The oxygen isotopic composition of phosphate as an effective tracer for phosphate sources in Hongfeng Lake

In order to characterize the oxygen isotopic composition of internal phosphate and explore the possibility of using these data to identify phosphate sources, we measured oxygen isotopic compositions of phosphate(δ;O;) in sediment pore water in Hongfeng Lake, a typical deep-water lake in a mountainous area. These data, in combination with δ;O;in surface water samples and water column samples, were successfully used to identify phosphate sources. The δ;O;value of sediment pore water ranged from 15.2% to 15.8%, with an average value of 15.5%—the δ;O;value of internal phosphate. The δ;O;values decreased gradually through the water column from 19.4% in surface water to 16.4% in deeper water, implying that internal phosphate had more negative δ;O;values than external phosphate. This finding was substantiated by horizontal variations in δ;O;values, which decreased with increasing distance from inflowing rivers. All collected evidence suggests that external and internal phosphate have distinctly different isotopic signatures and that these signatures have not been considerably altered by biological mediation in Hongfeng Lake. Therefore, δ;O;can be used to distinguish phosphate sources. A two-endmember mixing model showed that internal phosphate had an average contribution of 40%, highlighting the influence of internal phosphorus loading on aqueous phosphate and eutrophication. This study illustrates the need to reduce the internal phosphorus load from sediment and provides guidance for nutrient management and in-lake restoration treatment in Hongfeng Lake. The data presented here are limited, but serve to highlight the great potential of δ;O;as an effective tracer for identifying phosphate sources. Systematic investigations of the oxygen isotopic compositions of external phosphate, internal phosphate, and phosphate through the water column, in combination with in-lake P biogeochemical cycle study, would be desirable in further research.