Seasonal sedimentation trends in a mesotrophic lake: Influence of diatoms and implications for phosphorus dynamics

To quantify the extent to which biomass and phosphorus in particular is removed from an aquatic system via sedimentation as well as to identify factors that influence sedimentation of nutrient elements, various characterizations of suspended and settling particulate matter were made in Trout Lake, Wisconsin, USA. The proportion of water column phosphorus reaching sediment traps showed a seasonal component with a minimum during late summer. Biogenic silicon analysis indicated that relatively high rates of phosphorus removal were associated with the sedimentation of siliceous algae ( diatoms) from the water column. Estimates of the impact of nutrient removal through diatom sedimentation indicate that this process can reduce primary production by decreasing the amount of nutrient remineralization in the water column during the stratified period.