Iron and phosphorus geochemistry in the core sediments of an urbanized mangrove ecosystem, Southwest coast of India

Abstract

This study has been carried out to understand the geochemistry of elements namely, iron (Fe) and phosphorus (P) in the core sediments of an urbanized tropical mangrove ecosystem along the Southwest coast of India. The study revealed the coupling of iron and phosphorus in which the reductive conditions induced reductive dissolution and upward transport of Fe, causing surface coprecipitation of phosphorus incorporated Fe oxyhydroxides. The accumulation and transformation of phosphorus were significantly influenced by processes viz., phosphorus regeneration due to organic matter mineralization and adsorption to inorganic iron oxides/Ca bound minerals in the surface sediments, and phosphorus retention in the sedimentary column by transformation into refractory organic phosphates. Bioavailable phosphorus (BAP) accounted for more than 50% of TP, so that the mangrove sediments act as an important internal nutrient source of iron and phosphorus for coastal eutrophication.