Lake eutrophication is a water quality issue worldwide, making the need to identify and control nutrient sources critical. Laboratory determination of phosphorus release rates from sediment cores is a valuable approach for determining the role of internal phosphorus loading and guiding management decisions.
Eutrophication is a water quality issue in lakes worldwide, and there is a critical need to identify and control nutrient sources. Internal phosphorus (P) loading from lake sediments can account for a substantial portion of the total P load in eutrophic, and some mesotrophic, lakes. Laboratory determination of P release rates from sediment cores is one approach for determining the role of internal P loading and guiding management decisions. Two principal alternatives to experimental determination of sediment P release exist for estimating internal load: in situ measurements of changes in hypolimnetic P over time and P mass balance. The experimental approach using laboratory-based sediment incubations to quantify internal P load is a direct method, making it a valuable tool for lake management and restoration.
Laboratory incubations of sediment cores can help determine the relative importance of internal vs. external P loads, as well as be used to answer a variety of lake management and research questions. We illustrate the use of sediment core incubations to assess the effectiveness of an aluminum sulfate (alum) treatment for reducing sediment P release. Other research questions that can be investigated using this approach include the effects of sediment resuspension and bioturbation on P release.
The approach also has limitations. Assumptions must be made with respect to: extrapolating results from sediment cores to the entire lake; deciding over what time periods to measure nutrient release; and addressing possible core tube artifacts. A comprehensive dissolved oxygen monitoring strategy to assess temporal and spatial redox status in the lake provides greater confidence in annual P loads estimated from sediment core incubations.
As a growing number of lakes worldwide suffer from cultural eutrophication, determination of the causes of water quality degradation is becoming increasingly important for lake management and restoration. Phosphorus (P) loading to lakes is generally implicated in eutrophication, as it is most often the nutrient limiting algal growth1. Historically, quantification of P loading to lakes focused on external sources, or P originating in the watershed via point and nonpoint sources. However, internal loading from lake sediments can account for a large portion, if not the majority, of the total P load in eutrophic lakes2-5. Thus, even substantial reductions in external loading to lakes can fail to result in water quality improvement due to the overriding effect of P release from sediments5-8. Because of the ecological and societal implications of P loading, including the cost and difficulty of P control, it is critical that P loads be accurately identified prior to enacting a management strategy.
At least two different mechanisms are responsible for phosphorus release from sediments. 1) During periods of anoxia or hypoxia, reducing conditions can result in the desorption of phosphate from iron oxyhydroxides at the sediment-water interface, causing diffusion of dissolved phosphate from the sediments into the water column9-11. 2) Disturbance of the sediment surface, through wind-induced resuspension and bioturbation, can result in the release of P into the water column by either desorption of P from resuspended sediment particles or release of dissolved P from the sediment pore water to the water column, respectively11-13.
Three principal approaches are available for quantifying internal P loading to lakes14,15. (1) In situ measurements of changes in hypolimnetic total phosphorus (TP) over time can be used when monitoring data are available. Internal load estimates based on in situ measurements suffer from high variability associated with the inherent spatial and temporal variability of environmental data and can be affected by inadequate monitoring frequency14. (2) Mass balance can be used to estimate internal loading, when complete P budgets can be constructed. However, it is rare that sufficient data are available on P inputs and exports to construct a complete P budget16. (3) Experimentally-determined sediment P release rates can be used, in combination with information on areal extent and duration of P release (i.e. anoxic period), to calculate internal P load. This is a direct method of internal P load quantification, although it too has limitations (see below).
Because management decisions often must be made on compressed time scales due to funding restrictions or societal pressures, experimental determination of internal P load can have greater utility for lake management and restoration since it requires less time and data than the in situ and mass balance approaches. Laboratory incubations of sediment cores, combined with monitoring of external loads, have been used to determine the relative contributions of internal and external P loads, with the goal of guiding management decisions to optimize nutrient source control2,4,17. In two Michigan lakes with extensive shoreline development and high percentages of impervious surface (>25%) in the sub-basins directly adjacent to the lake, internal P load was estimated to account for up to 80% of the total P load, prompting recommendations to focus management efforts on reducing sediment P release2,4. In contrast, experimental studies of sediment from a less developed lake in the same region showed that internal loading composed only 7% of the total P load, prompting a recommendation to focus P management strategies in the watershed17. Sediment core experiments also have been used in a Michigan lake to determine the potential effectiveness of aluminum sulfate (alum) treatment to reduce sediment P release rates2, the most efficient alum dosing concentration and the effects of sediment resuspension13, and the efficacy of an in situ alum treatment 1 year18 and 5 years19 following treatment. Experimental determination of internal P load is an effective approach to providing answers to key management questions in eutrophic lakes.
