Spatiotemporal variations in phosphorus concentrations in the water and sediment of Jiaozhou Bay and sediment phosphorus release potential

Abstract Phosphorus contamination in urbanized bays has been a major concern because the bay restoration is often hindered by complex P sources and behaviors. This study examined the spatiotemporal changes of P species and exchange potential in/between the water and sediment of the Jiaozhou Bay. The results indicated that dissolved P (TDP) and inorganic P (DIP) in the water ranged from 7.8–128.7 and 1.8–14.1 μg/L, respectively; while total P (TP) in the sediment ranged from 213.4–638.7 mg/kg. The TDP and DIP concentrations in the water were high in winter and low in summer, and generally decreased from northeastern or northern areas to southwestern or southern areas mainly due to phytoplankton bloom cycles and riverine and wastewater inputs. TP in the sediment was lower in the northwestern area due to solid dilution effect by the settlement of settled coarser suspended particles. Changes in aquatic geochemical conditions from rivers to bay caused P accumulation in estuarine sediment, with higher P partition in organic fraction (40%). Compared to the estuarine sediment, higher fractions of P were associated with carbonate (34%) and iron oxide (17%) minerals in the bay sediment. Equilibrium P concentrations at zero sorption (EPC0) were 4.1–149.8 μg/L, which was substantially higher than the DIP concentration, demonstrating P release potential from the sediment. In addition, the P release potential was high in the northeastern area while P partition coefficient or buffer intensity (Kd) was high in the northwestern area. EPC0 was significantly positively correlated with soluble and exchangeable P in the sediment while Kd was significantly negatively correlated. These results can provide improved insights into P behaviors in an urbanized bay, particularly the P release potential and spatiotemporal change.