Lake Tegel Research Articles

Decades needed for ecosystem components to respond to a sharp and drastic phosphorus load reduction

Lake Tegel is an extreme case of restoration: inflow treatment reduced its main external phosphorus (TP) load 40-fold, sharply focused in time, and low-P water flushed the lake volume ≈ 4 times per year. We analysed 35 years of data for the time TP concentrations took to decline from ≈ 700 to 20–30 µg/l, biota to respond and cyanobacteria to become negligible. The internal load proved of minor relevance. After 10 years, TP reached 35–40 µg/l, phytoplankton biomass abruptly declined by 50% and cyanobacteria no longer dominated; yet 10 years later at TP < 20–30 µg/l they were below quantifiable levels. 20–25 years after load reduction, the lake was stably mesotrophic, macrophytes had returned down to 6–8 m, and vivianite now forms, binding P insolubly in the sediment. Bottom-up control of phytoplankton through TP proved decisive. Five intermittent years with a higher external P load caused some ‘re-eutrophication’, delaying recovery by 5 years. While some restoration responses required undercutting thresholds, particularly that of phytoplankton biomass to TP, resilience and hysteresis proved irrelevant. Future research needs to focus on the littoral zone, and for predicting time spans for recovery more generally, meta-analyses should address P load reduction in combination with flushing rates.

Lost and found – Fritz Müller´s type material of Glossiphonia verrucata (Fr. Müller, 1844) (Hirudinida, Glossiphoniidae) with notes on the leech fauna of lake Tegel in Berlin (Germany)

In 1844, the famous German biologist Fritz Müller published his dissertation about the leech fauna of lakes in Berlin. This study not only addressed the occurrence of leeches in the different lakes, but also contains the description of a new species -Glossiphoniaverrrucata(Fr. Müller, 1844). Unfortunately, he never mentioned how many specimens he found and where he deposited the material of his dissertation research. Thus, it came as a surprise that the material appeared in the small leech collection of the Zoological Museum of the University of Greifswald. Here, we provide an overview of the material focusing especially on the four syntypes ofG.verrucata. Since this is a rarely found species, we further explored historical material from the type locality, Lake Tegel, held in other museums. Our survey revealed that the material collected by Müller is the only one known to date from the species-rich Lake Tegel, which is inhabited by 14 species of freshwater leeches.

Gomphoneis tegelensis sp. nov. (Bacillariophyceae): a morphological and molecular investigation based on selected single cells

Colonies of a new, stalked diatom species Gomphoneis tegelensis sp. nov. were sampled in September 2017 from Lake Tegel (Berlin, Germany) where this large species was first observed in 2009. Cultivation was attempted several times without success. A single-cell DNA extraction method was therefore tried to yield molecular and morphological data from non-cultured specimens. Single cells were selectively picked off their stalks and their cell walls broken to release the DNA, as PCR and sequencing of intact cells provided no results. To improve yield, the DNA of several cells was pooled after PCR. The remaining intact cells were used for ultrastructural studies under SEM. The closely related species Gomphoneis transylvanica is typified as a basis for proper taxon identification and for comparison with the newly described species. Gomphoneis tegelensis differs from G. transylvanica and Gomphoneis ohridana mainly in its striation pattern and the number of rows of areolae in each stria. Molecular data confirm that G. tegelensis belongs to the Cymbellales, but it does not belong to the Gomphonemataceae.

Climate Change Demands Adaptive Management of Urban Lakes: Model-Based Assessment of Management Scenarios for Lake Tegel (Berlin, Germany)

Lakes are known to be strongly affected by climate change as a result of their sensitivity to atmospheric forcing. The combined response of urban lakes to climatic changes and to urbanization of the catchment may be further altered by water quality management measures. We studied Lake Tegel in Berlin, Germany as a representative urban lake profoundly influenced by intense water management measures and a resulting complex hydrodynamic situation: Lake Tegel is fed by nutrient-rich river discharges and effluents from a phosphorus elimination plant (PEP). We estimated changes in water temperatures, the Wedderburn number, and the buoyancy frequency, as well as concentrations of dissolved oxygen and phosphate under climate change using a one-dimensional vertical hydrodynamic model coupled to a water quality model. Further, we investigated how four management scenarios with varying discharges of the PEP could affect the lake system. In all simulations, water temperatures increased and summer stratification extended. The modeling results demonstrated that the water management system buffers the high nutrient supply from the river inflow and can effectively mitigate negative effects of climate change on Lake Tegel, thus highlighting its importance for the lake ecosystem.

