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In this study, the sedimentary records, sources, and ecological risks of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Dianchi Lake were analyzed. The concentrations of ΣPAH16 in the sediments of Dianchi Lake ranged from 368 to 990 ng/g, with an average value of 572 ng/g, peaking in 1988. Economic development, rapid population growth, and rapid growth of coal consumption have a greater impact on the HMW (high molecular weight) PAHs than on the LMW (low molecular weight) PAHs in the sedimentary environment. The results of the diagnostic ratios and PCA (principal component analysis) model show that the main sources of PAHs were coal and biomass combustion, as well as the fossil fuel combustion in individual years. The risk assessment results showed that the PAH concentrations in the sediment were within a safe range. In the past 100 years of sediment pore water, other 2–3 ring LMW PAHs were within a safe range (except for Phe, which reached chronic toxic pollution levels in some years). With an increase in industrialization and urbanization, the burning of fossil fuels such as coal and petroleum has increased, and some of the 4–6 ring HMW PAHs have reached chronic toxicity or even acute toxicity in the sediment pore water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The long-term accumulation, burial and release of nutrients, such as carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) in lacustrine sediments are responsible for the global lake eutrophication. Interpretation of the spatiotemporal sedimentary record of nutrients (C, N, and P) in contrasting trophic level of lakes is helpful for understanding the evolutionary process of water eutrophication. Based on the radiochronology of 210Pbex and 137Cs, a comparative study of spatial and temporal concentrations, burial of total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP), the sources of organic matter were conducted using sediment cores from two plateau lakes Dianchi (DC) and Fuxian (FX) of SW China. Results showed that concentrations and burial of C, N, and P in sediments of DC, a shallow hypertrophic lake with the maximum depth of 5.8 m, were both higher than those in FX, an oligotrophic deep lake with the maximum depth of 155.0 m. For both lakes the molar ratio of TOC/TN increased in the sediments moving from north to south. The values of TOC/TN molar ratios increased over time in DC and were higher than in FX. The extremely high values of TOC/TN appeared in the central and southern parts of FX, indicating the impacts of accumulation effect and sediment focusing in the deeper region and indirect supplement from the Lake Xingyun (XY), an adjoining lake connected with FX via the Gehe River. Time-integrated sources identification in DC indicated the contribution of allochthonous sources was dominant over the past few decades, which contributed to the increased trophic level of the lake. The comparison of relationships of carbon accumulation rates (CAR), nitrogen accumulation rates (NAR), and phosphorous accumulation rates (PAR), the ratios of N/P and the utilizations of N and P fertilizer between DC and FX implied that both of N and P inputs should be limited for reducing the trophic level, but N control was predominant in comparison with P for both lakes. The results indicated that caution is required in plateau lakes to limit transition from oligotrophic to eutrophic in these lakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An analysis of the correlation between polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and economic parameters demonstrates that the total population, gross domestic product, coal consumption, petroleum, temperature, and day consumption significantly affect PAH concentrations in Dianchi Lake, Yunnan province, China. An artificial neural network (ANN) model was developed to predict the trend in PAH concentrations in the sediments of Dianchi Lake over the next 10 years based on current indicators of economic development. The ANN model estimated the concentration of PAHs from 1980 to 2014. The model was evaluated using available observations for the historical trends; concentrations of PAHs in the sediments of Dianchi Lake are calculated to be at 2128.1 ng/g in 2025 and are expected to decline up to 1044.3 ng/g by 2030. These concentrations are considered relatively high because of their impacts on the health of people and aquatic organisms and the development of surrounding industries. We show the importance of the socioeconomic and climate factors in increasing the pollution levels. Our results could support the local government to formulate effective measures to reduce the pollution levels in the lake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The total amount and morphology of nitrogen and phosphorus in sediments have important environmental significance. The study of the ecological risk assessment of nitrogen and phosphorus in sediments is important to understand the environmental quality of water body in the basin. In this study, taking the Futunxi Basin of Fujian Province as an example, the single factor index and bioavailability coefficient method were used to evaluate the ecological risk of nitrogen and phosphorus in the sediments, and reveal the spatial change and environmental significance of the nitrogen and phosphorus forms. The results showed that different morphological components of the bio-available nitrogen were distributed as