TITLE:
Effect of Turbulence on Phosphorus Release from Estuarine Sediment
AUTHORS:
Jinbo Zhao, Mengyuan Liu, Li Xu, Yingjun Xu
KEYWORDS:
Phosphorus, Sediment-Water Interface, Transformation
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Environmental Protection,
Vol.10 No.1,
January
7,
2019
ABSTRACT: Phosphorus (P) is an essential element for growth in
aquatic ecosystems but the dynamics of phosphorus cycling within catchments is poorly
constrained. The aim of this study was therefore to develop analytical tools to
investigate the release of inorganic and organic phosphorus species in rivers
and estuaries during resuspension events such as storm, wind and tidal induced
turbulence. To achieve this aim, laboratory simulations using a mini-annular
flume coupled with segmented flow analyser detection were performed. To collect
SPM (suspended particulate matter), a specially designed specimen box was deployed
in the River Tamar (Devon, UK). Inorganic and total phosphorus were determined
using segmented flow analyser methods adapted for use with acidified persulfate
digests. The segmented flow analyser had a detection limit (3 s.d.) of 0.53 μg P
L-1 for inorganic P and 1.5 μg P L-1 for total P. The
mini-annular flume provides a suitable method for
laboratory simulations, e.g. we managed to get low blanks and good experimental
reproducibility, and
are also able to see changes in P
species within analytical precision. Results showed that increase of shear
stress (or SPM) caused release of inorganic P from sediment. This could be used
as a fact to build a model to study P dynamics during resuspension events in
the river and estuaries environment.