Sediment core data reconstruct the management history and usage of a heavily modified urban lake in Berlin, Germany.

Urban surface waters face several stressors associated with industry and urban water management. Over much of the past century, the wastewater treatment in Berlin, Germany, relied on inefficient sewage farms, which resulted in severe eutrophication and sediment contamination in the recipient surface waterbodies. A prominent example is Lake Tegel, where a multitude of management measures were applied in the last decades for the purpose of ecosystem restoration. In this study, we analyzed sediment cores of three lakes with X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy: Lake Tegel, Lake Großer Wannsee, which is environmentally similar but has a different management history, and Lake Userin, which serves as a reference located in a nature protection area. Multivariate statistical methods (principal component analysis, k-means clustering, and self-organizing maps) were used to assess the sediment quality and to reconstruct the management history of Lake Tegel. Principal component analysis established two main gradients of sediment composition: heavy metals and lithogenic elements. The impact of the management measures was visualized in the lake sediment composition changing from high abundance of heavy metals and reducing redox conditions to less-impacted sediments in recent layers. The clustering techniques suggested heterogeneity among sites within Lake Tegel that probably reflect urban water management measures. The abundance of heavy metals in recent lake sediments of Lake Tegel is similar to a lake with low urban impact and is lower than in Lake Großer Wannsee suggesting that the management measures were successful in the reduction of heavy metals, which are still a threat for surface waters worldwide.

Impacts of Accumulated Particulate Organic Matter on Oxygen Consumption and Organic Micro-Pollutant Elimination in Bank Filtration and Soil Aquifer Treatment

Bank filtration (BF) and soil aquifer treatment (SAT) are efficient natural technologies in potable water reuse systems. The removal of many organic micro-pollutants (OMPs) depends on redox-conditions in the subsoil, especially on the availability of molecular oxygen. Due to microbial transformation of particulate and dissolved organic constituents, oxygen can be consumed within short flow distances and induce anoxic and anaerobic conditions. The effect of accumulated particulate organic carbon (POC) on the fate of OMPs in BF and SAT systems is not fully understood. Long-term column experiments with natural sediment cores from the bank of Lake Tegel and from a SAT basin were conducted to investigate the impact of accumulated POC on dissolved organic carbon (DOC) release, on oxygen consumption, on mobilization of iron and manganese, and on the elimination of the organic indicator OMPs. The cores were fed with aerated tap water spiked with OMPs to exclude external POC inputs. Complete oxygen consumption within the first infiltration decimeter in lake sediments caused mobilization of iron, manganese, and DOC. Redox-sensitive OMPs like diclofenac, sulfamethoxazole, formylaminoantipyrine, and gabapentin were eliminated by more than 50% in all sediment cores, but slightly higher residual concentrations were measured in effluents from lake sediments, indicating a negative impact of a high oxygen consumption on OMP removal.

Fate of pharmaceutical micro-pollutants in Lake Tegel (Berlin, Germany): the impact of lake-specific mechanisms

Pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment have become important because of the risk of harmful effects to ecosystem and drinking water abstraction. This is also the case in shallow dimictic Lake Tegel, located in the city area of Berlin, Germany. Here, drinking water is produced via bank filtration and artificial groundwater recharge, and concurrently, a substantial anthropogenic load takes place by micro-pollutants from a municipal wastewater treatment plant. The measured mean daily loads of 260 g d−1 carbamazepine, 180 g d−1 diclofenac and 60 g d−1 sulfamethoxazole results in the highest so far reported concentrations from natural waters, which are used as a drinking water resource. In the present study the spatial horizontal and vertical distribution and elimination of these three pharmaceuticals are quantified with the help of high-resolution sampling in Lake Tegel and its entire major in- and outflows. Monthly mass balances are modelled and substance-specific zero-order elimination rates are derived. Diclofenac showed the strongest elimination and revealed a significant seasonality with 50 % elimination in winter, and 95 % in summer. Elimination of carbamazepine was about 40 %; sulfamethoxazole did not degrade at determinable rates. Based on a basic plug-flow approach, a pseudo first-order elimination rate for diclofenac in summer (0.058 d−1, half-life 12 days) was calculated from horizontal concentration gradient. Apart from presenting the current state of pharmaceuticals pollution in Lake Tegel, results demonstrate the importance of lake-specific mechanisms, such as inflow–outflow balances and seasonal density stratification for the transport of micro-pollutants.

