Different Forms of Phosphorus in Sediments Collected from Zhuyuan Outfall in the Yangtze Estuary, China

Phosphorus (P) is a major limiting nutrient in many surface waters and is often responsible for eutrophication. The distribution and behavior of various forms of P in sediments is of significance to understanding the dynamic cycling of P in estuary water areas. This paper studies the distribution and different forms of phosphorus in sediment collected from the wastewater discharge outfalls in the waters adjacent to Shanghai, China. The results show that the concentrations of STP in the sediment samples ranged from 493 mu g/g to 737 mu g/g, which did not show a significant variation. The highest value of STP was presented in site Z3 and it was highly in accordance with the OM contents. SIP was the major constituent in all sediments. The concentration of SIP ranged between 32% and 78% of STP, while the concentration of SOP in the sediments accounted for 21% to 67% of STP. The major component of SIP in all sediments was P-Ca and the rank order of diferrent inorganic forms of P is: P-Ca > P-Obs > P-Fe > P-Ads > P-Al. The concentration of SOP in sediments shows highly correlation with particle contents smaller than 0.005mm. (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of Conference ESIAT2011 Organization Committee.