Historical eutrophication in Lake Taihu: evidence from biogenic silica and total phosphorus accumulation in sediments from northern part of Lake Taihu

Sediment and water from the Meiliang Bay of Lake Taihu were analyzed to examine the historical relation between the accumulation of biogenic silica (BSi) and total phosphorus (TP). The results indicate that BSi accumulation in the northern part of Lake Taihu had been controlled by diatom production and phosphorus loading since the 1950s. BSi accumulation increased with the growing agricultural activity since the 1950s, up to a maximum level in the 1960s. After that, BSi accumulation decreased due to the diatom dissolution till the 1980s, and then the diatom biomass decreased with BSi accumulation increased. Lake Taihu came into an accelerated eutrophication periods since the 1990s, while BSi accumulation began to increase but the proportion of diatom decreased. Although the onset of silica depletion cannot be confirmed in the present work, it is clear that BSi accumulation was restrained by the input of TP.