Seasonal variations of rare earths and yttrium distribution in the lowland Havel River, Germany, by agricultural fertilization and effluents of sewage treatment plants

REE and Y (REY) distribution in the lowland Havel River passing the Federal State of Berlin, Germany, depends on contributions of point sources such pharmaceutical and high-tech industries, acid water from the open pit lignite mining, and medical application of very stable organic Gd chelates. Another omnipresent dispersed source of REY are water-soluble Ca-phosphates containing micro-amounts of Eu(II)-bearing barite as components of common agricultural fertilizers. After distribution in the field during the cold season (October through March) these Ca-phosphates dissolve and secondary phosphates and calcite precipitate both being enriched in light REE. Heavy REE are preferably exported by runoff together with part of the micro-contaminant barite leading to high Yb/Nd ratios in the Havel water and REY distribution patterns with only small Eu deficits. During the warm season (April through September) light REE together with phosphate are leached from secondary soil minerals by runoff. The micro-component barite is retained in vegetation-covered soil. Thus, REY patterns of Havel water show significant Eu deficits. The high Gd anomalies result from medical applications of Gd-chelates which after urination pass the sewage treatment plants. The seasonal variations of total Gd in the Havel River are artifacts based on seasonal locally varied discharge of effluents from sewage treatment plants. The natural Gd concentration of 8pmol/l in the northern Havel is enhanced to 3300pmol/l, when the Havel River leaves Berlin territory. The elimination of phosphate from Lake Tegel water affects the fractionation of REE but not the concentration of total Gd. Although enhanced in total phosphorus (TP), the REE concentrations in the water from the Spree River and the Teltow Canal are less than in the Havel water before their confluence. Only Yb and Lu do not decrease. The contributors of the Havel River are high in total organic carbon (TOC) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) compared to the Havel water before their indicating that REY are preferentially sorbed by settling organic matter. Applying PHREEQC and assuming that only 10% of TP is present as ortho-phosphate yields that only carbonate complexes are essential.

Correlations of relevant membrane foulants with UF membrane fouling in different waters

Correlations between potential fouling-relevant substances and membrane fouling during ultrafiltration (UF) of different waters were investigated, including water samples from Lake Tegel, from a Berlin canal (Landwehrkanal) and from a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) secondary effluent. The biopolymers quantified with liquid chromatography-organic carbon detection (LC-OCD) showed a remarkable correlation with UF membrane fouling for all the three water sources at different seasons. This finding suggests that the biopolymer content in water can be employed as a universal indicator for predicting membrane fouling potential in UF processes. The particulate matter in the two surface waters Lake Tegel and Berlin canal, as characterized by suspended solids and turbidity, also exhibited a distinct correlation with UF membrane fouling, although its correlation was slightly weaker than that of biopolymers. However, the humic substances, which are generally believed to be major membrane foulants, did not show any reliable correlation with the UF membrane fouling of the different waters. This work may provide useful information for the development of optimized fouling control strategies for sustainable UF operation.

How effectively does a single or continuous iron supply affect the phosphorus budget of aerated lakes?