1. Field Sampling
2. Laboratory Incubation
3. P Release Rate Calculation
4. Internal P Load Calculation
Internal P release was measured from sediment cores collected in Mona Lake, Michigan, to identify the relative contribution of internal versus external P loads4. Four sites were sampled over three seasons to estimate annual internal P load, accounting for spatial variation in P flux. Sediment cores were incubated for 20-28 days under anoxic and oxic conditions, and the overlying water column was sampled for SRP and TP concentrations at regular intervals during the incubation period. The anoxic treatment triggered SRP and TP release from the sediments; however, we are presenting only the TP flux results for illustrative purposes. TP concentrations were highest during summer in anoxic treatments, and spatial variability in TP release was evident during all seasons (Figure 1). Mean internal TP flux was less than 1.4 mg P/m2/day in all oxic cores; negative flux values at 3 of the 4 sites during fall indicated that oxic sediments were acting as a sink rather than a source of P during that season4 (Table 1). TP release rates were considerably higher in anoxic cores, with flux as high as 15.56 mg P/m2/day in the summer and as low as 0.80 mg P/m2/day in the spring4 (Table 1). These flux values were used to calculate seasonal internal P flux based on dissolved oxygen conditions measured at the time of sediment core collection4. Seasonal internal P load was calculated by scaling up the flux at each site to the surface area of the corresponding geographic zone4; seasonal values were summed to estimate annual internal P load, assuming 0 flux during winter. Annual internal P load was estimated to be 3.4 metric tons, with the majority of the load occurring during summer (Table 2). Comparing these results with concurrent external P load estimates, it was estimated that the sediments in Mona Lake contribute between 9-82% of the total annual P load4 (Table 2).
A series of experiments was conducted in Spring Lake, Michigan, to determine 1) the potential effectiveness of aluminum sulfate (alum) treatment in reducing internal P loading2 and 2) the efficacy of an in situ alum treatment18,19. Laboratory experiments simulating a lake-wide application of alum demonstrated a dramatic decline in internal P release with treatment2 (Figure 2). Similar to the example above, we are presenting only TP release from these experiments as representative results. In anoxic cores without alum treatment (simulating natural summer conditions in Spring Lake sediments), mean TP concentrations in the overlying water column reached more than 1.2 mg/L (Figure 2). In contrast, anoxic cores dosed with alum had virtually no P release and concentrations were not different from either of the oxic treatments2 (Figure 2). A sediment core incubation conducted 1 year following lake-wide application of alum in Spring Lake revealed that the treatment was highly effective at reducing sediment P release, with release rates similar between anoxic and oxic treatments18 (Figure 3A). When the experiment was repeated 5 years following alum treatment, TP release remained substantially lower than pretreatment but was greater than that measured 1 year following treatment, suggesting a slight decline in alum efficacy19 (Figure 3B).
Figure 1. Total phosphorus (TP) concentrations (mg/L) measured during laboratory incubations of sediment cores collected from Mona Lake, Michigan, during spring (A), summer (B), and fall (C)4. TP was measured in the water overlying sediment cores from 4 lake sites over a 20- to 28-day incubation. The letter in the legend refers to redox state (A = anoxic treatment; O = oxic treatment); the number refers to replicate number (1-3). Note the different scales on the y-axes among seasons. Click here to view larger image.
Season | Site | Anoxic flux, mg P/m2/day |
Oxic flux, mg P/m2/day |
Spring | 1 | 2.77 ± 1.53 | 0.25 ± 0.01 |
2 | 2.82 ± 0.83 | 0.26 ± 0.23 | |
3 | 0.80 ± 0.07 | 0.17 ± 0.07 | |
4 | 1.15 ± 0.71 | 0.12 ± 0.04 | |
Summer | 1 | 7.06 ± 2.57 | 0.46 ± 0.24 |
2 | 9.27 ± 5.99 | 1.36 ± 0.73 | |
3 | 15.56 ± 1.00 | 0.90 ± 0.29 | |
4 | 13.63 ± 1.82 | 0.59 ± 0.41 | |
Fall | 1 | 4.48 ± 1.56 | -0.66 ± 0.22 |
2 | 2.87 ± 0.97 | -1.14 ± 0.93 | |
3 | 3.10 ± 4.08 | 0.51 ± 0.13 | |
4 | 6.46 ± 4.66 | -0.79 ± 0.23 |
Table 1. Mean (±SD) maximum apparent TP flux (mg P/m2/day) in sediment cores collected from Mona Lake, Michigan, and incubated under anoxic and oxic conditions4. Flux was calculated from the change in TP concentrations over time, shown in Figure 1.
