Distribution of phosphorous pools in western river sediments of the Urmia Lake basin, Iran.

Impact of anthropogenic loading of phosphorous (P) to an aquatic ecosystem can be qualitatively assessed by measuring the buildup and distribution of P in sediments and by differentiating bioavailable and recalcitrant P pools. Distribution of P pools in sediments is affected by the physico-chemical properties including specific elements, particle size distribution, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), and carbonate content. We applied X-ray fluorescence and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) methods to characterize sediments from western rivers in the Urmia Lake basin in Iran with a particular focus on properties that are relevant to P speciation. Phosphorous pools were sequentially extracted into operationally defined exchangeable (EXCH-P), iron and aluminum oxide-bound (Fe/Al-P), calcium-bound (Ca-P), and residual (RES-P) P pools. In river sediments, the size of P pool was found to be in the order of Ca-P > RES-P > Fe/Al-P > EXCH-P indicating small fraction of bioavailable P pool and Ca-P minerals being the most dominant P sink. Carbonate-related properties had an inverse relationship with bioavailable P pools in the river sediments studied. The principal component analysis (PCA) of the sequential extraction data with sediment properties revealed that four principal components described 82.7% of total variation. Similarly, particle size-related properties were found to have the highest eigenvalues in the first PC. Electron diffraction spectra (EDS) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyses showed a largely uniform distribution of P in the upstream sediment. However, limited evidence of local enrichment of P with Fe, Al, and Ca contents was observed in the downstream river sediments. Correlation of Fe/Al-P pool size with Al2O3 and SiO2 contents indicated that P was associated with Al oxide and clay minerals in the sediment matrix. Overall, the results from this study provide insights into the variability of upstream and downstream river processes and their relationship with P pools with regard to their bioavailability. These results are expected to be useful in assessing the potential impact of P loading on the aquatic ecosystem in the Urmia Lake basin.