| Abstract: | Surface and core sediment samples were collected from Zhejiang coastal waters of the East China Sea to study phosphorus(P) forms and understand the potential release of P as well as adsorption.The sediments were extracted sequentially to determine four phosphorus fractions,and non-sequentially for total phosphorus(TP).The total concentration of phosphorus in the surface sediments ranged from 527.2 to 680.5 mg kg~(-1).Inorganic P was the major form and accounted for 84-94%of TP.Among the four forms,P-Detrital was dominant(58.6-73.2%),followed by P-CDB(10.5-20.9%),P-Organic(6.1-15.9%),and P-CFA(5.9-16.3%).The distribution pattern of TP in the surface sediments was similar to that of P-Detrital and P-Organic,but different from P-CDB and P-CFA.A relatively high level of phosphorus was observed in estuarine sediments,reflecting the influence from terrestrial input.Phosphorus in all forms in core sediments at each station decreased with depth.In addition,potentially bio-available phosphorus accounted for 20-34%of TP. |