organic sulfide bound nitrogen (SOEF-N) > iron-manganese oxidized nitrogen (SAEF-N) > weak acid leached nitrogen (WAEF-N) > ion exchange nitrogen (IEF-N). The inorganic phosphorus included the highest proportion of metal oxide bound phosphorus (NaOH-P), followed by calcium bound phosphorus (HCl-P). The proportion of reduced phosphorus (BD-P) was even lower, and the proportion of weakly adsorbed phosphorus (NH4Cl-P) was the lowest. The results of single factor pollution index showed that the sediment nitrogen in the study area mainly caused moderate pollution and phosphorus mainly caused light pollution. By contrast, the results of the bioavailability index method indicated that nitrogen mainly caused light pollution, and phosphorus mainly caused clean pollution in sediments. Combined with the characteristics of social economy and environment in the study area, it can be inferred that the bioavailability index method based on comprehensive evaluation of total amount and morphology can better characterize the spatial change and ecological risk of nitrogen and phosphorus in sediments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Variation in C/N/P stoichiometry during sediment burial is related to elemental biogeochemistry cycles from the hydrosphere to the lithosphere. However, C/N/P stoichiometry change in lakes is still unclear although lakes are an important burial site of terrestrial matter. The purpose of this study was to determine the variation in C/N/P stoichiometry and its influencing factors in the burial processes of lake sediments. Materials and methods: Two sediment cores (cores 4 and 5) were collected from a plateau lake (Dianchi Lake, China) in July 2014. The CRS 210Pb dating model of was used to estimate the vertical chronological distribution for each layer. Total, organic, and inorganic carbon (TC, TOC, TIC), nitrogen (TN, TON, TIN), and phosphorus (TP, TOP, TIP) were analyzed to determine variation patterns in the C/N (RCN, ROCN, RICN), C/P (RCP, ROCP, RICP), and N/P ratios (RNP, RONP, RINP) in lake sediments. Results and discussion: The results showed that TOC, TON, and TIP were the main constituents of TC, TN, and TP in both sediment cores, respectively. After 1960, the burial rates of TOC and TON in core 4 exhibited rapidly increasing trends, coincident with TC and TN. In core 5, the increase occurred after 1980. Significant differences in C/N/P stoichiometry were observed in cores 4 and 5, dominated by allochthonous and autochthonous sources, respectively. RCP and RNP in core 4 were higher than in core 5; the difference in RCN was insignificant. RCN exhibited irregular large fluctuations in the middle layer, with mean values of 20.9 ± 4.0 and 17.3 ± 8.1 for cores 4 and 5, respectively. RCP and RNP declined rapidly with time, indicating that the losses of C and N might be higher than that of P. ROCN, ROCP, and RONP followed the same vertical decreasing pattern as RCN, RCP, and RNP, but RICN and RINP did not. Mineralization could be the primary driver and different sources played a regulatory role in the temporal variation of stoichiometry. Conclusions: Sediment stoichiometry (RCN, RCP, RNP) decreased with time might be mainly due to selective outcome of mineralization and be regulated by different organic matter sources. RCP, ROCP, RNP, and RONP showed significantly decreasing trends with age, whereas RCN and ROCN were relatively consistent. Vertical distribution of inorganic ratios differed from that of organic and total proportions. Further research is needed to determine influencing factors on these ratios and to clarify the role of C/N/P stoichiometry in freshwater ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation exhibits a significant degradation for dissolved organic matter (DOM) in natural water ecosystems. However, research on photodegradation process of terrestrial components (e.g., humic-like substances) of DOM are limited due to drastic water dilution and rapid degradation. Here, photochemical degradation of terrestrial soil DOM with abundant humic-like substances from different land use were investigated by utilizing spectral technologies. Simulated UV radiation caused obvious losses on concentration, component structures, and fluorescence characteristic of soil DOM samples. The correlations between absorption specific parameters (a280, SUVA254, and SR) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) were especially pronounced (p < 0.05), which could be used as valid indicators to determine changes in DOM composition and molecular size during photobleaching process. The decreases of DOM fluorescence intensity were corresponded to first-order kinetic and half-life reactions. The greatest reduction on fluorescence intensity (31.56–81.97%) belonged to peak C (i.e., humic-like substances). Overall, DOM from forest and grass soil ecosystems was more easily photochemical degraded than anthropogenic soil DOM. Enhancive contribution of fresh DOM formed by photodegradation increased autochthonous characteristic and bioavailable nutrition by increasing biological index (BIX) values and ammonia nitrogen (NH4+–N) concentration. The slight microbial decomposition effects on DOM happened in unsterilized dark condition. Our findings provided insights for understanding the rapid photodegradation processes of composition and structure of terrestrial DOM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Large additions of organic carbon (OC) have been introduced into the carbon cycle of