In lake restoration, the redox sensitivity of iron (Fe)–phosphorus (P) compounds has been regarded as detrimental for a sustainable increase in sedimentary P retention since developing low redox potentials release Fe-bound P. Thus, Fe salts alone have rarely been used successfully to inactivate sediment P, and there are no studies on the long-term effects of in-lake Fe applications on P retention. Here, we analyzed for how long, and how efficiently, a single and continuous Fe application can affect the P budget of lakes. Two aerated lakes in Berlin, Germany were compared: Lake Tegel (TEG) experienced a continuous Fe supply via its tributaries, while Lake Gros-Glienicke (GGS) was treated once with Fe in the winter of 1992/1993. By controlling the operation of aerators, their effectiveness on P exchange at the sediment–water interface (non-aerated vs. aerated) was directly compared in spring and autumn between 2008 and 2010. The amount of P controllable by aeration (P control) was experimentally determined by non-aerated vs. aerated sediment cores (at 10 and 16 °C). Core stratigraphy of Fe was observed by high-resolution μX-ray fluorescence analysis. In TEG, the mobility of Fe was limited due to its sulfidic fixation, and thus Fe only accumulated slightly at the sediment surface (Fe/P ratio, ∼3). P control corresponded to only 4 % of the P content of the lake and 18 % of P loading. Hence, aeration only slightly influenced trophy-relevant epilimnetic P. In GGS, the single Fe application still ensures a high P binding ability of sediment since Fe relocated towards the surface (Fe/P ratio, ∼7). P control corresponded to 38 % of the P content of the lake and 74 % of annual P loading. Thus, the P release is not relevant for the P supply to the epilimnion since with the lake’s overturn P is co-precipitated by the hypolimnetically accumulated Fe. When external P loading is sufficiently reduced, as in GGS, amendments to Fe precipitants can increase sediment P retention in a redox-dependent manner over the long term. Thus, the redox-dependent mobility of Fe should no longer be regarded as a disadvantage of Fe-containing precipitants. To compensate for co-precipitation and complexation of Fe with sediment organic matter, a high Fe dosage (≥200 g m−2) is needed.

Seeking a compromise between pharmaceutical pollution and phosphorus load: Management strategies for Lake Tegel, Berlin

Lake Tegel (Berlin, Germany) is controlled by two main inflows: inflow #1 (River Havel) is heavily phosphorus-laden, whereas inflow #2 is an artificial confluence that includes discharge from a municipal wastewater treatment plant distinguished by high levels of phosphorus and pharmaceuticals. To reduce the phosphorus load on the lake, a phosphorus elimination plant (PEP) is situated at inflow #2. Moreover, the two inflows are short-circuited by a pipeline that transfers part of the inflow #1 water to the PEP and finally releases it into inflow #2. The pipeline and the PEP have contributed to a continuous reduction in the total phosphorus concentration of Lake Tegel in the past 25 years. We investigate the question of whether the existing lake pipeline can also be used to reduce the amount of pharmaceuticals in Lake Tegel originating from inflow #2 by dilution with water from River Havel, by diverting part of inflow #2 around the lake, or by a combination of both strategies. The circulation pattern of Lake Tegel is complicated by complex bathymetry and numerous islands and is therefore highly sensitive to winds. We tested seven different management scenarios by hydrodynamic modeling for a period of 16 years with the two-dimensional version of the Princeton Ocean Model (POM). None of the scenarios provided a strategy optimal for both pharmaceuticals and phosphorus. Nonetheless, compound regimes, such as alternating the pipe flow direction or adding another pipeline, allowed the most abundant pharmaceutical (carbamazepine) to be reduced while maintaining the current phosphorus level. This study demonstrates the ability of immediate lake regulation measures to maintain water quality. In the case of Lake Tegel, the pipeline can be fully effective with regard to pharmaceuticals only in combination with additional efforts such as advanced pharmaceutical treatment of wastewater and/or phosphorus reduction in the River Havel catchment.

Effects of wind-driven circulation on river intrusion in Lake Tegel: modeling study with projection on transport of pollutants

Prediction of mixing intensity of water masses in riverine Lake Tegel (Berlin, Germany) can be used to trace the fate of pollutants that enter the lake through several inflows. Because the contributions of each inflow have not yet been quantified and because the lake features complex bathymetry and numerous islands, a hydrodynamic circulation model with high spatial resolution and dynamic wind forcing is useful. We applied the two-dimensional version of the Princeton Ocean Model to separate the influences of wind and river discharge on the currents and mass transport in Lake Tegel. For model validation, we compared the simulation results with 1 year of electrical conductivity data, which was used as a conservative tracer to distinguish between water from the River Havel and water supplied by a smaller second inflow. Calculation of currents alone is insufficient to investigate water exchanges between rivers and lakes, especially when several islands create multiple pathways for river intrusion. Therefore, mass transport simulations are applied. Our calculations based on archetypical scenarios indicate that the proportion of (polluted) water from the River Havel in the main basin of Lake Tegel fluctuates with river discharge and wind, which either amplify or neutralize each other.