Season | Internal P Load, t |
External P Load, t |
Internal Load Contribution, % |
Spring | 0.055 | 0.557 | 9.0% |
Summer | 2.272 | 0.862 | 72.5% |
Fall | 1.127 | 0.242 | 82.3% |
Winter | 0.000 | ||
Annual | 3.454 |
Table 2. Annual and seasonal internal P load estimates (metric tons, t) for Mona Lake, Michigan, calculated based on maximum apparent TP flux4 (shown in Table 1). Seasonal internal P load estimates are compared to external P load estimates to determine the contribution of internal load to total P load.
Figure 2. Mean (±SD) TP concentrations (mg/L) measured during laboratory incubations of sediment cores collected from Spring Lake, Michigan, and experimentally treated with aluminum sulfate (alum) under oxic and anoxic conditions2. TP was measured in the water column overlying sediment cores over a 20-day incubation period. This figure has been modified from Steinman et al.2 Reprinted by Permission, ASA, CSSA, SSSA. Click here to view larger image.
Figure 3. Mean (±SD) TP concentrations (mg/L) measured during laboratory incubations of sediment cores collected from Spring Lake, Michigan 1 year after18 (A) and 5 years after19 (B) a lake-wide application of alum. Sediment cores were subjected to oxic and anoxic treatments and the overlying water column was sampled for TP concentration over a 22-day (A) to 25-day (B) incubation. This figure has been modified from Steinman et al.18; panel A and Steinman et al.19; panel B. Reprinted by Permission, ASA, CSSA, SSSA. Click here to view larger image.
Nutrient loading to lakes can result in both environmental and economic impairments21-23; therefore, it is crucial that society understands the nature of the nutrient sources and how to manage them. Costly attempts to reduce nutrient loading may not improve water quality if the appropriate contributing source (i.e. lake sediments or watershed inputs) is not targeted for management action, thereby resulting in setbacks in lake restoration and frustration on the part of stakeholders. Particularly in shallow eutrophic lakes, quantification of internal phosphorus load is a critical step in identifying a management strategy to improve water quality conditions. Even when sediments are implicated as a major source of nutrients, reductions in external P load must be included in any lake management strategy for alleviating eutrophication, since external inputs of P ultimately accumulate in the sediments and fuel future internal loading24,25.
Although other approaches exist to estimate internal P load, experimental determination of P release rates is a direct method that can be adjusted to answer a variety of management and research questions. Laboratory incubations of sediment cores collected from Spring Lake, Michigan, were used to determine the potential effectiveness of an alum treatment2 and the most efficient application concentration13. As a result of the findings from these laboratory-based studies, the stakeholders developed confidence that the alum treatment could control P release in Spring Lake sediments. Consequently, they approved a 10-year assessment to fund an alum treatment; subsequent sediment core incubations revealed that the treatment was effective at reducing sediment P flux 1 year18 and 5 years19 following treatment. Sediment core incubations have also been used to evaluate the effects of sediment resuspension13 and bioturbation (G. Nogaro and A. Harris, unpublished data) on P release.
Several additional sediment analyses can be performed in conjunction with core incubations to provide information that is useful in interpreting sediment P release results. The top 5 or 10 cm of sediment can be extruded from cores for analysis of sediment TP, porewater SRP, sequential P fractionation, and metals4,18,19. An example of sequential P fractionation26 that can be useful in internal loading studies involves determining the amount of P bound to 1) aluminum (Al-P) or iron (Fe-P), which represents a redox insensitive (Al-P) and a redox-sensitive (Fe-P) mineral association that can become soluble under anoxic conditions, and 2) calcium (Ca-P) or magnesium (Mg-P), which are both stable mineral associations. Further, sediment Fe:P ratios can be calculated to provide insight on the potential P-binding capacity of sediments. Iron-rich sediments that remain oxidized have been shown to release very little P when Fe:P ratios are above 15 (by weight)27. These additional sediment analyses can be performed on cores following internal load incubation4,18,19, or on replicate cores taken at the time of internal load core collection but not used for release rate measurements.
