The Role of Phosphorus in the Eutrophication of Receiving Waters: A Review

Abstract

Phosphorus (P) is an essential element for all life forms. It is a mineral nutrient. Orthophosphate is the only form of P that autotrophs can assimilate. Extracellular enzymes hydrolyze organic forms of P to phosphate. Eutrophication is the overenrichment of receiving waters with mineral nutrients. The results are excessive production of autotrophs, especially algae and cyanobacteria. This high productivity leads to high bacterial populations and high respiration rates, leading to hypoxia or anoxia in poorly mixed bottom waters and at night in surface waters during calm, warm conditions. Low dissolved oxygen causes the loss of aquatic animals and release of many materials normally bound to bottom sediments including various forms of P. This release of P reinforces the eutrophication. Excessive concentrations of P is the most common cause of eutrophication in freshwater lakes, reservoirs, streams, and headwaters of estuarine systems. In the ocean, N becomes the key mineral nutrient controlling primary production. Estuaries and continental shelf waters are a transition zone, where excessive P and N create problems. It is best to measure and regulate total P inputs to whole aquatic ecosystems, but for an easy assay it is best to measure total P concentrations, including paniculate P, in surface waters or N/P atomic ratios in phytoplankton. S OCIETY normally wishes to maintain a reasonable level of productivity in our lakes, rivers, and estuaries and this requires the presence of modest levels of mineral nutrients. Historically, many of these water bodies have progressed from low productivity or oligotrophic settings to productive mesotrophic conditions to overenriched hypertrophic or eutrophic conditions. The results are often algal or cyanobacterial mats, anoxia, and fish kills leading to greatly reduced biodiversity (e.g., Carpenter et al., 1969; Jaworski, 1981; Likens, 1972). The relationships among P input, primary production n, dissolved oxygen, biodiversity and trophic status are shown conceptually in Fig. 1. From the human perspective it is desirable to prevent or minimize eutro

Available content, surface runoff and leaching of phosphorus forms in a typic hapludalf treated with organic and mineral nutrient sources

“…This shows that, especially for PL, using N contents for determining P rates might not be the best criterion. The reason is that, after successive manure applications, there was an accumulation of available P in the surface layers and migration in the soil profile, intensifying P transfer via surface runoff (Bertol et al, 2010;Ceretta et al, 2010b;Brennan et al, 2011;Kang et al, 2011) and leaching Girotto et al, 2013), which may cause eutrophication of surface and underground water bodies (Correll, 1998;Smith et al, 2007, Ceretta et al, 2010bHahn et al, 2012).…”

“…Phosphorus accumulation in soils with sequential application of manure may intensify nutrient transfer via runoff from the soil surface (Smith et al, 2001;Gessel et al, 2004;Basso et al, 2005;Vadas et al, 2007;Ceretta et al, 2010b), causing eutrophication of surface waters adjacent to the areas treated with organic residues (Correll, 1998;Smith et al, 2007). Moreover, P may be partially leached by the solution into the soil profile, especially in profiles with sandy texture and low organic matter and oxide contents (Kleinman et al, 2009;Sorensen & Rubaek, 2012), leading to contamination of the water table, making the water unsuitable for human consumption.…”

Variability of fresh- and salt-water marshes characteristics on the west coast of France: A spatio-temporal assessment

“…In stagnant waters, more phosphorus can be released to the water column from the sediment or from particulate organic phosphorus (POP). Sulfate accumulation resulting from agricultural activity and low water oxygen saturation facilitate this process by anion exchange (Correll, 1998;Lucassen et al, 2004). The measures of PO 4 concentrations in this survey are not sufficient to explain the PO 4 variation in water.…”

At-grade stabilization structure impact on surface water quality of an agricultural watershed

“…Phosphorus is the nutrient mainly limiting eutrophication in freshwater systems, while N is mainly limiting in most saltwater systems (Sharpley et al, 1994;Correll, 1998). However, given complex nutrient cycling and plant uptake pathways within aquatic systems, as well as the spatial and temporal variability of such pathways, both N and P can be important in impairment in both types of ecosystems (Dodds and Welch, 2000).…”