Musong Chen

Kinetics of phosphorus release from sediments and its relationship with iron speciation influenced by the mussel (Corbicula fluminea) bioturbation.

The effects of bivalve (Corbicula fluminea) bioturbation on the lability of phosphorus (P) in sediments were investigated. The high-resolution dialysis (HR-Peeper) and diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) techniques were employed to obtain soluble and labile P/Fe profiles at a vertical resolution of 2 and 1mm, respectively. The bivalve bioturbation increased the concentrations of soluble reactive P (SRP) in pore water and DGT-labile P up to 116% and 833% of the control within the sediment depths from the sediment water interface (SWI) to -64 mm and -44 mm, respectively. The sediments with bioturbation had a smaller distribution coefficient than the control (1964 vs. 3010 cm(3) g(-1)), reflecting a weaker ability in retaining P. Meanwhile, the sediments with bioturbation had a greater ratio of the concentration of DGT-labile P to that of SRP (0.20 vs. 0.03), demonstrating a stronger ability to resupply pore water SRP by the sediment solids when they are affected by the bioturbation. The DGT-induced fluxes in sediments (DIFS) modeling further showed a much shorter response time (277.9 vs. 18,670 s) and a much higher rate (0.192 vs. 0.002 day(-1)) of the solids in release of P with the bioturbation. Correspondingly, the flux of P to the overlying water from the bioturbation treatment increased up to 157% of the control. The bivalve bioturbation significantly increased the concentrations of soluble Fe(II) and DGT-labile Fe up to 84% and 334% of the control from the SWI to -46 mm, respectively. The SRP and DGT-labile P were highly correlated with respective soluble and DGT-labile Fe. It was concluded that the release of P from the sediments with bioturbation to the pore water and the overlying water was promoted by the reductive dissolution of easily reducible Fe(oxyhydr)oxides due to the depletion of oxygen in the top sediments from bivalve respiration.

Internal phosphorus loading from sediments causes seasonal nitrogen limitation for harmful algal blooms

It is proposed that the internal loading of phosphorus (P) from sediments plays an important role in seasonal nitrogen (N) limitation for harmful algal blooms (HABs), although there is a lack of experimental evidence. In this study, an eutrophic bay from the large and shallow Lake Taihu was studied for investigating the contribution of internal P to N limitation over one-year field sampling (February 2016 to January 2017). A prebloom-bloom period was identified from February to August according to the increase in Chla concentration in the water column, during which the ratio of total N to total P (TN/TP) exponentially decreased with month from 43.4 to 7.4. High-resolution dialysis (HR-Peeper) and diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) analysis showed large variations in the vertical distribution of mobile P (SRP and DGT-labile P) in sediments, resulting in the SRP diffusion flux at the sediment-water interface ranging from -0.01 to 6.76mg/m2/d (minus sign denotes downward flux). Significant and linear correlations existed between SRP and soluble Fe(II) concentrations in pore water, reflecting that the spatial-temporal variation in mobile P was controlled by microbe-mediated Fe redox cycling. Mass estimation showed that the cumulative flux of SRP from sediments accounted for 54% of the increase in TP observed in the water column during the prebloom-bloom period. These findings are supported by the significantly negative correlation (p<0.01) observed between sediment SRP flux and water column TN/TP during the same period. Overall, these results provide solid evidence for the major role of internal P loading in causing N limitation during the prebloom-bloom period.

Mechanisms driving phosphorus release during algal blooms based on hourly changes in iron and phosphorus concentrations in sediments

Algal growth causes a drastic change in aquatic conditions over a diel cycle, which may induce sensitive feedback systems in sediments, causing P release. In this study, a microcosm experiment was performed using a suction sampler (Rhizon) to observe changes in soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) and soluble Fe(II) concentrations in the top 20 mm sediment layer on a 3-h time interval, at different phases of harmful algal bloom (HAB) development. The results showed that the algal blooms prevailed up to 15 days after incubation, after which the process of bloom collapse proceeded until the 70th day. The concentrations of pore-water soluble Fe(II) and SRP increased throughout the incubation period. Compared to day 1, maximum increases of 214% in soluble Fe(II) and 387% in SRP were observed at night during the bloom and collapse periods, respectively. The diffusive fluxes of Fe and P at the sediment-water interface (SWI) generally corresponded to their changes in concentrations. Hourly fluctuation in soluble Fe(II) and SRP concentrations were observed with two distinct concentration peaks occurred at 21:00 p.m. and 06:00 a.m. (or 03:00 a.m.), respectively. These findings suggest that Fe-P coupling mechanisms are responsible for the release of P from sediments. During the collapse period, soluble Fe(II) concentrations were suppressed by the increase of labile S(-II) at night. Meanwhile, SRP concentrations were decoupled from Fe cycling with small fluctuations (<11% RSD) on an hourly timescale, and the decomposition of algae was a dominant source contributing to the release of P from sediments. These results significantly improved the understanding of processes and mechanisms behind the stimulated release of P from sediments during HABs.

