Phosphorus Fractions in Water and Sediment and Their Correlations in Hengshui Lake, China

Sediment is a principal reservoir which accumulates and releases the pollutants. It is an important way of nutrients releasing from pore water of sediments to overlying water across the sediment-water interface. Five sampling sites were selected in the Hengshui Lake. Overlying water and sediments were collected in each of them. The phosphorus fractions and their relationships were analyzed. The results showed that the change of the total phosphorus （TP） in sediment was similar to that of the total dissolved phosphorus （TDP） and soluble orthophosphate （PO4^3-） in pore water. The concentrations of PO4^3- in pore water were higher than those in overlying water, reflecting a possible diffuse trend for PO4^3-P in the five zones of Hengshui Lake. It is indicated that phosphorus and other nutrients will be transferred from sediment to pore water and then to overlying water, which can lead to lake eutrophication.