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Evaluation of aluminum treatment efficiency on water quality and internal phosphorus cycling in six Danish lakes

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Abstract

If dosed sufficiently relative to the pool of excess phosphorus (P) in the lake sediment and lake water, aluminum (Al) is hypothesized to block sediment P release and thereby improve water clarity in eutrophic lakes. Aluminum has been used in >200 lakes worldwide, but in some 30% of the known cases water clarity did not improve beyond the first year, likely because of underdosing or continued high external P loading. We evaluate the viability of the aluminum dosing hypothesis for six Danish lakes that received Al in a molar ratio of <2–10 relative to the potentially mobile P pool. Lake water total P declined to values that could be predicted from the external P loading but increased again in the two lakes receiving the lowest Al doses. Lasting (>2–3 years) improvement of water clarity was only observed in two lakes. Sediment P release rates, which were measured in four lakes, declined significantly but then increased gradually again in the two lakes receiving the lowest doses. We conclude that if external P-loading is sufficiently low, lasting improvement of water quality can be obtained if Al is dosed 10:1 or higher relative to the size of the mobile P pool.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Thomas Aabling, Kirsten Christoffersen, Kjeld Sandby Hansen, and Kim Hansen for providing water quality data and to Eugene Welch for access to his unpublished data on the outcome of Al treatments in 75 lakes. We also thank Carina Kronborg and Rikke Holm for high quality field and laboratory work. The study was supported by Centre for Lake Restoration (CLEAR)—a Villum Kann Rasmussen Centre of Excellence and by the Danish action plans for eco-efficient technologies.

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  1. Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, 5230, Odense M, Denmark

    Henning S. Jensen, Kasper Reitzel & Sara Egemose

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  1. Henning S. Jensen
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  2. Kasper Reitzel
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  3. Sara Egemose
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Correspondence to Henning S. Jensen.

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Handling editor: David Philip Hamilton

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Jensen, H.S., Reitzel, K. & Egemose, S. Evaluation of aluminum treatment efficiency on water quality and internal phosphorus cycling in six Danish lakes. Hydrobiologia 751, 189–199 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-015-2186-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-015-2186-4

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