Despite the benefits of experimental determination of sediment P flux, the approach is not without limitations. A number of assumptions must often be made that can add uncertainty to the results:
Given that the sediment core incubation approach can be used to generate reasonable internal P load estimates in as little as one year (although multiple years of data provide more robust information), it is a valuable tool for informing lake management decisions. When used to develop lake management or restoration plans, it can help ensure wise use of financial resources. In lakes where internal P load management has already occurred, sediment core incubations can verify the efficacy of treatment and be used to modify the trajectory of management, if warranted.
The authors have nothing to disclose.
The authors gratefully acknowledge the field and lab assistance provided by James Smit and Kurt Thompson. Funding for original studies for which this protocol was developed was provided by the Spring Lake-Lake Board2,13,18,19; the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality4; and Jim Duncan, Dave Farhat, and the President’s Office at Grand Valley State University17.
Multiparameter sonde | YSI | YSI 6600 | The key parameters of interest are temperature and dissolved oxygen, although other measurements may be desired depending on the goals of the study. The other major manufacturer of multiparameter sondes is Hach (Hydrolab). |
Niskin bottle | General Oceanics | 101005 | A Van Dorn bottle can also be used. |
Carboys, 10 L | Nalgene | DS2213-0020 | Available from many laboratory supply companies, including Fisher Scientific and VWR. |
Piston corer | N/A | N/A | Details on construction materials given in Fisher et al. 1992 |
Vice grips | N/A | N/A | |
Duct tape | N/A | N/A | |
Vertical rack for holding core tubes | N/A | N/A | Custom fabricated on-site. |
Environmental growth chamber | Powers Scientific, Inc. | DS70SD | |
Compressed air with regulator | N/A | N/A | Use lab air supply or purchase from local gas supply company. |
Buffered N2 gas with regulator | N/A | N/A | Purchase from local gas supply company. |
Parker Parflex Series E (instrument grade) polyethylene tubing; 1/4" o.d., 0.04" wall, .170" i.d. | Parker | E-43-B-0100 | Tubing (from gas to chamber) |
PEEK Capillary tubing; 1/16" o.d., 1/32" i.d. | Fisher Scientific | 3050412 | Tubing (from manifold to cores) |
Union tee | Parker | 164C-4 | |
Union tee nut | Parker | 61C-4 | |
Nylon tubing; 1/4" o.d., 3/16" i.d. | US Plastics | 58042 | |
Ferrule, front and back; 1/4" | Swagelock | B-400-Set | |
Brass nut; 1/4" | Swagelock | B-402-1 | |
Brass medium-flow meterings valve; 1/4" | Swagelock | B-4MG | |
Once-piece short finger tight fittings; 1/16" | Alltech | 32070 | Half of the sampling port |
Female 10-32 to female luer; 1/4 " | Alltech | 20132 | Half of the sampling port |
Ferrule, front and back; 1/16" | Swagelock | B-100-Set | |
Brass nut fittings; 1/16" | Swagelock | B-102-1 | |
Tube fitting reducer; 1/16" x 1/4" | Swagelock | B-100-R-4 | |
PTFE tubing; 1/16" o.d., 0.040" i.d. | Grace Davison Discovery Sciences | 2106982 | |
Low-pressure PTFE tubing; 1/8" o.d., 0.1" i.d. | Fisher Scientific | AT3134 | Tubing from sampling port into core |
AirTite all-plastic Norm-Ject syringes, 50mL (60mL) luer slip (eccentric), Sterile | Fisher Scientific | 14-817-35 | |
Wheaton HDPE liquid scintillation vials, 20 mL, Poly-Seal cone liner | Fisher Scientific | 03-341-72D | |
Nylon Syringe Filter; 30mm diameter, 0.45 mm | Fisher Scientific | 03-391-1A | |
Masterflex peristaltic pump, model 755490 | Cole Parmer | A-77910-20 | |
Pall Filterite filter housing, model T911257000 | Pall Corporation | SCO 10UP | |
Graver QMC 1-10NPCS filter; 10", 1.0 mm | Flowtech Corp | N/A | |
Graver Watertec 0.2-10NPCS filter; 10", 0.2 mm | Flowtech Corp | N/A |