Direct evidence of phosphorus outbreak release from sediment to overlying water in a large shallow lake caused by strong wind wave disturbance

摘要

Concentration variations of suspended solids (SS), total phosphorus (TP), dissolved total phosphorus (DTP), dissolved reactive phosphorus (SRP), and algae available phosphorus (AAP) in overlying water were observed during the coldest week in a year in Lake Taihu, a large shallow lake in China. Water samples at different water depths were collected with wind speeds of 8, 12, 0 and 0 m/s on 23, 24, 26 and 30 January 2004, respectively. On 23 January 2004, SS concentration increased to 258 mg/L with a wind speed of 8 m/s lasting for 1 h. SS concentration kept increasing and reached to 507 mg/L when the strong wind lasted for 24 h and the peak value of wind-speed reached to 12 m/s on 24 January 2004. On 26 January 2904, SS concentration decreased to 51 mg/L with the wind speed smaller than 2 m/s lasting for about half a day. Then after five continuous waveless days, SS concentration decreased to 21 mg/L on 3D January 2004. The observed results confirmed that sediments in Lake Taihu would be intensively suspended if the surface wind speed is greater than 8 m/s, and the magnitude of SS would increase with increasing wind-speed. Coupled with the intensive sediment suspending, concentrations of TP, DTP and SRP on 23 January were 0.210, 0.048 and 0.035 mg/L, respectively. And they were 0.299, 0.054 and 0.026 mg/L on 24 January, which were significantly higher than those on 26 and 30 January. SRP concentration on 23 January was twice as high as that observed on 30 January. It indicates that the strong wind may result in an outbreak release of phosphorus. Moreover, AAP contents in suspended solids were 132, 97 and 226 mg/kg on 23, 24 and 26 January, respectively. Therefore, it could be estimated that this strong wind process resulted in 987 t of TP, 80 t of SRP and 167 t of AAP releasing from sediments into overlying water. Since such strong wind process is frequent in the area of Lake Taihu, dynamical release driven by wind-induced wave disturbance may be the main mode for internal release of phosphorus. It must have important effects on the nutrient supply during Microcystis bloom in Lake Taihu.