Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 8, 2026

10:49
Laboratory-determined Phosphorus Flux from Lake Sediments as a Measure of Internal Phosphorus Loading
Published on: March 6, 2014
[Phosphorus exchange between suspended solids sediments overlying water under repeated disturbance]
Da-Peng Li1, Jing Wang, Yong Huang
1School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou 215011, China. ustsldp@163.com
Huan Jing Ke Xue= Huanjing Kexue
|August 17, 2013
Summary
Repeated disturbance alters phosphorus exchange between sediments and water. Suspended solids act as a medium, influencing dissolved phosphorus levels and sediment phosphorus forms. This impacts aquatic ecosystems.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Chemistry
- Aquatic Ecology
- Geochemistry
Context:
- Investigates phosphorus (P) dynamics in aquatic systems.
- Focuses on the exchange between suspended solids, sediments, and overlying water.
- Examines the impact of repeated disturbance on these processes.
Purpose:
- To understand how repeated disturbance affects phosphorus exchange.
- To identify the role of suspended solids in phosphorus cycling.
- To analyze changes in different phosphorus forms within sediments and water.
Summary:
- Repeated disturbance led to decreased total phosphorus (TP) and particulate phosphorus (PP) concentrations.
- Dissolved total phosphorus (DTP) and dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP) reached equilibrium, with DIP increasing initially due to high NH4Cl-P in sediments.
- Sediment phosphorus fractions (NH4Cl-P, Fe/Al-P, HCl-P) decreased, while these forms increased in sediments, indicating a shift in phosphorus storage.
- Suspended solids were identified as the primary medium for phosphorus exchange between sediments and overlying water.
Impact:
- Provides insights into phosphorus cycling under dynamic environmental conditions.
- Highlights the role of disturbance in regulating nutrient availability in aquatic ecosystems.
- Informs strategies for managing water quality and eutrophication in lakes and bays.
Related Concept Videos
The Phosphorus Cycle
Unlike carbon, water, and nitrogen, phosphorus is not present in the atmosphere as a gas. Instead, most phosphorus in the ecosystem exists as compounds, such as phosphate ions (PO43-), found in soil, water, sediment and rocks. Phosphorus is often a limiting nutrient (i.e., in short supply). Consequently, phosphorus is added to most agricultural fertilizers, which can cause environmental problems related to runoff in aquatic ecosystems.
Factors Affecting Solubility
Compared with pure water, the solubility of an ionic compound is less in aqueous solutions containing a common ion (one also produced by dissolution of the ionic compound). This is an example of a phenomenon known as the common ion effect, which is a consequence of the law of mass action that may be explained using Le Chȃtelier’s principle. Consider the dissolution of silver iodide:
Colloids and Suspensions
Children at play often make suspensions such as mixtures of mud and water, flour and water, or a suspension of solid pigments in water known as tempera paint. These suspensions are heterogeneous mixtures composed of relatively large particles visible to the naked eye or seen with a magnifying glass. They are cloudy, and the suspended particles settle out after mixing. The suspended particles in a suspension settle out after some time of mixing. The separation of particles from a suspension is...
Primary Production
The total amount of energy acquired by primary producers in an ecosystem is called gross primary production (GPP). However, of this energy, producers use some for metabolic processes, and some is lost as heat, decreasing the amount of energy available to the next trophic level. The remaining usable amount of energy is called the net primary productivity (NPP). In terrestrial ecosystems, NPP is driven by climate, while light penetration and nutrient availability drive NPP in aquatic ecosystems.
Ion Exchange
Ion exchange chromatography separates charged molecules from a solution by reversibly exchanging them with mobile, or 'active', ions associated with the oppositely charged stationary phase. This method can be used to separate ions, soften and deionize water, and purify solutions. The polymers comprising the ion-exchange column are high-molecular-weight and chemically stable polymers, crosslinked to be porous and essentially insoluble. They are also functionalized with either acidic or basic...
Freshwater Microbial Ecology
Freshwater systems such as streams, rivers, and lakes exhibit distinct physical and biological characteristics that influence their microbial communities. These environments are broadly categorized into lotic systems—those with flowing waters like streams and most rivers—and lentic systems, which include still or slow-moving waters such as lakes, ponds, and marshes.In lentic systems, phytoplankton drive primary production, generating autochthonous organic carbon. In contrast, lotic systems...

