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Title: Changes in Sedimentary Phosphorus Burial Following Artificial Eutrophication of Lake 227, Experimental Lakes Area, Ontario, Canada

Journal Article · · Journal of Geophysical Research. Biogeosciences
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/2020jg005713· OSTI ID:1668810
ORCiD logo [1];  [2]; ORCiD logo [3]; ORCiD logo [4]; ORCiD logo [5];  [6]; ORCiD logo [7]; ORCiD logo [8]; ORCiD logo [8];  [8];  [9];  [8]
  1. Trinity College Dublin (Ireland); Univ. of Waterloo, ON (Canada)
  2. Wageningen Univ. (Netherlands); Utrecht University (Netherlands)
  3. Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States). Environmental Molecular Sciences Lab. (EMSL)
  4. Univ. of Delaware, Newark, DE (United States)
  5. Queen's Univ., Kingston, ON (Canada)
  6. Agriculture and Agri‐Food Canada, Swift Current, SK (Canada). Swift Current Research and Development Centre
  7. Canadian Light Sources, Inc., Saskatoon, SK (Canada)
  8. Univ. of Waterloo, ON (Canada)
  9. Utrecht University (Netherlands)

Lake 227 of the Experimental Lakes Area (ELA) in Ontario, Canada has been fertilized with phosphorus (P) since 1969, which resulted in a rapid transition from oligotrophic to eutrophic conditions. Sediment cores collected from the oxygenated epilimnion and the mostly anoxic hypolimnion of this unique lake contain a historical record of the changes in sediment P speciation and burial rates across the trophic transition. To elucidate these changes, results of chemical extractions were combined with 210Pb sediment dating, and with 31P NMR, Mössbauer and XANES spectroscopies. Prior to 1969, organic P (POrg) was the major sedimentary P sink in Lake 227. Eutrophication of the lake coincided with marked increases in the burial rate of total P (TP), as well as in the relative contribution of the NaHCO3-extractable P pool (humic-bound P, PHum). Together, PHum and POrg account for ≥70% of total P burial in the sediments deposited since artificial fertilization started. The PHum fraction likely comprises phosphate complexes with humic substances. The strong linear correlation between P and iron (Fe) extracted by NaHCO3 implies a close association of the two elements in the humic fraction. Mössbauer and XANES spectra further indicate that most Fe in the post-1969 sediments remained in the Fe(III) oxidation state, which is attributed to the stabilization of reducible Fe by organic matter, in part via the formation of phosphate-Fe(III)-humic complexes. Importantly, our results show that the eutrophication experimentation of Lake 227 caused the accumulation of a large reservoir of reactive sediment P, which may continue to fuel internal P loading to the water column once artificial fertilization is terminated.

Research Organization:
Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States). Environmental Molecular Sciences Lab. (EMSL)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER); Canada Excellence Research Chairs (CERC); Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC); National Research Council Canada (NRC); Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
1668810
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA-151732
Journal Information:
Journal of Geophysical Research. Biogeosciences, Vol. 125, Issue 8; ISSN 2169-8953
Publisher:
American Geophysical UnionCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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