Mineralization, pore water chemistry and phosphorus release from peaty sediments in the eutrophic Loosdrecht lakes, The Netherlands

Abstract

SUMMARY. 1. Pore water chemistry in peaty sediment was monitored for a year at two representative locations of the eutrophic shallow Loosdrecht lakes. The Netherlands. Phosphorus fluxes over the sediment‐water interface were calculated using measured concentration gradients in the pore water and compared to fluxes measured under laboratory conditions. Results were analysed with Redundancy Analysis to detect patterns of variation in pore water chemistry and in measured and calculated fluxes, that could be ascribed to environmental variables. 2. It was demonstrated that phosphorus fluxes measured in long‐term laboratory incubations were not correlated to any of the pore water characteristics. 3. Initial phosphorus fluxes measured in sediment columns, which varied between −7.7 and 1330 μmol m −2 : day −1 , were correlated significantly to the calculated phosphorus flux over the sediment‐water interface. 4. The high correlation between calculated fluxes of ammonia, phosphorus and methane and measured initial flux of phosphorus, conclusively pointed to mineralization of organic matter as the driving force for phosphorus release from the sediment. 5. Redundancy Analysis demonstrated that the rates of mineralization and phosphorus release were only weakly related to temperature. They appeared to be especially stimulated by the autumnal decrease in temperature which was probably related to an extra input of organic matter.