi Zhou contributed equally to this work

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Supplementary file1 (DOCX 89 KB)

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Ma, L., Qi, X., Zhou, S. et al. Spatiotemporal distribution of phosphorus fractions and the potential release risks in sediments in a Yangtze River connected lake: new insights into the influence of water-level fluctuation. J Soils Sediments 23, 496–511 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-022-03392-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-022-03392-9

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