lakes from algae during the process of lake eutrophication. The impact of eutrophication on OC burial and CO2 fixing has been widely studied; however, there is still a gap regarding the impact of excess OC from algae on sedimentary OC mineralization. In this study, we aim to fill this gap by analyzing in situ measurements. Materials and methods: Three pairs of sediment cores collected from a plateau lake (Dianchi Lake) in 2006 and 2014 were used to estimate the accumulation loss rate (ALR) of OC (and thus the total mineralization rate) in the sediment. n-Alkanes, measured from the same sedimentary cores, were used to identify the source of OC. An OC mineralization experiment in a laboratory was used to confirm the enhanced effect of excess phytoplankton carbon on ALR and reveal the potential influence of microorganisms. Results and discussion: The results indicate that the sedimentary core (core 3), with high excess OC from algae (located in an algal bloom area), possessed a higher ALR (85.66%) and a higher attenuation coefficient (0.078), indicating the low burial efficiency and short mineralization duration of OC. Sedimentary core 1, controlled by terrestrial OC, had a relatively lower ALR (64.60%) and lower attenuation coefficient (0.029), indicating a high burial efficiency and long period of OC mineralization. The mineralization of OC in core 2 was impacted by terrestrial and endogenous OC, with an ALR of 72.00% and attenuation coefficient of 0.064, which is between that of cores 1 and 3. Excess OC from algae corresponded to an increase in ALR by 32.60% when comparing core 1 to core 3. The increased ALR and attenuation coefficient could be caused by excess OC from algae. Conclusions: Sedimentary OC mineralization indicates that the ALR with dominantly allochthonous OC (64.60%) is much lower than that controlled by autochthonous OC (85.66%). Excess OC from phytoplankton increases the mineralization of OC: not only via increased ALR but also increased mineralization speed. The laboratory experiment on the mixture of algae and sediment suggested that excess phytoplankton OC increased the emission of CO2 by 20–70% (mineralization rate). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sediments have a significant influence on the cycling of nutrient elements in lake environments. In order to assess the distribution characteristics and estimate the bioavailability of phosphorus and nitrogen in Dianchi Lake, organic and inorganic phosphorus and nitrogen forms were analysed. The 210Pb radiometric dating method was employed to study temporal changes in the phosphorus and nitrogen pools in Dianchi Lake. The result show that the total phosphorus (TP) and total nitrogen (TN) were both at high concentrations, ranging from 697.5-3210.0 mg/kg and 1263.7-7155.2 mg/kg, respectively. Inorganic phosphorus (IP) and total organic nitrogen (TON) were the main constituents, at percentages of 59%-78% and 74%-95%, respectively, in the sediments. Spatially, there was a decreasing trend in phosphorus and nitrogen contents from the south and north to the lake centre, which is related to the distribution pattern of local economic production. The burial rates of the various phosphorus and nitrogen forms increased in same spatially and over time. Particularly in the past two decades, the burial rates doubled, with that TN reached to 1.287 mg/(cm2·yr) in 2014. As the most reactive forms, nitrate nitrogen (NO3-N) and ammonia nitrogen (NH4-N) were buried more rapidly in the south region, implying that the potential for releasing sedimentary nitrogen increased from north to south. Based on their concentrations and burial rates, the internal loads of phosphorus and nitrogen were analysed for the last century. A TP pool of 71 597.6 t and a TN pool of 81 191.7 t were estimated for Dianchi Lake. Bioavailable phosphorus and nitrogen pools were also estimated at 44 468.0 t and 5429.7 t, respectively, for the last century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two sediment cores were collected from Dianchi Lake, a plateau lake in Southwest China, to study the temporal trends and to investigate the sources of sedimentary deposited polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon. The ΣPAH16 concentration in the two sediment cores ranged from 172.5 to 2244.8 ng/g and from 211.4 to 1777.8 ng/g, with mean values of 1106.2 and 865.1 ng/g, respectively. Three temporal trends for the ΣPAH16 concentration and the composition of PAHs in Dianchi Lake all showed three typical changing stages: (1) slight changes in deeper segments before the 1950s; (2) a rapid increase in PAH concentrations between the 1960s and 1990s; and (3) a slight reduction from the 1990s onward. These trends differ from those observed in developed countries due to differences in the timing of industrialization and urbanization processes. According to the results of the molecular ratios and principal component analysis, the PAH deposition was dominated by coal combustion, wood combustion, and vehicle emissions before and after the 1960s, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reforestation and afforestation have been implemented over large regions in China for decades, and this has significantly reduced dust storms, desertification and soil/water erosion in China. However, the quantificational evaluation of the reforestation program in China is still incomplete, especially in the southwest China, due to the limitation of survey data. In order to assess the