Carbon input, production and turnover in the interstices of a Lake Tegel bank filtration site, Berlin, Germany

The sandy littoral zone of Lake Tegel (Berlin, Germany) was investigated during 2004–2006 down to sediment depths ≥26 cm to derive a scheme of seasonal carbon turnover under induced bank filtration conditions. Carbon turnover processes were quantified regarding external and internal sources of dissolved and particulate organic matter (DOM and POM), primary production, community respiration, redox potential as well as specific loads of soluble chemical compounds such as nitrogen, iron, manganese and DOC. Over the course of the year, infiltrating DOC decreased by about 13–20% within the upper 26 cm sediment of the infiltration stretch. Gradients of all observed soluble compounds that are highly cross-linked to biological activities were highest in the topmost centimetre. In this depth mass balances (output–input) were negative concerning NO3-N (−1 mg dm−2 d−1, summer mean) and DOC (−2 mg dm−2 d−1, winter mean), respectively, while specific loads of cations such as manganese reached up to 0.2 mg dm−2 d−1 during summer. Carbon mineralization ranged between 3 and 7 mg C dm−2 d−1 and was nearly twice as high in summer as in winter. The turnover of the infiltrating DOC contributed maximally 25% in summer to 50% in winter to the entire organic carbon mineralization. Gross and net primary production differed up to a factor of >10, indicating very fast turnover reactions and the predominance of community respiration and mineralization, respectively. The POC in the upper sediment layer (10 cm) temporally varied around 1% sediment d.w.; benthic algae, organic seston input and autumnal leaf fall contributed similar percentages to the POC pool.

Submerged Macrophyte Responses to Reduced Phosphorus Concentrations in Two Peri‐Urban Lakes

Eutrophication of two urban temperate dimictic lakes in Berlin (Germany), smaller Schlachtensee (0.4 km2) and larger Lake Tegel (3 km2), caused total phosphorus (TP) concentrations up to 800 μg/L and a complete loss of their diverse submerged vegetation in the 1960s due to poor light conditions. Phosphorus stripping of their inflow began in the 1980s and caused a pronounced decline of their epilimnetic TP concentrations, eventually leading to reduced phytoplankton biomass and turbidity. Despite increased light availability, recovery of abundance as well as species diversity of submerged macrophytes was delayed by more than a decade, especially in the smaller lake. Slow oxidization of sapropelic sediment unsuitable for macrophyte growth, periphyton shading, herbivory, and/or lack of a viable seed bank were potential hampering factors. The present submerged vegetation, however, may already support mechanisms positively influencing water transparency such as providing habitat to enhance the ratio of piscivorous to planktivorous fish. Characeae meadows, typical for both lakes during their former mesotrophic state, so far only reoccurred in smaller Schlachtensee. Neither species composition nor abundance reversed back to the macrophyte community present in the nineteenth century. Although TP concentrations may decline further and some rare species have been detected, reassembly of this plant community will most probably not occur because many submerged macrophyte species have become rare throughout northwest Europe.

Organic micropollutant removal from wastewater effluent-impacted drinking water sources during bank filtration and artificial recharge

