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Apportionment of bioavailable phosphorus loads entering Cayuga Lake, New York
Author(s) -
Prestigiacomo Anthony R.,
Effler Steven W.,
Gelda Rakesh K.,
Matthews David A.,
Auer Martin T.,
Downer Benjamin E.,
Kuczynski Anika,
Walter M. Todd
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
jawra journal of the american water resources association
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.957
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1752-1688
pISSN - 1093-474X
DOI - 10.1111/1752-1688.12366
Subject(s) - tributary , bioavailability , environmental science , surface runoff , phosphorus , nonpoint source pollution , hydrology (agriculture) , environmental chemistry , chemistry , ecology , geography , geology , biology , bioinformatics , cartography , geotechnical engineering , organic chemistry
The integration of the phosphorus (P) bioavailability concept into a P loading analysis for Cayuga Lake, New York, is documented. Components of the analyses included the: (1) monitoring of particulate P ( PP ), soluble unreactive P ( SUP ), and soluble reactive P ( SRP ), supported by biweekly and runoff event‐based sampling of the lake's four largest tributaries; (2) development of relationships between tributary P concentrations and flow; (3) algal bioavailability assays of PP , SUP , and SRP from primary tributaries and the three largest point sources; and (4) development of P loading estimates to apportion contributions according to individual nonpoint and point sources, and to represent the effects of interannual variations in tributary flows on P loads. Tributary SRP , SUP , and PP are demonstrated to be completely, mostly, and less bioavailable, respectively. The highest mean bioavailability for PP was observed for the stream with the highest agriculture land use. Point source contributions to the total bioavailable P load ( BAP L ) are minor (5%), reflecting the benefit of reductions from recent treatment upgrades. The BAP L represented only about 26% of the total P load, because of the large contribution of the low bioavailable PP component. Most of BAP L (>70%) is received during high flow intervals. Large interannual variations in tributary flow and coupled BAP L will tend to mask future responses to changes in individual inputs.