New insights into the role of lake sediments in understanding watershed non-point source phosphorus pollution

Abstract

A deep understanding of the relationship between watershed non-point source (NPS) pollution and lake total phosphorus (TP) accumulation is the basis of watershed–lake environmental management and ecological reconstruction, in which the acquisition of long-term NPS P and lake TP data over corresponding temporal and spatial scales seems to be the key issue. In this study, three typical sub-basins within Hongze Lake were selected as study sites. The sediment TP concentrations were designated as the lake indicator to relate with the NPS P loads, and the role of sediment in representing watershed NPS pollution was quantitatively analyzed. The results showed that, first, a notable fluctuation tendency in NPS P loads, which was largely influenced by policy, was found for all three sub-basins. Second, the deposition rate for three sediment cores was approximately 0.40 cm per year, with 13 cm cores reflecting the period since 1990. Third, the sediment is a faithful recorder of watershed NPS P pollution and lake nutrient enrichment. The correlation coefficient (r) between watershed NPS P loads and lake sediment TP concentrations showed notable differences when each watershed was considered separately. In particular, an ideal relationship was found in Basins 1 and 2, especially in the bottom 7 and 8 cm of the sediment cores, in which r exceeded 0.8. This showed that sediment can be an effective indicator of NPS P pollution during certain periods, such as 1990 – 2002, and diverse roles can be attributed to land-use/cover change and lake resuspension conditions. In addition, the weakest relationship existed in the No. 3 watershed, largely due to higher rainfall amounts compared with other two watersheds. For all the watersheds, lake sediment is a suitable indicator of watershed NPS P pollution over certain temporal and spatial scales.