Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Phosphorus speciation and changes with depth in the sediment of Lake Illawarra, New South Wales, Australia

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Environmental Earth Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In order to better understand phosphorus (P) cycling and origins in the sediment of the Lake Illawarra, two sediment cores were extracted in November, 2010 and a modified sequential extraction scheme (SEDEX) was used to profile the exchangeable P (Pex), reactive Fe/Al-bound P (Preac), reductive Fe/Al-bound P (Predu), authigenic apatite P (Pauth), detrital P (Pdet), organic P (Porg) and residual P (Presi). The total sedimentary P (TP) ranged from 93 to 437 μg g−1, and was dominated by inorganic P. The average percentage of each fraction of P in the sediment followed the sequence: Preac (28.6 %) > Presi (23.5 %) > Pauth (19.1 %) > Predu (17.0 %) > Porg (4.9 %) > Pex (4.7 %) > Pdet (2.2 %). The profiles of TP and Porg showed two peak values with depth, which were matched to land use history in the Lake Illawarra catchment. The sediment depth profiles indicated that Fe oxyhydroxides play a predominant role in the P cycle in the sediments of the lagoon. This is supported by significant positive correlation between Preac and reactive Fe and a negative correlation between Pauth and Fe. Pauth and Preac concentrations were also well negatively correlated, possibly a result of competitive equilibrium between Fe and Ca for P. The estimated P burial efficiency was up to 82 % for this lagoon, which is likely related to the high sediment accumulation rate and the high value of R Fe-P. In addition, the bioavailable P, which consists of Pex, Preac, and Porg, represented a significant proportion of the sedimentary P pool, accounting, on average, for 38 % of the TP. This result indicates that the sediment is a potential internal source of P for this lake ecosystem.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Anschutz P, Chaillou G, Lecroart P (2007) Phosphorus diagenesis in sediment of the Thau Lagoon. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 72:447–456

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berner RA (1980) Early diagenesis: a theoretical approach. Princeton University Press, Princeton

    Google Scholar 

  • Bhadha JH, Harris WG, Jawitz JW (2010) Soil phosphorus release and storage capacity from an impacted subtropical wetland. Soil Sci Soc Am J 74:1816–1825

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blake RE, O’Neil JR, Surkov A (2005) Biogeochemical cycling of phosphorus: insights from oxygen isotope effects of phosphoenzymes. Am J Sci 305:596–620

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burdige DJ (1993) The biogeochemistry of manganese and iron reduction in marine sediments. Earth Sci Rev 35:249–284

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Campbell D (2004) The importance of Lake Illawarra to the Illawarra region. Wetlands (Australia) 21(2):58–61

    Google Scholar 

  • Chenhall BE, Batly GE, Yassini I, Depers AM, Jones BG (1994) Ash distribution and metal contents of Lake Illawarra bottom sediments. Aust J Mar Freshwater Res 45:977–992

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chenhall BE, Yassini I, Depers AM, Caitcheon G, Jones BG, Batley GE, Ohmsen GS (1995) Anthropogenic marker evidence for accelerated sedimentation in Lake Illawarra, New South Wales, Australia. Enviro Geol 26(2):124–135

    Google Scholar 

  • Clarke GT, Dooley BT (2004) Management of Lake Illawarra. Wetlands (Australia) 21(2):304–310

    Google Scholar 

  • Coelho JP, Flindt MR, Jensen HS, Lillebø AI, Pardal MA (2004) Phosphorus speciation and availability in intertidal sediments of a temperate estuary: relation to eutrophication and annual P-fluxes. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 61:583–590

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Compton J, Mallinson D, Glenn CR, Filippelli G, Föllmi K, Shields G, Zanin Y (2000) Variation in the global phosphorus cycle. SEPM Spec Publ 66:21–33

    Google Scholar 

  • Dai JC, Song JM, Li XG, Zheng GX, Yuan HM (2006) Phosphorus and its environmental marker function in Jiaozhou Bay sediments. Environ Sci 27:1953–1962

