Premium
Origin and distribution of inositol hexaphosphate in estuarine and coastal sediments
Author(s) -
Suzumura Masahiro,
Kamatani Akiyoshi
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
limnology and oceanography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.7
H-Index - 197
eISSN - 1939-5590
pISSN - 0024-3590
DOI - 10.4319/lo.1995.40.7.1254
Subject(s) - bay , estuary , sediment , plankton , phytoplankton , oceanography , environmental science , abundance (ecology) , soil water , geology , environmental chemistry , ecology , chemistry , nutrient , soil science , biology , geomorphology
In order to clarify the origin and the fate of inositol hexaphosphate (IP 6 ) in coastal sediments from Tokyo Bay, we determined IP 6 in several potential source materials, such as plankton, soil, riverine, and estuarine samples. IP 6 was not found in zoo‐ and phytoplankton samples, thus eliminating these as a source to the sediments. Soils collected from the catchment areas of major rivers flowing into the bay contained high concentrations of IP 6 (0.25–5.65 µ mol P g ‒1 ). Samples of suspended solids and estuarine sediments from the rivers also had significant amounts of IP 6 . The distribution pattern of IP 6 in Tokyo Bay sediments exhibited relatively high concentrations in the estuarine areas, decreasing gradually toward the mouth of the bay. The IP 6 in coastal sediments was composed of three isomers in the same order of abundance as those found in the terrestrial and riverine samples: myo‐ » scyllo‐ > chiro‐. From these results, IP 6 in Tokyo Bay sediments was ascribed to soils transported by rivers from land into the bay. The IP 6 concentration ranged from 0.01 to 0.10 µ mol P g ‒1 in surface sediments (0–2.5 cm), accounting for <1.2% of the total organic P; it was completely decomposed in the subsurface. Consequently, this compound is quite ephemeral in coastal marine environments.