THE EXCHANGE OF PHOSPHATE BETWEEN ESTUARINE WATER AND SEDIMENTS1

The exchange of phoq3hate between water and sediments of Doboy Sound, Georgia, was studied experimentally with freshly collected core samples and suspensions of surface sediment, using “‘P as a tracer. The exchange consists of a two-step ion exchange between clay minerals and water, plus an exchange between interstitial microorganisms and water. The exchange tends to maintain a concentration of phosphate in the water of one pmole of phosphate/liter. In undisturbed sediments the biological exchange is trivial, but in suspended sediments the biological exchange moves nearly as much phosphate as does the exchange with clay minerals. The rates of exchange and the exchange capacity of the sediments are large enough to be significant ecologically, maintaining phosphate at a level favorable for continued production of plant populations.

[1]  R. Robinson,et al.  THE DETERMINATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF ORGANIC PHOSPHORUS IN SEA WATER. PART 1. THE DETERMINATION OF ORGANIC PHOSPHORUS IN SEA WATER WITH PERCHLORIC ACID OXIDATION , 1952 .

[2]  W. Stephenson.  Certain Effects of Agitation Upon the Release of Phosphate from Mud , 1949, Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom.

[3]  L. Pomeroy,et al.  Observations on Dinoflagellate Blooms1 , 1956 .

[4]  L. Cooper.  Chemical properties of the sea water in the neighbourhood of the Labadie Bank , 1951, Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom.

[5]  L. Pomeroy,et al.  Life History of a Dinoflagellate Bloom1 , 1957 .

[6]  F. R. Hayes,et al.  Lake Water and Sediment , 1958 .

[7]  Hugh D. Van Liew,et al.  Semilogarithmic Plots of Data Which Reflect a Continuum of Exponential Processes. , 1962 .

[8]  L. Pomeroy.  Algal Productivity in Salt Marshes of Georgia1 , 1959 .

[9]  G. Seshappa.  Phosphate Content of Mudbanks along the Malabar Coast , 1953, Nature.

[10]  F. Gessner.  Untersuchungen über den Phosphathaushalt des Amazonas , 1960 .

[11]  C. Yentsch,et al.  THE DYNAMICS OF A DIATOM BLOOM , 1958 .

[12]  S. Goodgal,et al.  Sorption reactions and some ecological implications , 1954 .

[13]  H. B. Moore.  The Muds of the Clyde Sea Area. 1. Phosphate and Nitrogen Contents , 1930, Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom.

[14]  J. Teal,et al.  Gas Exchange in a Georgia Salt MARSH1 , 1961 .

[15]  D. Rochford.  Studies in Australian Estuarine Hydrology. I. Introdutory and Comparative Features , 1951 .