    Google Scholar 

  • Ellis J, Kanamori S, Laird PG (1977) Water pollution studies on Lake Illawarra. I. Salinity variation and estimation of residence time. Aust J Mar Freshwater Res 30:467–477

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Filippelli GM, Delaney ML (1996) Phosphorus geochemistry of equatorial Pacific sediments. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 60:1479–1495

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gillis AC, Birch GF (2006) Investigation of anthropogenic trace metals in sediments of Lake Illawarra, New South Wales. Aust J Earth Sci 53:523–539

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hopley CA, Jones BG, Puotinen M (2007) Assessing the recent (1834–2002) morphological evolution of a rapidly prograding delta within a GIS framework: macquarie Rivulet delta, Lake Illawarra, New South Wales. Aust J Earth Sci 54:1047–1056

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hou LJ, Liu M, Yang Y, Ou DN, Lin X, Chen H, Xu SY (2009) Phosphorus speciation and availability in intertidal sediments of the Yangtze Estuary, China. Appl Geochem 24:120–128

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ismail SA, Mirza TM, Carr PF (2010) Platinum-group elements geochemistry in podiform chromitites and associated peridotites of the Mawat ophiolite, northeastern Iraq. J Asian Earth Sci 37:31–41

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jaisi DP, Blake RE (2010) Tracing sources and cycling of phosphorus in Peru Margin sediments using oxygen isotopes in authigenic and detrital phosphates. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 74:3199–3212

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jensen HS, Thamdrup B (1993) Iron-bound phosphorus in marine sediments as measured by bicarbonate–dithionite extraction. Hydrobiologia 253:47–59

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jensen HS, Kristensen P, Jeppesen E, Skytthe A (1992) Iron: phosphorus ratio in surface sediment as an indicator of phosphate release from aerobic sediments in shallow lakes. Hydrobiologia 235(236):731–743

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Katsaounos CZ, Giokas DL, Leonardos JD, Karayannis MI (2007) Speciation of phosphorus fractionation in river sediments by explanatory data analysis. Water Res 41:406–418

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kerr JG, Burford M, Olley J, Udy J (2010) The effects of drying on phosphorus sorption and speciation in subtropical river sediments. Mar Freshwater Res 61:928–935

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lake Illawarra Authority (2012) History of Lake Illawarra. http://www.lia.nsw.gov.au/the_lake/history_of_lake_illawarra

  • Li Y, Wu DN, Xue YX (1998) A development sequential extraction method for different forms of phosphorus in the sediments and its environmental geochemical significance. Mar Environ Sci 17:15–20

    Google Scholar 

  • Lillebø AI, Otero M, Coelho JP, Rodrigues ET, Pereira ME, Duarte AC, Pardal MA, Flindt MR (2012) The effects of changes to estuarine hydrology on system phosphorous retention capacity: the Mondego estuary, Portugal. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 99:85–94

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lucotte M, Mucci A, Hillaire-Marcel C, Tran S (1994) Early diagenetic processes in deep Labrador Sea sediments: reactive and nonreactive iron and phosphorus. Can J Earth Sci 31:14–27

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Monbet P, McKelvie ID, Worsfold PJ (2007a) Phosphorus speciation, burial and regeneration in coastal lagoon sediments of the Gippsland Lakes (Victoria, Australia). Environ Chem 4:334–346

    Google Scholar 

  • Monbet P, Brunskill GJ, Zagorskis I, Pfitzner J (2007b) Phosphorus speciation in the sediment and mass balance for the central region of the Great Barrier Reef continental shelf (Australia). Geochim Cosmochim Acta 71:2762–2779

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Murphy J, Riley JP (1962) A modified single solution method for the determination of phosphate in natural water. Anal Chim Acta 27:31–36

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nguyen LM (2000) Phosphate incorporation and transformation in surface sediments of a sewage-impacted wetland as influenced by sediment sites, sediment pH and added phosphate concentration. Ecol Eng 14:139–155

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Petersen GW, Corey RB (1966) A modified Chang and Jackson procedure for routine fraction of inorganic soil phosphates. Soil Soc Am Proc 30:563–565

