Timescale of reduction of long-term phosphorus release from sediment in lakes

It is important for lake management and policy to estimate the timescale of recovery from long-term P release from sediment after a reduction in the external load. To provide a scientific basis for this, a condensed model was elaborated, applied and evaluated in four lakes. The model is based on first order kinetics, with an overall rate constant composed of the rate of diagenesis of labile P (kd,2) and rate of burial of P (kb) below an active sediment layer. Using the variation of P fractions in dated sediment cores, kd,2 varied from 0.0155 to 0.383 yr^-1, kb from 0.0184 to 0.073 yr^-1 and the overall rate constant from 0.0230 to 0.446 yr^-1. The active layer depths, 8 to 29 cm, and kd,2 values are within the ranges found by others. The time for a 75% reduction (t₇₅) of labile P in the active layer is 60 years in Lough Melvin, 3 in Ramor, 33 in Sheelin and 41 in Neagh, although P release is only important in Ramor and Neagh. Combining the kd,2 values with other estimates (mean 0.0981 yr^-1, median 0.0426; n=14) produces a t₇₅ value of less than 14 and 33 years. A review of other models indicates a timescale of one to two decades and from lake monitoring also of one to two decades. It is desirable to estimate the timescale directly in all lakes if sediment P release is important, but, generally, it should take between one and three decades.