effects of reforestation on soil erosion in southwest China, a subtropical monsoon region with acid red soil, a representative watershed (Dianchi, Yunnan, in southwest China), was selected to study the effect of reforestation on soil erosion over nearly five decades. The land surface soil samples and sedimentary core in this watershed were examined in 2012 to evaluate the soil erosion and sediment deposition during the period of deforestation and reforestation. The results from the multi-source indexes (nutrients, radionuclides, metallic and isotope elements) measurement from soil samples and analyses (composite fingerprinting, remote sensing and geographic information system) indicate that reforestation significantly reduced the presence of sand from surrounding basin via the sedimentary records. Natural forests had the greatest soil conservation capacity, followed by economic forests and farmland, according to a composite fingerprinting. The distribution of total phosphorus, total nitrogen (TN), total organic carbon (TOC) and isotope carbon (δC) presents a high consistency to the results of the composite fingerprinting. The loss rate of TN and TOC in farmland is much greater than that in forest. Reforestation will thus increase the storage of TN and TOC in the long term, although this storage is lower than that in farmland during a short time due to the application of fertilizers. The logging of economic forests will significantly increase soil erosion in this region because of low grass coverage. Recommendations include limiting the period of logging in economic forests to periods outside the rainy season and intercropping other kinds of indigenous trees or grasses to reduce soil erosion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An integrated system including eutrophication simulation and algal bloom predication was established and applied in Lake Taihu. The mechanic models, which are based on a three-dimensional numerical model coupling hydrodynamic module, pollutant transport module, suspended sediment resuspension module, wind wave module and algal bloom predication module, can simulate not only the single function such as current pattern, nutrient distribution, sediment concentration and wave height field, but also the interaction among them. Using these models, some complex phenomenon such as endogenous pollution can be simulated. In the study, some key technologies are introduced to make the simulation reasonable and feasible. First, a new method for predicting algal bloom is introduced. Differing from the traditional phytoplankton dynamic model, judging the algal bloom through biomass or chlorophyll concentration, the method quantitatively estimates algal growth state switching among bloom, collapse and steady based on algal stability criterion in water column. Second, the sediment resuspension is estimated using calibrated critical shear stresses derived from remote sensing data and the wave-enhanced bottom stress during the windy days. Third, a user-friendly operation environment based on plug-in development and geographic information system is developed. The tests demonstrated that the system could both simulate the reactive solutes such as BOD and DO and the suspended sediment correctly under interaction of gravity and turbulent diffusion. The simulation results demonstrated that the system could obtain reasonable and reliable simulated results in Lake Taihu. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessments of specific inherent optical properties (SIOPs) and their variability in highly turbid and productive inland waters are essential for the accurate estimation of water quality. A new optical classification method including two classification criteria [i.e., normalized remote sensing reflectance slope (NS), and normalized remote sensing reflectance depth (ND)] was developed to divide remote sensing reflectance into four classes, i.e., class 1 (NS < −0.0017 and ND < 0.21) is low turbid and productive water; class 2 (NS < −0.0017 and ND > 0.21) is low turbid and high productive water; class 3 (NS > −0.0017 and ND < 0.09) is high turbid and low productive water; and class 4 (NS > −0.0017 and ND > 0.009) is high turbid and high productive water. The relationships between phytoplankton absorption at 440 nm [ a(440)] and chlorophyll- a concentration [ C] as well as between particle backscattering coefficient at 440 nm [ b(440)] and total suspended matter concentration ( C) after classification were obtained from a large number of in situ data in Lake Taihu. The measured specific phytoplankton absorption $$[ {a_{\text{ph}}^{*} \left( \lambda \right)} ]$$ and particle backscattering coefficient $$[ {b_{\text{bp}}^{*} \left( \lambda \right)} ]$$ show significant variations even within the same class. The mean values of $$a_{\text{ph}}^{*} \left( \lambda \right)$$ at 440 nm $$[ {a_{\text{ph}}^{*} \left( {440} \right)} ]$$ for each class are 0.048 ± 0.013, 0.060 ± 0.012, 0.083 ± 0.021, and 0.056 ± 0.017 m/mg, respectively. The mean values of $$b_{\text{bp}}^{*} \left( \lambda \right)$$ at 440 nm $$[ {b_{\text{bp}}^{*} \left( {440} \right)} ]$$ for each class are 0.035 ± 0.01, 0.024 ± 0.004, 0.041 ± 0.009, and 0.038 ± 0.009 m/g, respectively. The power functions of SIOPs and water constituents' concentration indicate that $$a_{\text{ph}}^{*} \left( {440} \right)$$ and $$b_{\text{bp}}^{*} \left( {440} \right)$$ vary with C and C. The validation results show that our proposed values for $$a_{\text{ph}}^{*} \left( {440} \right)$$ and $$b_{\text{bp}}^{*} \left( {440} \right)$$ cover a very wide range of water optical properties, which are characterized from clear water to highly turbid productive water. The validation results also suggest that the retrieval accuracy of C and C bio-optical model was improved after classification. The root mean square error (RMSE) of C was improved from 14.18 to 7.43 μg/L (mean value of all classes) and RMSE of C was improved from 32.98 to 26.10 mg/L (mean value of all classes). Thus, the temporal and spatial variation of $$a_{\text{ph}}^{*} \left( {440} \right)$$ and $$b_{\text{bp}}^{*} \left( {440} \right)$$ should be considered in the bio-optical retrieval model of water quality. Graphical Abstract: In complex optical properties of inland water, retrieving the water constituents with high accuracy needs to classify the water optical properties from the remote sensing spectrum by optical classification method. The figure shows the water color examples of each class[Figure not available: see fulltext.]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Time-series MODIS data were used to extract and characterize algal blooms from the Taihu Lake study area. Water quality data including total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and dissolved oxygen; local meteorology data; and global climate trends were examined to reveal the factors influencing the formation of the algal blooms. Results for the 2000-2011 study period show that the annual algal bloom typically begins between March and May in Taihu Lake. All large-scale blooms originate from northern Taihu Lake (Meiliang Bay and Zhushan Bay). Some small-scale blooms originate from southwestern Taihu Lake, but the duration of these blooms is very brief because of episodes of turbulent mixing due to high wind speed. Nutrient supply is the main factor influencing algal mass propagation during bloom periods, and temperature changes may trigger algal recovery. The algal bloom area significantly decreased when wind speed is greater than 4 m/s, causing turbulence and changes in algal buoyancy. A strong East Asian summer monsoon transporting warm air to the lake is shown to extend the duration of algal blooms in Taihu Lake, as occurred in 2007. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For optically complex turbid productive waters, the optical behavior of suspended particles is the keynote of characterizing the unordered variations of inherent optical properties (IOPs). Multiple bio-optical measurements and sampling of optically active substances were performed in Lake Taihu, Lake Chaohu, and Lake Dianchi, and Three Gorges reservoir of China, in 2008, 2009, and 2010. On the basis of obtaining adequate observation data, we developed an improved and robust water classification approach, by which complex water conditions were divided into three types, i.e., Type 1 (Normalized Trough Depth at 675 nm, hereafter NTD675, ≥0.092), Type 2 (0 ＜ NTD675 ＜ 0.092), and Type 3 (NTD675 ≤ 0). Furthermore, the specific inherent optical quantities for suspended particles, including the specific absorption coefficient of non-algal particles (a*nap), the specific absorption coefficient of phytoplankton (a*ph), and the specific scattering coefficient of the suspended particles (b*p), were determined for the three classified types of waters. The validation results showed that our proposed values for these specific inherent optical quantities presented relatively high predictive accuracies, with most mean absolute percentage errors (MAPE) near 30%, and more importantly, performed much better than that of non-classified waters. Additionally, relative contributions of phytoplankton and non-algal particles to the total particulate absorption and scattering, as well as the spectra, were also analyzed, and the differences among the three classified types of waters were clarified. Overall, the results obtained in this study provide us with new knowledge for understanding complex varied inherent optical properties of highly turbid productive waters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study develops a novel support vector regression (SVR) model for retrieving the specific cyanobacterial pigment C-phycocyanin (C-PC) concentrations in cyanobacteria-dominated large turbid lakes of China. Lake Taihu, Lake Chaohu, and Lake Dianchi in China were our study areas. Five field cruises were carried out to collect data sets of optical and water quality parameters. To retrieve the C-PC, three types of reflectance forms, including single band, band ratio, and three-band-combination, were compared. The band ratio was the best candidate to serve for algorithm development. On this basis, two types of models, including linear models and a SVR model, were originally established. The previous typical algorithms were also examined. The obtained results showed that the best-performing model was the SVR model. By our validation data set, the proposed SVR model also presented accurate prediction results, with the lowest errors among all methods. The novelty of the SVR model compared to the previous ones lies in the inclusion of band ratios that are located outside of the main pigment absorption peaks but hold information on inflection points, curvature, etc., into empirical optimization. The implications of these findings indicates the potential applicability of the SVR models in lakes of the similar type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]