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Related Concept Videos

The Phosphorus Cycle01:21

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 29, 2026

Measuring Phosphorus Release in Laboratory Microcosms for Water Quality Assessment
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Global phosphorus retention by river damming.

Taylor Maavara1, Christopher T Parsons2, Christine Ridenour2

  • 1Ecohydrology Research Group, Water Institute, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada N2L 3G1; Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada N2L 3G1 tmaavara@uwaterloo.ca.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|December 9, 2015
PubMed
Summary

Large dams trap significant phosphorus (P), impacting nutrient flow. By 2030, reservoirs may sequester 17% of global riverine P, with Asia and South America most affected.

Keywords:
biogeochemical cycleseutrophicationnutrient retentionphosphorusriver damming

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Area of Science:

  • Environmental Science
  • Hydrology
  • Biogeochemistry

Background:

  • Over 70,000 large dams exist globally, with numbers increasing due to water and energy demands.
  • Dams significantly alter river ecosystems by sequestering nutrients in reservoirs, reducing downstream transfer.
  • Phosphorus (P) is a critical limiting nutrient for aquatic ecosystems.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To quantify the global impact of dams on riverine phosphorus (P) fluxes and speciation.
  • To model the biogeochemical transformations of P within dam reservoirs.
  • To project future P retention in reservoirs based on dam construction trends.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a mechanistic modeling approach to simulate in-reservoir P biogeochemistry.
  • Quantified total P (TP) and reactive P (RP) trapped in reservoirs globally.
  • Analyzed changes in P sequestration from 1970 to 2000 and projected to 2030.

Main Results:

  • Global reservoir P (TP) retention nearly doubled between 1970 and 2000, reaching 42 Gmol y(-1) (12% of global riverine TP load in 2000).
  • Projected reservoir P retention to reach 17% of the global river TP load by 2030.
  • Largest increases in P retention are projected for Asia and South America, particularly in the Yangtze, Mekong, and Amazon basins.

Conclusions:

  • Dams act as significant global sinks for phosphorus, altering nutrient dynamics in riverine and downstream ecosystems.
  • Continued dam construction will increase P sequestration, with substantial impacts in major Asian and South American river basins.
  • Despite reservoir P retention, reactive P export may still rise without reductions in anthropogenic P emissions.