Natural treatment systems such as bank filtration (BF) and artificial recharge (via an infiltration basin) are a robust barrier for many organic micropollutants (OMPs) and may represent a low-cost alternative compared to advanced drinking water treatment systems. This study analyzes a comprehensive database of OMPs at BF and artificial recharge (AR) sites located near Lake Tegel in Berlin (Germany). The focus of the study was on the derivation of correlations between the removal efficiencies of OMPs and key factors influencing the performance of BF and AR. At the BF site, shallow monitoring wells located close to the Lake Tegel source exhibited oxic conditions followed by prolonged anoxic conditions in deep monitoring wells and a production well. At the AR site, oxic conditions prevailed from the recharge pond along monitoring wells to the production well. Long residence times of up to 4.5 months at the BF site reduced the temperature variation during soil passage between summer and winter. The temperature variations were greater at the AR site as a consequence of shorter residence times. Deep monitoring wells and the production well located at the BF site were under the influence of ambient groundwater and old bank filtrate (up to several years of age). Thus, it is important to account for mixing with native groundwater and other sources (e.g., old bank filtrate) when estimating the performance of BF with respect to removal of OMPs. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to investigate correlations between OMP removals and hydrogeochemical conditions with spatial and temporal parameters (e.g., well distance, residence time and depth) from both sites. Principal component-1 (PC1) embodied redox conditions (oxidation–reduction potential and dissolved oxygen), and principal component-2 (PC2) embodied degradation potential (e.g., total organic carbon and dissolved organic carbon) with the calcium carbonate dissolution potential (Ca 2+ and HCO 3 −) for the BF site. These two PCs explained a total variance of 55% at the BF site. At the AR site, PCA revealed redox conditions (PC1) and degradation potential with temperature (PC2) as principal components, which explained a total variance of 56%.

Bank filtration in the sandy littoral zone of Lake Tegel (Berlin): Structure and dynamics of the biological active filter zone and clogging processes

This study focused on clogging processes and on the benthic microalgal and meiofaunal assemblage in the sandy littoral zone of Lake Tegel, which are significantly involved in bank filtration, in a long-term. Our approach combined field studies and “in situ” experiments to highlight the structure of the biological active filter zone as well as the mechanisms and effects of clogging in the interstices that influence the infiltration process. Campaigns to measure “in situ” infiltration rates and hydraulic potential were conducted monthly from March 2004 to April 2005. Meiofaunal abundances and fine particulate organic matter (FPOM) were determined every 6 weeks in freeze cores down to depths of 50 cm. In parallel, concentrations of carbon, nitrogen and chlorophyll a were measured in samples of unfrozen sediment cores, that were divided in 1-cm steps down to depths of ≥10 cm. Similar sediment profiles were generated for analysis of colloidal carbohydrates, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and proteins between December 2005 and June 2006. Electron microscopy was used to visualize biofilm structure. Long-term experiments with natural FPOM and melamine resin particles as fluorescent tracers were performed to study “in situ” particle retention and transport, respectively. Additionally seston input was quantified during a 1-week period in April 2005. Infiltration rates showed a high temporal and spatial variability, but were not correlated with hydraulic conductivities as hydraulic gradients changed a lot. Likewise a correlation between infiltration rates and hydraulic potentials was not observed, indicating clogging processes. These are triggered to a high extend by biological compounds. In addition, seston input and intermittent gas intrusion are considered to reduce the hydraulic conductivity considerably. No significant “in situ” transport of inert natural fluorescent tracers was observed. However, a complete and permanent clogging of the sandy sediment does not occur, and daily infiltration rates of 0.7–27 L m−2 h−1 (mean 9 L m−2 h−1) guarantee a sufficient water supply by bank filtration for decades.

Temperature effects on bank filtration: redox conditions and physical-chemical parameters of pore water at Lake Tegel, Berlin, Germany

In the city of Berlin, artificial groundwater recharge techniques, such as bank filtration and infiltration ponds, are an important source for drinking water production. Climate change with increasing surface water temperatures can influence the water purification processes during bank filtration mainly due the intensification of metabolic processes leading to a decrease of oxygen and an increase of anaerobic conditions. In Lake Tegel a significant increase of water temperature in the epilimnion of 2.4°C within the last 30 years was recorded. For a better understanding of induced bank filtration at Lake Tegel, redox processes and physical-chemical conditions within the surface sediment layers (0–26 cm depth) at the littoral infiltration zone were investigated. The influence of temperature in the range of 0–25°C on microbial catalysis of redox processes, such as reduction of nitrate and sulphate, was examined during the period March 2004–June 2005. High water temperatures (16–25°C) were accompanied by negative redox potentials (EH=−47 mV) and decreasing Ninorg concentrations, while the amount of ammonia, Mn2 + and Fe2 + was rising. This indicates redox processes such as denitrification, Mn4 + reduction, nitrate respiration and ammonification, as well as Fe3 + reduction. The reduction of sulphate, however, has not yet become significant at Lake Tegel, but with increasing water temperature, sulphate reduction must be expected.

