Seasonal and Spatial Distribution of Phosphorus Fractions in Surface Sediments of the Southern Caspian Sea

Abstract

This study assesses seasonal fluctuations, spatial distribution and fractions of phosphorus (P) in the surface sediment layer of the southern Caspian Sea. Seasonal fluctuations were insignificant (p-value > 0.05) relative to the mean total P (TP) concentrations. Still, the highest levels were in autumn samples (1555 mg kg−1), followed by winter (1405 mg kg−1), spring (1378 mg kg−1), and summer (1130 mg kg−1). These minor temporal fluctuations in P concentrations are explained by seasonal differences in runoff amount and intensity of rivers discharging into the Caspian sea and thereby their sediment loading and physicochemical characteristics. The large riverine influx has led to TP contamination hotspots in the river deltas of Anzali wetland, Babolrood, and Sefidrud, where high loadings of suspended particles are discharged into the sea. The spatial distribution of TP is thus site-specific and uneven. The main P fraction was calcium-bound P (CaP), reflecting the phosphate (PO43−) strong affinity for, and association with, Ca-bearing minerals. Only a minor fraction of P was determined as loosely bound P (LP). The fraction of the mud size particles was the main explanatory factor for the spatial distribution of overall low levels of non-residual (or bioavailable) P forms (i.e., LP and iron- and aluminum- bound P: FeP and AlP, respectively) during spring and summer, while the sand fraction had strongest explanatory value for the distribution of residual (non-bioavailable) P form (CaP) during autumn and winter. This study demonstrates that P bioavailability in sediments is mainly governed by the physicochemical characteristics of the sediment material, which again is steered by seawater chemistry. A low content of bioavailable P fractions could therefore be explained by the relatively low content of fine-grained (< 63 µm, i.e., mud) particles in sediments of the southern Caspian Sea.