An investigation of the effects of elevated phosphorus in water on the release of heavy metals in sediments at a high resolution

Excessive phosphorus (P) input plays an important role on the release of heavy metals in sediments under the eutrophic environment. In this study, a microcosm experiment with 40-day incubation using homogenized sediments was performed to investigate this aspect at a millimeter resolution. Diffusive gradient in thin films (DGT) and dialysis (Peeper) techniques were employed to simultaneously measure labile and dissolved P, Pb, Cd, Zn, Co and Ni in sediments at a millimeter scale, respectively. The results showed that an increase of water P from 0.02mgL-1 to 0.20 and 2.4mgL-1 generally led to intensified decrease of DGT-labile metals from the 10th to 20th days after the onset of incubation. The decrease in dissolved metals in pore water also appeared on the 20th day. The degree of decrease in the five metals was in the order of Pb>Cd>Zn>Co>Ni, which has a negative correlation with the solubility constants (Ksp) of each metal-P precipitate. This indicated that the negative effect was caused by the precipitation of metal P. On the 40th day during incubation, the concentrations of DGT-labile metals had different increasing pattern compared to those on the 20th day. The extent of metal recovery was positively correlated with the change of desorption rate constant (k-1) and negatively correlated with the change in the characteristic time (Tc) to reach equilibrium from DGT perturbation derived from DGT-induced fluxes in sediments (DIFS) modeling. This suggested that the recovery of metal lability from elevated water P was a result of the increased releases of metals from sediment solids.

Direct evidence for the enhanced acquisition of phosphorus in the rhizosphere of aquatic plants: A case study on Vallisneria natans

There are few studies about the processes and mechanisms for aquatic plants to take up phosphorus (P) in wetland soils and sediments. Direct observation of P mobilization in rhizosphere is lacking. In this study, high-resolution dialysis (HR-Peeper) and diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) techniques were used to capture the small-scale changes of soluble reactive P (SRP) and soluble Fe, and labile P in the rhizosphere of Vallisneria natans (V. natans), respectively. The results showed 5.92- and 3.12-fold enrichments of P and Fe in the Fe plaques formed on the root surfaces, respectively, in comparison with the P and Fe concentrations in the non-rhizosphere sediments. Moreover, simultaneous releases of P and Fe appeared in rhizosphere and the SRP concentration showed up to 114-fold increases compared to the non-rhizosphere sediments. Five kinds of low-molecular weight organic acids (LMWOAs) were detected in the root exudates; oxalic acid accounted for 87.5% of the total. Extraction of Fe and P in the Fe plaques was greatly enhanced by root exudates compared to deionized water, and oxalic acid contributed to 67% and 75% of the total extracted Fe and P, respectively. The coupling processes of Fe plaque enrichment of P and oxalic acid complexation of Fe(III) led to significantly enhanced P acquisition in the rhizosphere of V. natans.

Successful control of internal phosphorus loading after sediment dredging for 6 years: A field assessment using high-resolution sampling techniques

The effectiveness of sediment dredging for the control of internal phosphorus (P) loading, was investigated seasonally in the eutrophic Lake Taihu. The high-resolution dialysis (HR-Peeper) and diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) techniques were used to measure the concentrations of soluble Fe(II) and soluble reactive P (SRP) as well as DGT-labile Fe/P in the non-dredging and post-dredging sediments. The P resupply kinetics from sediment solids were interpreted using DGT Induced Fluxes in Sediments (DIFS) modeling. The results showed no obvious improvement in water and sediment quality after dredging for 6years, due to their geographical proximity (a line distance of approximately 9km). However, dredging significantly decreased the concentrations of soluble Fe(II)/SRP and DGT-labile Fe/P in sediments, with effects varying at different depths below the sediment-water interface; More pronounced effects appeared in January and April. The diffusive flux of pore water SRP from sediments decreased from 0.746, 4.08 and 0.353mg/m2/d to 0.174, 1.58 and 0.048mg/m2/d in April, July and January, respectively. DIFS modeling indicated that the P retention capability of sediment solids was improved in April in post-dredging site. Positive correlations between pore water soluble Fe(II) and SRP as well as between DGT-labile Fe and P, reflect the key role of Fe redox cycling in regulating dredging effectiveness. This effect is especially important in winter and spring, while in summer and autumn, the decomposition of algae promoted the release of P from sediments and suppressed dredging effectiveness. Overall, the high-resolution HR-Peeper and DGT measurements indicated a successful control of internal P loading by dredging, and the post-dredging effectiveness was suppressed by algal bloom.

Submillimeter-scale heterogeneity of labile phosphorus in sediments characterized by diffusive gradients in thin films and spatial analysis

Sediments have a heterogeneous distribution of labile redox-sensitive elements due to a drastic downward transition from oxic to anoxic condition as a result of organic matter degradation. Characterization of the heterogeneous nature of sediments is vital for understanding of small-scale biogeochemical processes. However, there are limited reports on the related specialized methodology. In this study, the monthly distributions of labile phosphorus (P), a redox-sensitive limiting nutrient, were measured in the eutrophic Lake Taihu by Zr-oxide diffusive gradients in thin films (Zr-oxide DGT) on a two-dimensional (2D) submillimeter level. Geographical information system (GIS) techniques were used to visualize the labile P distribution at such a micro-scale, showing that the DGT-labile P was low in winter and high in summer. Spatial analysis methods, including semivariogram and Morans I, were used to quantify the spatial variation of DGT-labile P. The distribution of DGT-labile P had clear submillimeter-scale spatial patterns with significant spatial autocorrelation during the whole year and displayed seasonal changes. High values of labile P with strong spatial variation were observed in summer, while low values of labile P with relatively uniform spatial patterns were detected in winter, demonstrating the strong influences of temperature on the mobility and spatial distribution of P in sediment profiles.