Hydrous Manganese Oxide Doped Gel Probe Sampler for Measuring In Situ Reductive Dissolution Rates. 2. Field Deployment

In situ rates of reductive dissolution in submerged shoreline sediments at Lake Tegel (Berlin, Germany) were measured with a novel hydrous manganese (Mn) oxide-doped gel probe sampler in concert with equilibrium gel probe and sequential extraction measurements. Rates were low in the top 8 cm, then showed a peak from 8 to 14 cm, with a maximum at 12 cm depth. This rate corresponded with a peak in dissolved porewater iron (Fe) at 11 cm depth. Below 14 cm, the reductive dissolution rate reached an intermediate steady value. Lower rates at depth corresponded with increases in operationally defined fractions of carbonate-bound and organic- and sulfide-bound Mn and Fe as detected by sequential extraction. Observed rates of reductive dissolution, which reflect a capacity for Mn reduction rather than actual rates under ambient conditions, appear to correlate with porewater chemistry and sequential extraction fractions as expected in early sediment diagenesis, and are consistent with previous measurements of in situ reductive dissolution rates. Significant downward advection in this bank filtration setting depletes the Mn and Fe oxides in the sediments and enhances the transport of dissolved Fe and Mn into the infiltrating water.

Water and phosphorus mass balance of Lake Tegel and Schlachtensee – A modelling approach

Management models for aquatic systems can be used to determine which measures in the watershed or in the water body have been effective and/or which one should be used in future. The newly developed management models presented in the following for Lake Tegel and Schlachtensee are empirical and lake specific. The values for the unknown factors are estimated by an iterative process using optimisation routines and sensitivity analysis methods. The resulting models describe the water and phosphorus balance of each lake. The Lake Tegel water balance model calculates the unknown water inflow from the River Havel depending on the other main in- and outflows with very good validation results. The phosphorus models of both lakes quantify mixing of the upper and lower water body as well as sedimentation and release from the sediment as functions of measured variables. For Lake Tegel, management scenarios were run indicating effective management interventions. For Lake Schlachtensee, the phosphorus model captured the variations in the hypolimnion well but produced poorer results for the epilimnion because of unknown external phosphorus loads. For these the model indicated possible sources and magnitudes.

Fine particulate organic matter (FPOM) transport and processing in littoral interstices – use of fluorescent markers

A fluorescent labelling method is presented as a new tool for the investigation of organic particle transport and biogenic carbon cycling processes in sandy littoral interstices at Lake Tegel, Berlin, Germany. Passive particle transport through the pore system was studied by in situ exposition of 2.4 μm monodisperse polymeric resin microparticles stained with 7-amino-4-methylcoumarin (AMC). Uptake of fluorescein-5-isothiocyanate (FITC)-labelled Chlorella vulgaris and fine particulate organic matter (FPOM) by the interstitial fauna was investigated in laboratory and field experiments. The major portion (>85%) of the FITC-labelled particles added to sediment cores was recovered from the topmost centimetre of sediment during the study period of 14 days. Uptake of FITC-labelled FPOM was observed in several benthic groups, e.g. chironomids, microcrustaceans, oligochaetes and tardigrads, whereas C. vulgaris was ingested by oligochaetes only. There is evidence to suggest that both are suitable materials for investigating the fragmentation and ingestion of organic material by herbivorous and detritivorous fauna. Field experiments with inert microparticles and FITC-labelled FPOM (<1 mm) prepared from dried alder leaves were carried out in plexiglass tubes as in situ whole core technique. Within the investigation period of two weeks, the transport of FPOM was restricted to the topmost 2–3 cm of sediment in conjunction with a distinct fragmentation to finer size classes with respect to increasing sediment depth. Vertical FPOM transport was hindered by a high interstitial concentration of natural POM and an intensive settlement of the interstices by algae (mainly epispammic algae, 65–96% of algae cell number) and extra-cellular polymeric substances (EPS), which formed a dense three-dimensional structure.