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Updated: May 16, 2026

Laboratory-determined Phosphorus Flux from Lake Sediments as a Measure of Internal Phosphorus Loading
Published on: March 6, 2014
Multi-scale source-sink behavior of phosphorus associated with suspended particulate matter in a plain river-network
Hao Wang1, Rang Wang2, Qingxuan Wu1
1School of Energy and Environmental Engineering, Hebei University of Engineering, Handan, Hebei, 056038, China; Hebei Water Pollution Control and Water Ecological Restoration Technology Innovation Center, Handan, Hebei, 056038, China.
None:
The role of suspended particulate matter (SPM) in phosphorus (P) transport within plain river-network systems remains insufficiently understood across multiple process scales. Taking the Fuyang River Basin as a case study, this study integrates analyses of P speciation in SPM, hydrodynamic conditions, and interfacial exchange characteristics, and combines phosphate oxygen isotopes (δ18OP), an interfacial diagnostic index (δ), and source apportionment approaches to identify P transport behavior. The results show that the degree of phosphorus enrichment and its speciation in SPM exhibit pronounced spatial heterogeneity, with their distribution along the river-network continuum being primarily controlled by variations in hydrodynamic intensity and particle properties. δ18OP indicates that SPM acts as a net P-releasing endmember at most sampling sites, while source apportionment reveals that sediments dominate P inputs to the water column at the basin scale. Further analyses demonstrate that P release and adsorption by SPM at the water-particle interface exhibit strong condition dependence. These findings advance the understanding of the complexity of P transport in plain river-network systems and provide process-based evidence for the activation of internal P sources.
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