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pettersson K, Boström B, Jacobsen O (1988) Phosphorus in sediments—speciation and analysis. Hydrobiologia 170:91–101

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ruban V, López-Sánchez JF, Pardo P, Rauret G, Muntau H, Quevauviller P (1999) Selection and evaluation of sequential extraction procedures for the determination of phosphorus forms in lake sediment. J Environ Monit 1:51–56

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ruban V, López-Sánchez JF, Pardo P, Rauret G, Muntau H, Quevauviller P (2001) Harmonized protocol and certified reference material for the determination of extractable contents of phosphorus in freshwater sediments—a synthesis of recent works. Fresenius J Anal Chem 370:224–228

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rutten K (2007) Studies on the biomass, diversity and nutrient relationship of macroalgae and seagrasses in Lake Illawarra, New south Wales, Australia, PhD thesis. School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong

  • Ruttenberg KC (1992) Development of a sequential extraction method for different forms of phosphorus in marine sediments. Limnol Oceanogr 37:1460–1482

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ruttenberg KC, Berner RA (1993) Authigenic apatite formation and burial in sediments from non-upwelling continental margin environments. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 57:991–1007

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Slomp CP, Epping EHG, Helder W, Van Rassphorst W (1996) A key role for iron-bound phosphorus in authigenic apatite formation in North Atlantic continental platform sediments. J Mar Res 54:1179–1205

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sloss CR (2005) Holocene sea-level change and the aminostratigraphy of wave-dominated barrier estuaries on the southeast coast of Australia, PhD thesis. School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong

  • Song XX, Morrison RJ, Feng ZH, Liu DY, Harrison JJ, Yu ZM (2011) Matrix-bound phosphine in sediments from Lake Illawarra, New South Wales, Australia. Mar Pollut Bull 62(8):1744–1750

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sundby B, Gobeil C, Silverbery N, Mucci A (1992) The phosphorus cycle in coastal marine sediments. Limnol Oceanogr 37:1129–1145

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vaalgamaa S (2004) The effect of urbanisation on Laajalahti Bay, Helsinki City, as reflected by sediment geochemistry. Mar Pollut Bull 48:650–662

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang P, He M, Lin C, Men B, Liu R, Quan X, Yang Z (2009) Phosphorus distribution in the estuarine sediments of the Daliao river, China. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 84:246–252

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Withers PJA, Jarvie HP, Hodgkinson RA, Palmer-Felgate EJ, Bates A, Neal M, Howells R, Withers CM, Wickham HD (2009) Characterization of phosphorus sources in rural watersheds. J Environ Qual 38:1998–2011

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yassini I (1994) Nutrients in the Lake’s sediments. In: Depers AM, Yassini I, Clarke A (eds) Recent sediments in Lake Illawarra: Implications for Management. University of Wollongong and Illawarra Catchment Management Committee, Wollongong, Australia, p 88–92

  • Yassini I, Jones BG (1987) Ostracoda in Lake Illawarra: environmental factors, assemblages and systematics. Aust J Mar Freshwater Res 38:795–843

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the GeoQuEST Research Centre, University of Wollongong, by a government Scholarship from Jiangsu Province, China for study abroad, by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Project No. 41006040 and 41076119), by Natural science fund for colleges and universities in Jiangsu Province (Project No. 12KJD610005), and by the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (PAPD). We thank Paul Carr and Venera Espanon for assistance with the X-ray Fluorescence analysis at the University of Wollongong. Brian Jones and Brent Peterson kindly helped with the collection of samples and David Wheeler and Lili Yu assisted with sample preparation. Finally, CYW would like to thank all of the staff at School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Wollongong, who made his visit enjoyable and productive.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Marine Sciences, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China

    Changyou Wang

  2. School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, 2522, Australia

    R. John Morrison

Authors
  1. Changyou Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. R. John Morrison
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Changyou Wang.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Wang, C., John Morrison, R. Phosphorus speciation and changes with depth in the sediment of Lake Illawarra, New South Wales, Australia. Environ Earth Sci 71, 3529–3541 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-013-2742-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-013-2742-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation