Characterizing Phosphorus Mineralogy, Chemistry, and Speciation in Utah Lake Sediments
Location
USU Eccles Conference Center
Event Website
http://water.usu.edu
Start Date
4-6-2016 11:30 AM
End Date
4-6-2016 11:45 AM
Description
With a new phosphorus (P) Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) in preparation for Utah Lake, more work is needed to understand P cycling in surface water and sediments. Utah Lake is a unique freshwater body that is naturally shallow, turbid, eutrophic, and alkaline with high dissolved oxygen levels. Calcium carbonate precipitation is the primary form of sedimentation, with sedimentation rates of approximately 5 cm per 100 years. Co-precipitation of minor amounts of apatite (calcium phosphate), silicate minerals, iron hydroxides may be an important sink of P in Utah Lake. Mineral-bound P in bottom sediments is likely an efficient removal mechanism of P in Utah Lake. As such, there may be an almost unlimited pool of legacy P trapped in Utah Lake sediments that far overwhelms the amount of P inflows from tributary streams. Thus, reductions in P loads from tributary streams to Utah Lake, as proposed by new state Division of Water Quality regulations, potentially will not result in improved water quality in Utah Lake.
Characterizing Phosphorus Mineralogy, Chemistry, and Speciation in Utah Lake Sediments
USU Eccles Conference Center
With a new phosphorus (P) Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) in preparation for Utah Lake, more work is needed to understand P cycling in surface water and sediments. Utah Lake is a unique freshwater body that is naturally shallow, turbid, eutrophic, and alkaline with high dissolved oxygen levels. Calcium carbonate precipitation is the primary form of sedimentation, with sedimentation rates of approximately 5 cm per 100 years. Co-precipitation of minor amounts of apatite (calcium phosphate), silicate minerals, iron hydroxides may be an important sink of P in Utah Lake. Mineral-bound P in bottom sediments is likely an efficient removal mechanism of P in Utah Lake. As such, there may be an almost unlimited pool of legacy P trapped in Utah Lake sediments that far overwhelms the amount of P inflows from tributary streams. Thus, reductions in P loads from tributary streams to Utah Lake, as proposed by new state Division of Water Quality regulations, potentially will not result in improved water quality in Utah Lake.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/runoff/2016/2016Abstracts/14
Comments
An oral presentation by Matt Randall, who is with the Brigham Young University, Geological Sciences