Phosphorus in Bottom Sediments of Pomeranian Bay (Southern Baltic—Poland)

Abstract

The paper presents the results of determination of inorganic and organic forms of phosphorus in bottom sediments of Pomeranian Bay. The sediments were collected in March and July of 1996. The following characteristics of the sediments were determined: organic matter content, forms of inorganic phosphorus: loosely adsorbed phosphorus and phosphorus bound to aluminium, calcium and iron, as well as total inorganic phosphorus. Pomeranian Bay is a shallow basin, with depth averaging between 12 and 15m and sandy sediments prevailing. Smaller silt fractions occur only in the vicinity of the Świna River estuary and in deeper northern regions of the Bay. Calcium-bound phosphorus is the dominant form of inorganic phosphorus in the Pomeranian Bay. Iron-bound phosphorus is the second most prevailing form, and aluminium-bound phosphorus the third. Loosely bound phosphorus was present in the lowest amounts. Total inorganic phosphorus in the Bay consisted of the four forms listed above, except in estuarine regions where an additional form of phosphorus occurred, most probably occluded phosphorus. High organic phosphorus concentrations were found at the Świna River estuary and in the northern part of the Bay (Saßnitz Deep) corresponding to the higher organic matter content of these sediments. Sediments of Pomeranian Bay contained less phosphorus than those from the Gulf of Gdańsk or Puck Bay and other parts of the Baltic Sea, suggesting that the amount of phosphorus in the sediments was determined by a number of inter-related factors, such as sediment type, amount of organic matter, the chemical composition of the sediment and oxygen content of near-bottom water.