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A comparison of sedimentary and diatom-inferred phosphorus profiles: implications for defining pre-disturbance nutrient conditions

  • Conference paper
Book cover Proceedings of the Third International Workshop on Phosphorus in Sediments

Part of the book series: Developments in Hydrobiology ((DIHY,volume 84))

Abstract

Interpreting sedimentary phosphorus profiles in terms of changes in the historical P load is difficult due to variable retention and post-depositional diagenesis. An alternative approach is to use diatom assemblages in surface sediments and derive a transfer function for epilimnetic SRP and total P concentrations using weighted average regression and calibration. The obtained relationship can then be applied to down-core changes in sedimentary diatom assemblages and diatom-inferred P (DI-P) used to assess historical changes in epilimnetic P-concentrations. A diatom-phosphorus calibration data set for 43 eutrophic lakes in Northern Ireland has been constructed and applied to two small eutrophic lakes (Lough Mann, White Lough). DI-total P (i.e. predicted) is highly correlated with observed TP (r 2 = 0.75) for the surface-sediment training data-set. The resultant changes in DI-P derived from application of the transfer function to down-core changes in diatom assemblages are compared to sedimentary P concentrations. The latter are highly variable, presumably due to redox-derived effects, while DI-P profiles are more readily interpretable, and agree with other stratigraphic records of lake eutrophication. The method offers a good possibility of defining pre-disturbance (i.e. natural) phosphorus concentrations in lakes with associated implications for lake-restoration programmes.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geobotany Division, Geological Survey of Denmark, Thoravej 8, DK-2400, Copenhagen NV, Denmark

    N. J. Anderson

  2. Freshwater Laboratory, University of Ulster, Traad Point, Ballyronan, BT45 6LR, N. Ireland

    B. Rippey

  3. Dept. of Agriculture (NI), Aquatic Sciences Research Division, Newforge Lane, Belfast, BT9 5PX, N. Ireland

    C. E. Gibson

Authors
  1. N. J. Anderson
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  2. B. Rippey
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  3. C. E. Gibson
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Editor information

P. C. M. Boers Th. E. Cappenberg W. van Raaphorst

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© 1993 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Anderson, N.J., Rippey, B., Gibson, C.E. (1993). A comparison of sedimentary and diatom-inferred phosphorus profiles: implications for defining pre-disturbance nutrient conditions. In: Boers, P.C.M., Cappenberg, T.E., van Raaphorst, W. (eds) Proceedings of the Third International Workshop on Phosphorus in Sediments. Developments in Hydrobiology, vol 84. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-1598-8_44

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-1598-8_44

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-4696-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-011-1598-8

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