Distribution characteristics of TOC, TN and TP in the wetland sediments of Longbao Lake in the san-jiang head waters

Abstract

The study deals with the distribution of nutrients in wetland sediments, which provide the basis for revealing the wetland eutrophication processes and mechanisms of internal pollution sources. The total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP) contents and distribution characteristics of sediment samples were examined. The results showed that the TOC concentration ranged from 3.81 to 15.6 g/kg, the TN concentration ranged from 0.21 to 1.18 g/kg with a mean concentration of 0.66 g/kg, and the TP concentration ranged from 0.16 to 0.35 g/kg with a mean of 0.23 g/kg. Statistical analysis showed close correlations between TOC and TN (R2 = 0.96), and TN and TP (R2 = 0.97), which indicated that the TN and TP in the sediments were from similar sources. The concentrations of TOC, TN, and TP in Long-bao Lake wetland sediments were too low for eutrophication to occur. Our investigation indicated that Longbao Lake undergoes natural evolution rather than anthropogenic activities.