Anthropogenic oligotrophication via liming: Long-term phosphorus trends in acidified, limed, and neutral reference lakes in Sweden

Abstract

Restoration of acidified lakes by liming does not, in many cases, improve productivity to a pre-acidified state. We hypothesize that the poor recovery detected in many of these lakes is due to constrained in-lake phosphorous (P) cycling caused by enhanced precipitation of metals in higher pH, limed waters. Long-term (1990-2012) data for 65 limed, circum-neutral (pH 6-8), and acidified lakes in Sweden were analyzed to determine trends for P and potential drivers of these trends. Limed lakes not only had lower mean values and stronger decreasing trends for total P than non-limed lakes, but they also had the highest percentage of decreasing trends (85 %). A P release factor (Hypolimnetic P/Epilimnetic P) was developed to elucidate differences in internal P cycling between lake groups. Consistently, lower P release factors in limed lakes show limitation of internal P cycling during summer months that may be a factor limiting P bioavailability and thus productivity of these systems.

Keywords

Productivity; Liming; Sediment; Phosphorus; Metal precipitation; Acidified lakes

Published in

AMBIO: A Journal of the Human Environment
2014, volume: 43, number: SI, Supplement 1, pages: 104-112
Publisher: SPRINGER

SLU Authors

• Huser, Brian

  • Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

Global goals (SDG)

SDG6 Clean water and sanitation

UKÄ Subject classification

Geochemistry
Oceanography, Hydrology, Water Resources

Publication identifier

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-014-0573-0

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/64057